New York State Bar Examination | Columbia Law School

Academics » Registration

Contact Us
Office of Registration Services

William and June Warren Hall, Floor 5

Email Registration Services

Phone: 212-854-2668

The New York State Bar Examination

Visit NY State Board of Law Examiners (NYS BOLE) for detailed information on the New York State bar examination application and requirements.  We encourage you to obtain and carefully review the application materials as early as possible and make careful note of the NYS BOLE filing deadlines as there are no provisions for late filing.

NOTE:  The certification process differs slightly for J.D. and LL.M. students. Once you have read this page, please follow the relevant link for additional information based on degree. 

UNIFORM BAR EXAMINATION (UBE):

The New York Court of Appeals has adopted the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) that New York adopt the UBE effective July 2016. The Advisory Committee also recommended, and the Court of Appeals adopted, a requirement that applicants for admission in New York be required to complete an online course on New York law (New York Law Course, or NYLC) and take and pass an online examination on New York law (New York Law Exam, or NYLE), as a requirement for admission.

NOTE:  In order to apply for the NYLE, you first must complete the 15-hour NYLC.  The report of the Advisory Committee is available on its website at http://www.nycourts.gov/ip/bar-exam/.  For more information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, click here.

 

Application Filing Deadline: 

Applications for the July bar examination must be filed with the NYS BOLE between April 1 and April 30.  Applications for the February examination must be filed between November 1 and November 30. The filing deadlines will not change from year to year.

 

Deadline for Proof of Eligibility and Handwriting Specimen: 

Pursuant to revised Board Rule 6000.2(b) and (c), as explained in further detail at the New York Bar Exam website, all eligibility proofs (e.g., completed Certificate of Attendance), transcripts and handwriting specimens must be received in the Board’s office by the following deadlines:

​​​

These deadlines will, of necessity, be strictly enforced. Candidates whose proofs are not received by the applicable deadline will not be permitted to sit for that bar examination. To ensure timely submission to the Board, make sure that the Law School’s Office of Registration Services has forms requiring certification by January 1 for the February exam and by May 15 for the July exam.

 

Date of Receipt and Not Postmark Date Will Determine Timely Filing: 

The Board will not accept a postmark as the method to determine timely filing. All applications and supporting documentation (i.e. – bar examination applications and re-applications, ADA test accommodations applications and re-applications, eligibility proofs, handwriting specimens, etc.) must be received in the Board’s office on or before the filing period deadline.

 

Laptop Registration:

The laptop program allows you to use your personal laptop computer along with Board designated word processing security software to type your answers to MPT and MEE questions. When you apply for the examination, you must indicate whether you will participate in the laptop program.

NOTE: You must elect the laptop program during the application period. No one will be added to the laptop program after the application period closes. 

 

Policy on Seat Assignments for Bar Exam: 

The Board has changed its policy concerning Test Center assignments. Seating is no longer based on the applicant’s residential address as provided by the applicant on the bar exam application. Test Center assignments will be based on availability and on a first come, first-served basis at the time of the Board’s seating assignment email. First-time applicants who graduate with a Juris Doctor degree from a New York State law school will be given the first opportunity to select a seat assignment. For additional information regarding test sites, please click here.  

 

(NEW) Skills Competency Requirement for Admission to the Bar:

The New York Court of Appeals has identified five pathways through which applicants for admission to practice may satisfy the requirement to ‘demonstrate that the applicant possesses the skills and values necessary to provide effective, ethical and responsible legal services in this State’.

This requirement applies to

  • JD students commencing their studies after August 1, 2016
  • LLM students commencing their studies after August 1, 2018.​

Prior to applying to the New York Bar, all students should review carefully the information provided by the New York Court of Appeals as well as the FAQs.

Skills Competency Requirement for JD candidates

Pathway 1

Pathway 1 allows applicants to satisfy the skills competency requirement by submitting a certification from their law school confirming that (1) the school’s curriculum incorporates the teaching of skills and professional values required for participation in the legal profession, and (2) that the applicant has acquired sufficient competency in those skills and sufficient familiarity with those values.

Fulfillment of Requirement

Columbia Law School’s J.D. requirements offers all JD students the means to acquire and graduate with the skills and values required for legal practice and qualify for admission to the New York Bar under Pathway 1. 

Pathway 2

Pathway 2 allows applicants to satisfy the requirement through certification of credit acquisition which confirms that the applicant enrolled in and successfully completed 15 credit hours, as defined by American Bar Association Standards for the Approval of Law Schools, of practice-based experiential coursework designed to foster the development of professional competencies.

Fulfillment of Requirement

J.D. candidates who have successfully completed 15 points of experiential credit can demonstrate satisfaction of the requirement through Pathway 2, in addition to Pathway 1.

Skills Competency Requirement for LLM Candidates

Pathway 5

Pathway 5 allows an applicant who has been authorized to practice law in another state, or in a commonwealth, territory or country outside the United States, to meet the skills competency requirement by establishing that the applicant has been in good standing and practiced law full-time for one year or part-time for two years.

  Fulfillment of Requirement

  The majority of LLM students will fulfill the skills requirement through Pathway 5. 

Skills Competency for Pro Bono Scholars

Pathway 3

Pathway 3 provides that any applicant who has successfully completed the Pro Bono Scholars Program (“PBSP”) will be deemed to have satisfied the skills competency requirement. The Pro Bono Scholars Program, implemented in New York in 2014, gives law students the option to take the bar examination early and spend their final semester of study performing pro bono work.

Fulfillment of Requirement

Students who elect to follow the Pro Bono Scholars program will be able to demonstrate the necessary skills and values required for legal practice and qualify for admission to the New York Bar under Pathway 3 in addition to Pathway 1.

Skills Competency Requirement for Social Justice Pathways Fellows

Pathway 4

Pathway 4 allows applicants to complete a post-graduation six-month apprenticeship in the United States, or in a commonwealth, territory or country outside the United States, under the supervision of an attorney authorized to practice and in good standing in the jurisdiction where the work is performed. The apprenticeship can be paid or unpaid. 

Fulfillment of Requirement

Students who participate in the Social Justice Pathways Fellowship, which enables JD graduates obtain positions in public interest organizations under the supervision of licensed attorneys, will be able to demonstrate their skills and values competency through Pathway 4, as well as Pathway 1.

 

ADA Test Accommodations: 

The Board’s application, instructions, and documentation guidelines for candidates requesting test accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act are available for download from the Board’s website at www.nybarexam.org/forms/forms.htm. Note that the Board no longer accepts a postmark date as the method for timely filing of documents; rather, applications for test accommodations must be received in the Board’s office no later than November 30 for the February examination and April 30 for the July examination. Also, the Board’s rule for appealing the denial of accommodations has been modified. Pursuant to Board Rule 6000.4(e), the appeal may not present any new diagnosis or disability that was not discussed in the candidate’s application, nor may any additional documentation that was not originally provided with the application be offered on the appeal. Appeals must be received at the Board's office no later than 14 days from the date of the Board’s determination.  

For assistance in completing Certification of Accommodations History forms, please contact Columbia University's Disability Services office at 212-854-2668 or email inquires to [email protected].

 For additional information based on degree and steps on applying for the

July 2018 NYS Bar Examination, see below:

 

   J.D. Students               LL.M. Students

Directory

 

Navigate the site