The New York State Board of Law Examiners
The New York State Board of Law Examiners is responsible for administering the bar examination to candidates seeking admission to practice law in the State of New York. The Board has been in existence for more than one hundred twenty five years, having been created by the New York State Legislature in 1894. The operations of the State Board of Law Examiners are overseen by a five member Board of attorneys appointed by the New York Court of Appeals. The Board maintains a business office in Albany, New York with a full-time staff that oversees the bar examination. The bar examination is administered twice per year, on the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday each February and July. In 2023, the Board processed 15,804 applications for the bar examination and examined 13,440 applicants.RECENT NEWS AND NOTICES - UPDATED SEPTEMBER 30, 2024
RECENT AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
By Order dated April 19, 2024, the New York Court of Appeals amended Part 520 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law to more closely align the eligibility requirements with the American Bar Association’s Standards for the Approval of Law Schools. The amendments are to Sections 520.3, 520.5, 520.6 and 520.17 of the Court Rules. The amendments are effective May 8, 2024. A copy of the Court’s Notice to the Bar and Order amending the Rules is available at https://nycourts.gov/ctapps/news/nottobar/nottobar-AttyAdmin-042324.pdf. The amended Court Rules is available at https://nycourts.gov/ctapps/520rules10.htm.CHANGES IN APPLICATION FILING PERIODS FOR NEW YORK BAR EXAM
The Board has new Application Filing Periods for each administration of the New York State Bar Examination (UBE). For a July bar exam (UBE), the Application Filing Period is March 1 - 31st. For a February bar exam (UBE), the Application Filing Period is October 1 - 31st.
The Board has new Application/Re-Application Filing Deadlines for Application/Re-Application for non-standard test accommodations (NTA) on the bar exam (UBE). For a July exam, the Application/Re-Application Filing Deadline is March 31st. For a February exam, the Application/Re-Application Filing Deadline is October 31st.
For an applicant who failed the immediately preceding administration of the New York Bar Exam, the Application Filing Deadline will be the later of (a) the filing deadline outlined above or (b) the 7th day following the date of the Board’s release of the bar examination results.
JULY 2024 BAR EXAMINATION
The bar examination was successfully administered on July 30 and 31, 2024. The results of the examination are expected to be released by the end of October.
FEBRUARY 2025 BAR EXAMINATION
The February 25-26, 2025 administration of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) in New York will be administered in-person at test sites to be announced in the fall. There will be no remote option. All components of the UBE will be in paper question booklets, and applicants will be required to answer the MBE questions on a paper scantron answer sheet that will be provided. For the MPT and MEE, applicants may elect to either handwrite or type their essay answers. Applicants will be required to select laptop or handwriting at the time of filing their application for the exam. Laptop applicants will subsequently be required to timely purchase the software and register their computers with the software vendor, ExamSoft. No applicant may bring a laptop computer to the test site for the MBE portion of the exam.
The application filing period for the February 25-26, 2025 bar examination is October 1-31, 2024. Applicants must apply for the bar exam through their “BOLE Account” in the Applicant Services Portal. Any applicant who does not have a BOLE account, should click on BOLE Account in the menu and follow the instructions to create an account. Individuals with disabilities who wish to request non-standard test accommodations for the February 2025 bar examination must submit an Application/Re-Application for Test Accommodations with all supporting documentation by no later than Thursday, October 31, 2024. Please pay careful attention to the October 31, 2024 deadline as it will not be extended.
Applicants who are unsuccessful on the July 2024 New York Bar Examination will have seven (7) days from the date of the release of the July bar exam results to re-apply for the February 2025 New York Bar Examination. This extended application filing period does not apply to applicants who (1) withdrew from or were absent for the July 2024 Bar Examination or (2) took the bar exam in another jurisdiction in July and are not successful.
NEW YORK LAW EXAM
The results from the September 19, 2024 NYLE have been posted to applicant BOLE Accounts. To access the exam results, log in to your account in the Applicant Services Portal using your email address and password and navigate to the NYLE section within the portal.
The next administration of the NYLE is on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET. The deadline to complete the New York Law Course and register for the December NYLE is Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Applicants who timely register with the Board to take the NYLE must also timely purchase, download and register the software with Examsoft. Examsoft will email applicants a few weeks before the date of the NYLE with all pertinent details and deadlines.
NOTICE TO CANDIDATES WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY WITHDRAWN OR FAILED TO APPEAR FOR THE BAR EXAM
Pursuant to Board Rule 6000.9(b)(3), an applicant who fails to appear for or has withdrawn from multiple prior examinations, or having appeared for the examination but in the opinion of the Board upon review of the applicant’s examination papers and record of attendance does not make a bona fide effort to pass the examination, may in the discretion of the Board, be required to petition the Board for permission to re-apply for a subsequent bar examination. In the event the Board determines such a petition is required, the applicant will be so notified by the Board.