Academic and Bar Support

• General Bar Admissions Checklist
• New York Bar Admissions Checklist

Dates, deadlines, and information for the Bar Examination and MPRE

New York State Board of Law Examiners (BOLE)
Bar Examination Information Guides
Admission to the New York Bar
Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)
Upcoming New York State Bar Examination Dates
New York State Applications & Instructions
New York State Law Course Format
New York State Law Exam Format
Uniform Bar Exam Format
Other State Bar Examinations

New York State Board of Law Examiners (BOLE)

NYS Board of Law Examiners
Corporate Plaza - Building 3
245 Washington Avenue Ext.
Albany, N.Y. 12203-5195
518-452-8700
800-342-3335 (in NY only)

Bar Examination Information Guides

The New York BOLE provides a comprehensive information guide for the New York bar exam. All New York
applicants should carefully review this document. You may download a copy here.

New York, along with 37 other states, administers the Uniform Bar Exam. You can find general information about the UBE and other admissions information here.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners also publishes an annual Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions Requirements for all jurisdictions.

Admission to the New York Bar

To be certified for admission to the New York bar, you must:

• Complete the New York Law Course
• Receive a passing Score of 30 (out of 50) on the New York Law Examination
• Receive a passing score of 266 (out of 400) on the Uniform Bar Examination
• Receive a passing score of 85 (out of 150) on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam
• Complete the probono requirement (50 hours)
• Satisfythe Satisfy the Competency Requirement (15 credits in experiential learning courses)
• Complete the Character and Fitness Evaluation

Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice examination that is administered three times per year. The purpose of the MPRE is to measure candidates’ knowledge and understanding of established standards related to the professional conduct of lawyers. The MPRE is not a test to determine an individual’s personal ethical values.

The MPRE is required for admission in all but two US jurisdictions (Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.) In addition, Connecticut and New Jersey accept successful completion of a law school course on professional responsibility in lieu of a passing score on the MPRE. Because MPRE requirements vary from one jurisdiction to another, candidates are advised to check with the bar admission agency in the jurisdiction to which they seek admission before registering for the MPRE. Passing scores for each jurisdiction can be found here.

The NCBE website has exam dates and registration information for the MPRE here.

Upcoming NY State Bar Examination Dates

For additional updates, please visit the New York State Board of Law Examiners website.

NY State Applications & Instructions

Applications

Applications are available online at the Board of Law Examiner‘s website. Applications must be completed online or received by the New York State Board of Law Examiners within the dates specified by the Board of Law Examiners.

In order to apply for the UBE, you must have an NCBE Identification number. If you do not have one, you must visit the NCBE website and complete the brief application to receive your NCBE Number.

All applicants must also create a BOLE account before applying for the examination. To create a BOLE account you should click on BOLE Account on the Board’s homepage and furnish the following information: (1) Name – enter your full legal name exactly as it appears in the official government-issued photo identification that you will use as proof of identity on the date of the bar exam; (2) Date of Birth; (3) Email address – Use an email address that you check frequently as all communications from the Board will be sent only by email; (4) NCBE Number.

Upon creating a BOLE Account you will receive an auto-generated email containing your temporary password. You will be prompted to log back into your BOLE account to change your password and to complete your Account Profile. You will be prompted to furnish your legal residence address and indicate the basis for your eligibility to sit for the bar exam. You will be assigned a unique identification number called a BOLE ID, which will be located in your Account Profile.

Applicants will be able to login to their accounts on the BOLE website at any time using their user name (email address) and password. All transactions and registrations will be made in the applicant’s online account including application for the bar exam, registration for the NYLC, registration for the NYLE, application by transferred UBE score and change of address requests.

You should retain your BOLE ID and use it for all future correspondence with the Board. You should also be prepared to give your BOLE ID when calling the Board office with questions regarding the examination or your eligibility. All correspondence from the Board will be sent only by email and only to the email address that you provide in your BOLE account. Therefore, it is recommended that you use an email address that will not expire. You should also check your email regularly for important updates and emails regarding the examination.

Registering for the New York Law Course and New York Law Exam

Once you have a BOLE ID and password:

1. Create an Account Profile Page to provide additional information, including a certification that you, as the applicant, are a “bone fide applicant for admission to the practice of law in New York and anticipate[s] being eligible and plans to sit for the UBE within one year.”
2. After that you will be eligible to start the New York Law Course (NYLC). The course is free.
3. You must complete the NYLC before you can register for the NYLE.
4. You may complete the NYLC up to one year before or any time after you take the UBE. But, your application for admission to the bar must be filed within three years from the second day you took and received a passing score on the UBE.

You must complete all segments of the New York Law Course (NYLC) before you register for the New York Law Examination (NYLE). The deadline to register for the New York Law Examination is thirty (30) days before the date of administration of the NYLE. Thus, you must complete the NYLC at least thirty days before the date of the NYLE you intend to take in order to register in time. The course will likely take you longer than planned, so do not expect to complete the course in a single day or the day before your anticipated registration deadline.

The NYLE is on Examsoft and requires you to pay a fee to Examsoft. Remove your law school copy of Examsoft software from your computer and load the NYLE copy of Examsoft software to ensure you do not have any issues accessing the NYLE.

Applying to Sit for the Bar Examination

Applicants may apply to sit for the UBE by clicking on the link for Bar Exam Application located in the Applicant’s BOLE Account or by clicking on the Online Application link located at the bottom of the homepage of the Board’s website.

There is no provision for late filing for first time applicants. For applicants who failed the immediately preceding New York bar examination, the deadline for reapplication is 14 days from receipt of the examination results, within the filing deadlines above, whichever is later.

Application Fee and Payment

The fee for the Uniform Bar Examination in New York is $250. If you are qualifying to take the Uniform Bar Examination in New York following the study of law in another country (LL.M. students), the fee is $750.

• If you are filing an online application, you must pay by credit card (MasterCard or Visa).
• If you are filing a paper application, you must pay by certified check, traveler’s check drawn on a U.S. bank, or money order payable to:“State Board of Law Examiners.”
• Debit cards are not accepted

Additional Documentation

Once you complete your online application you will receive a confirmation via email. After the deadline date passes (in December for February takers or May for July takers) you will receive a PDF of two forms sent to your email address. One is called the “Law School Certificate” and the other is the “Specimen of Applicants Handwriting.” You will receive explicit instructions from the College of Law registrar about how to submit these forms for completion by the College of Law. Please note that all New York State bar examination applicants must complete these two forms, even if you are using a laptop to take the exam.

New York State Law Course Format

• 17 hours of videotaped lectures
• Must answer imbedded questions – must be answered correctly to continue in the lecture.
• Subject areas are the “important and unique aspects of New York law in the subjects of Administrative Law, Business Relationships, Civil Practice and Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Matrimonial and Family Law, Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Torts and Tort Damages, and Trusts, Wills and Estates.”
• Course outline on BOLE website will be the course materials

New York State Law Exam Format

• The New York Law Exam (NYLE) is a two hour, open book, multiple choice examination.
• Online (Examsoft) examination which will allow you to enter the site five minutes prior to the 12:00 noon starting time. Once you type “begin,” the examination will start and you will have two hours to complete it. No backward navigation will be allowed. So, be careful to answer all questions.
• Tests New York law that is unique and different from the general law of the MBE(Multistate Bar Examination) and MEE (Multistate Essay Exam).
• Subject areas tested: Administrative Law, Business Relationships, Civil Practice and Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Matrimonial and Family Law, Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Torts and Tort Damages, and Trusts, Wills and Estates.
• A content outline will be posted on the BOLE web site.
• Passing score is 30 out of 50 questions correct.
• If you fail the NYLE, you must repeat the NYLC and the NYLE.

Uniform Bar Exam Format

Day 1 Morning

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (3 hours)

2 Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions – suggested 90 minutes each

Day 1 Afternoon

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (3 hours)

6 Multistate Essay exam (MEE) essays – suggested 30 minutes each

Day 2 Morning

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (3 hours)

100 Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) Questions

Day 2 Afternoon

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (3 hours)

100 Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) Questions

Passing score is 266 for New York. The grading breakdown is 50% for the MBE, 30% for the MEE, and 20% for the MPT.

Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)

The MEE is given the Tuesday preceding the MBE in February and July. The examination consists of six essays which are thirty (30) minutes each. The subjects that may be tested include the following: Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations and Limited Liability Companies), Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates; Trusts and Future Interests), and Uniform Commercial Code (Secured Transactions).
Learn more about the MEE.

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

The MBE is given the last Wednesday of February and July. The states have their portion of the examination on the Tuesday before or the Thursday after or sometimes both (California). The MBE is a 200 question multiple choice examination covering the following topics: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts. Learn more about the MBE.

Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

The MPT is given the Tuesday preceding the MBE in February and July. The MPT includes two tasks which are ninety (90) minutes each. The MPT is designed to test an examinee’s ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation and complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish. The MPT is not a test of substantive knowledge. Rather, it is designed to evaluate certain fundamental skills lawyers are expected to demonstrate regardless of the area of law in which the skills are applied. Learn more about the MPT.

Other State Bar Examinations

For information on Bar Examination registration, dates, deadlines, and contents of the examinations, go to the National Council of Bar Examiners website. From their site, you can link to any state or United State territory that offers a bar examination under “Jurisdiction Information.”

You can also check the NCBE’s Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions
Requirements for any state or United States territory.

What is Character and Fitness?
Who does the character and fitness evaluation?
When do they do the character and fitness evaluation?
What do they ask?
What forms do I need?
Could I complete any of the Applications now?
How do I answer the questions on the Application for Admission to the Bar?
Was your application to the School of Law accurate?
Were you disciplined in school, college, or law school?
What if I have an arrest or criminal conviction?
What if I do not remember the exact dates or facts of an incident?
Will my debts prevent me from being admitted?
What would make me not be admitted to the bar due to character and fitness?
What if I need fingerprints?

What is Character and Fitness?

Each jurisdiction for which an applicant seeks admission to the bar requires the applicant to submit to a separate Character and Fitness evaluation. This evaluation will require the applicant to provide current and historical education, employment, residential and financial information. It will also ask questions about criminal and school discipline, as well as disability. In addition, applicants will have to provide law-related employment affidavits and character references. Failure to be completely honest and display full candor is grounds for not being admitted or being disbarred.

Who does the character and fitness evaluation?

The National Council of Bar Examiners (NCBEX) provides Character & Fitness evaluations for some jurisdictions. For this information and links to the Character and Fitness Process for the state you are interested in, visit NCBEX Jurisdictions.

In New York, the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court will review your character and fitness and determine whether the Department will admit you to the bar as an attorney. New York State Character and Fitness Committees:

• First Department
• Second Department
• Third Department
• Fourth Department

When do they do the character and fitness evaluation?

Some states, including California, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, complete this process as part of the application to take the bar examination; other states, such as New York, wait until after the bar examination.

In New York, every Appellate Division Department except the First Department (New York City and the Bronx) will email you their package prior to your receipt of your bar results. It will be due at the beginning of October for July bar exam applicants. The First Department will send the application package once you have passed the bar examination.

What do they ask?

Please note that the application for admission will ask you questions about your past and present conduct, including education, employment, finances (unpaid child support or debt in arrears), unlawful conduct, drug and alcohol misuse, etc. For more information, please review the NCBE’s Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions Requirements

What forms do I need?

In New York, the Department of the Appellate Division where you reside (as determined by your application to take the bar examination) sends you a link to the application package which will include:

• General Instructions
• Application Questionnaire
• Form Affidavit of Compliance with the 50 hour pro bono requirement
• Form Law School Certificate - different from the one required to take the bar

Once you pass the bar examination, you will receive a certification of passing from the Board of Law Examiners. This certification as well as any updated information must be sent to the Appellate Division.

Could I complete any of the Application now?

Do not fill out the Application for Admission before you are sent notice to from the Appellate Division, as the form changes periodically. BUT, what you can complete now:

• Law-Related Employment and/or Solo Practice Affirmation for any legal work you have done. This work includes “ law-related work-study employment, and law-related employment for academic credit only, including participation in law school clinics and externships, and work as a research assistant,” as asked in Question 15 of the “Application for Admission to Practice as an Attorney.”
• Form Affidavit as to the Applicant’s Compliance with the Pro Bono Requirements for any pro bono work you have completed.

Both forms require that your supervising attorney affirm your work. You should complete the forms as soon as possible after completing such employment, a clinic, externship or research assistantship. You want to have them available to you when you have to fill out the admission application. If the supervising attorney leaves a firm or something happens, you do not want to be stuck without the forms.

How do I answer the questions on the Application for Admission to the Bar?

• Read the question carefully
• Answer the question asked
• Be honest – candor is essential, even if it is embarrassing
• Do not editorialize – just write the facts and the disposition of any criminal or educational discipline. Editorializing makes it appear that you are not sincere and/or do not accept responsibility for your actions
• If you run out of space on the form, create an Appendix. Make sure your name and the questions number and title is on every page. For example, “C. Employment 15, continued from page 4 of 20.” Your answers in the Appendix should follow the same format as the question.

The New York application considers “employment” to include Clinics, Externships and Research Assistantships for professors, employment with or without monetary compensation, law-related work-study employment, and law-related employment for academic credit only, including participation in law school clinics and externships, and work as a research assistant.

Was your application to the School of Law accurate?

Some states will ask to see your application to law school. Make sure you answered all the questions correctly and honestly, particularly any about criminal background and/or school discipline.

Were you disciplined in school, college, or law school?

• Some states, including New York, ask about any school-related discipline. New York asks about it from high school on.
• Be prepared to discuss any instances of discipline, including but not limited to, academic dishonesty. You need to be honest to the Character and Fitness Committee.

What if I have an arrest or criminal conviction?

Applicants need to disclose all arrests and convictions, even traffic violations and sealed juvenile records. In fifteen states and U.S. Territories, felony convictions may restrict or bar admission to practice. Refer to the state for which you seek admission. Remember your obligations to be candid in the admissions process.

Get a copy of your driver’s abstract from the DMV. Even if you pled down a moving violation and it is not on the driver’s abstract, you MUST
disclose it.

What if I do not remember the exact dates or facts of an incident?

If you do not recall the exact dates or facts of an incident, research it to the best of your ability. Ask a school for records, ask your parents, get records from a government agency. If there are none, then state that. Use the term “upon information and belief” with the facts you know and explain what you did to try to find the actual facts.

Will my debts prevent me from being admitted?

The Character and Fitness Committee knows almost all law graduates have significant student loan debt. However, the Committee will be concerned if you have excessive credit card debt, a debt that is in default, or a recent bankruptcy. Plan now to get your finances in order. Make sure you have a payment plan and are in compliance with it to manage your debt.

What would make me not be admitted to the bar due to character and fitness?

• Felony convictions will bar you from admission in Kansas, Mississippi, Texas, and the Northern Mariana Islands
• Convictions or educational dismissals for dishonesty, especially felony convictions involving fraud and misappropriation of funds
• Serious amounts of debt in default without a payment plan or a recent bankruptcy.
• Current mental disabilities not under control through treatment or medication.
• Current alcohol and substance abuse issues, including DWI’s in law school.
• Some states (not New York) have conditional admission for substance abuse, mental disability, criminal history, and debt.

What if I need fingerprints?

While New York does not, some states require fingerprints. Fingerprints can usually be taken at a local police station. Call to make an appointment. You generally must bring the unsigned fingerprint card and a government-issued photo identification to the appointment.

Students with disabilities who seek accommodations on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) or the Bar Exam should plan well ahead to insure they have the necessary documentation and are able to meet the deadlines to apply for accommodations, which are often earlier than the bar examination application deadlines.

Annette Jenner-Matthews, Senior Access Counselor at the College of Law, is available to meet with students to discuss these applications. Students can also request a letter confirming accommodations received at the College of Law which is required for most applications for accommodations.

• MPRE Information: For information on the application for accommodations for the MPRE, please visit the MPRE Test Conditions webpage.
• New York State Board of Law Examiners: The New York State Board of Law Examiners instructions for requesting accommodations due to a disability on the New York State Bar Examination should visit the Test Accommodations for the New York State Bar Exam webpage. A student with a disability may apply up to six months prior to the date of the examination and no later than the application deadline for the examination.
• Other Jurisdictions: For information on the application for accommodations for a specific state’s bar examination, go to the National Conference of Bar Examiners website and select your preferred jurisdiction. Then follow the link to the Bar Admissions Agency website for that state or territory to locate the accommodations process.

Uniform Bar Exam Topics & Suggested Law School Courses

Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) Subjects

• Business Associations
• Agency & Partnership
• Corporations
• Limited Liability Corporations
• Civil Procedure
• Conflicts of Law
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts
• Includes Article 2 (Sales) of Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Evidence
• Family Law
• Real Property
• Torts
• Trusts and Estates
• Decedents’ Estates
• Trusts
• Future Interests
• Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the UCC

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) Subjects

Also tested on the MEE.

• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts
• Criminal Law
• Evidence
• Real Property
• Torts

Recommended Law School Electives

• Business Associations
• Commercial Transactions
• Constitutional Criminal Procedure: Adjudicative
• Constitutional Criminal Procedure: Investigative
• Evidence
• Family Law
• Wills and Trusts