New York State Bar Exam 

In 2015 the New York Court of Appeals adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) effective with the July 2016 administration of the New York State bar examination. The Court of Appeals also adopted a requirement that applicants for admission in New York must additionally complete the New York Law Course (NYLC) and take the New York Law Exam (NYLE) before they can be admitted to practice in New York.

You must register for the UBE, NYLC, and NYLE through your account on the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ (NCBE) website. You can take the NYLC and NYLE up to one year before you sit for the UBE or three years after you first sit for and pass the UBE.

In addition to a bar exam, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. We encourage you to review the specific admission requirements for the jurisdiction in which you plan to seek admission. For general information, you can also visit the NCBE website. 

General Bar Application Info 

UBE

The UBE consists of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), and the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE). It tests knowledge of general principles of law, legal analysis and reasoning, and communication skills. 

The UBE will be offered in New York February 26-27, 2019 (the application filing date is November 1-30, 2018) and July 30-31, 2019 (the application filing date is April 1-30, 2019). For a complete list of UBE test and registration deadline dates in New York, please check the New York State Board of Law Examiners website.

For more information on the UBE, including application fees and a list of other jurisdictions that accept UBE scores, please visit the NCBE’s UBE website.
 

NYLC

The NYLC is an online, on-demand New York specific course that covers 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.

The course consists of approximately 15 hours of recorded lectures with embedded questions. Students generally allot about 2 weeks to finish the NYLC. You cannot register for the NYLE until you have completed the NYLC.

There is no registration fee for the NYLC.
 

NYLE

The NYLE is a 50-question online exam covering the subjects taught in the NYLC. The test is two hours and is open-book and multiple choice. Students can access their notes in their computer during the exam.

The NYLE will be offered 2 more times in 2018:

• September 27, 2018
• December 20, 2018 

The NYLE will be offered on the following dates in 2019:

• March 21, 2019
• June 13, 2019
• September 26, 2019
• December 19, 2019

The deadline to register for the NYLE is 30 days before the test date and there is a $27 registration fee. For a complete list of NYLE test dates and registration deadlines, please check the New York State Board of Law Examiners website.
 

Helpful Resources

Below please find links to information that can help you prepare for the NYLE and the New York administration of the UBE.

• New York State Bar Exam Information Guide (From the New York State Board of Law Examiners)
• Video information session: Preparing for the New York State Bar Exam (Spring 2018)
• Video information session: The New York State Bar Exam and the NYLE (Spring 2017)
• UBE, NYLC, and NYLE Frequently Asked Questions (From the New York State Board of Law Examiners)  
• NCBE Bar Admission Guide