Law Students seeking admission to the Bar in New York State will need to take three exams: the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), the New York Law Exam (NYLE) and the Bar Exam (UBE). It is important to know that receiving accommodations from DS at Columbia does not mean that you will be approved for accommodations on these exams. The MPRE is managed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and the NYLE and New York Bar Exam are managed by the New York State Board of Law Examiners (NYS BOLE) The NCBE and NYS BOLE grant or deny accommodations in whole or part based on their respective review process. As an aid to students, Registration Services has guidelines on their website for bar certification and a step-by-step guide for the New York Bar.
New York Law Exam
If you are seeking admission in New York, you must take the New York Law Course (NYLC) and pass the New York Law Exam (NYLE). The New York State Board of Law Examiners administers the NYLE separately from the Bar Exam. You must complete the 17 hour NYLC before you can register for the NYLE. You can find more information on the NYLE on their website. Many students take the NYLE during the spring semester of their 3L year. However, you can take the NYLC and NYLE up to one year before you first take the UBE. You have up to three years after you take the UBE to take the NYLC and NYLE. You may access information on the NYLE HERE.
It is imperative that students register and complete the NYLC with sufficient time to complete the required videos and questions before the deadline to register for the NYLE. Please allow yourself sufficient time for technical errors that may occur during the NYLC, and that require reaching out to the NY BOLE. That is to say, do not wait to register, watch the videos, and complete the course on the day of the registration deadline. Should you encounter any technical issues and are unable to complete the course by the deadline, the NYS BOLE will not grant an exception past the deadline.
If you need to request a testing accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the following page has important information on the relevant requirements and procedures: NYLE Test Accommodations, including the Instructions For Submitting Online Application and Digitized Documents. You may complete the application for test accommodations through the Applicant Services Portal by the deadlines listed above. If you received accommodations approved by the Disability Services (DS) you should work with DS when applying for testing accommodations for the NYLE.
NYLE Registration and Test Dates
NYLE Administration | New Applications for Test Accommodations Must Be Received By | DS recommends submitting 45 days before recommended submission date | Start gathering materials | Registration Deadline |
Mid September | Mid June | Early May | April | Late August |
Mid December | Mid September | Early August | July | Mid November |
Mid April | Mid January | Late November | October | Mid March |
New York State Bar Exam
The deadline to apply for accommodations for the July New York State Bar Exam is March 31, however, Disability Services recommends that you apply for accommodations 4-6 months before the Bar Exam. This would mean for the July Bar exam, you should apply for accommodations in January. For the February Exam (e.g., Pro Bono Scholar), you should apply in July.
It is possible to apply for accommodations for the NYLE and the New York Bar Exam at the same time. Many students find this advantageous depending on when they intend to sit for each exam. Students will generally receive their determinations for each exam at the same time, and the NYS BOLE will review all submitted material for both exams.
If the application for accommodations is granted, the NYS BOLE will send a “determination letter” via email which will detail the accommodations awarded and will include a certification that must be signed and returned to accept the terms of the accommodations.
Be aware that if you apply for accommodations for the NYLE and the New York Bar Exam at different times, once you submit the online application for accommodations for either the NYLE or New York Bar Exam, the link to apply for accommodations disappears. This means you will either have to wait for a determination on the pending application before the link appears again or reach out to the NYS BOLE to inquire whether you may submit a timely paper application for the other exam.
Required documents
It is important to refer to the websites provided above to prepare to apply for testing accommodations. For your convenience, below is a non-exhaustive list:
- Personal Statement: this is something you write and DS can review
- Proof of Accommodations in prior settings
- From Columbia Law School
- From other institutions
- Standardized tests
- Score reports from Standardized tests (LSAT, SAT, ACT, MPRE)
- Transcripts
- Certification of Accommodations (from DS)
- A comprehensive letter of support from DS(allow 3-5 weeks to write the letter and include your personal statement when requesting the letter)
- Supporting Documentation of accommodations: Documentation guidelines can be found in the New York State Board of Law Examiners Test Accommodations Handbook and on the MPRE website under the Medical Documentation tab. This includes recent medical documentation and historical documentation.
Sample timeline
You may choose when to take the exams and in which order. Below is a sample timeline:
- 2L Spring/Summer: Apply for accommodations for the MPRE
- August after 2L or November 3L: Complete the MPRE
- 3L December/January: Complete the NYLC and register for the April NYLE.
- 3L December/January: Apply for accommodations for the NYLE and NY Bar Exam
- 3L April: Sit for the the NYLE
- July after graduation: Sit for the NY Bar Exam
Following the above timeline, students can largely prepare for the MPRE over their rising 3L summer/early Fall without the added stress of full-time coursework and exams. The NYLC completion and NYLE score will be valid for the July UBE exam (and/or the February UBE). Successful completion of the NYLE in April allows students to focus on the July UBE and not have additional exams following the Bar Exam.