Stt ngày 22 tháng 2 năm 2023

The New York State Board of Law Examiners

Operating under the auspices of the New York State Court of Appeals, 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 over a hundred years, having been created by the New York State Legislature in 1894.
Its five members are attorneys appointed by the 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 Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. In 2019, the Board processed 15,736 applications for the bar examination and examined 14,200 applicants.

NOTICES:

UPDATED OCTOBER 20, 2022:

JULY 2022 BAR EXAMINATION

The results from the July 26-27, 2022 New York State Bar Examination were posted on October 20, 2022 to candidate BOLE accounts in the Applicant Services Portal. Click Here to read the Board’s press release regarding the passing rates for this administration of the exam. A list of passing candidates will be made available to the public on this website on October 21, 2022. The deadline to re-apply for the February 21-22, 2023 New York State Bar Examination is 11:59 PM ET on November 30, 2022. JULY 2022 BAR EXAMINATION RESULTS PUBLIC LOOKUP

FEBRUARY 2023 BAR EXAMINATION The February 21-22, 2023 administration of the New York Bar Examination will be administered in-person at test sites to be announced by later this fall. There will be no remote option. The exam questions will be in paper question booklets and applicants will be required to answer the MBE questions on the paper scantron answer sheet that will be provided. 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 register their computers with the software vendor.

The application filing period for the February 21-22, 2023 bar examination is November 1-30, 2022. 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. The Board is closely monitoring health and safety mandates and recommendations issued by federal, state and local authorities concerning COVID 19 and recognizes that conditions and protocols may change between now and February 2023.

The Board will make all appropriate modifications to exam procedures as required and recommended by federal, state and local authorities. Depending on the status of the COVID 19 pandemic, candidates for the February 2023 bar exam may be required to present proof of full vaccination (including a booster) or proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test and/or may have to wear a mask fully covering their mouth and nose during the exam. Any and all COVID-19 safety and health procedures will be announced closer to the exam. We encourage applicants to monitor this website for further information.

NEW YORK LAW EXAM The results from the September 22, 2022 NYLE have been posted to candidates’ 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 15, 2022 at 12:00 PM ET. The deadline to complete the New York Law Course and register for the September NYLE is Tuesday, November 15, 2022 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.

OCTOBER 2020 REMOTE BAR EXAMINATION UPDATE

Pursuant to the July 29, 2020 Order issued by the New York Court of Appeals (https://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/news/Court-Orders-Covid19.pdf), applicants who passed the October 2020 Remote Bar Examination (either in New York or in another remote bar exam jurisdiction) must file their complete application for admission with the Appellate Division by no later than October 6, 2021.

Applicants who missed the October 6, 2021 deadline to submit their application for admission to the Appellate Division may petition the Court of Appeals for a waiver under Court of Appeals Rule 520.14 (see https://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/admattrnyfaq.htm#Section1).

RECIPROCITY FOR THE TRANSFER OF SCORES EARNED ON THE REMOTE BAR ADMISSION EXAMINATION ON OCTOBER 5-6, 2020:

The New York State Board of Law Examiners has entered into reciprocity agreements to permit candidates to transfer scores earned on the remote bar admission examination that was administered on October 5-6, 2020. The Board has entered into reciprocity agreements with the following jurisdictions:

Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands and Vermont. A score off 266 or greater is required in order to transfer the score to New York.

The following candidates will be eligible to transfer to New York a score earned on the remote exam in a reciprocal jurisdiction:

1) Any candidate who graduated from an ABA-approved law school with a J.D. degree and who has not previously sat for a bar exam in any U.S. jurisdiction;

2) Any foreign educated candidate who graduated from an ABA-approved law school with an LL.M. degree and who has not previously sat for a bar exam in any U.S. jurisdiction;

3) Any candidate who graduated in 2018 with a J.D. degree from an ABA-approved law school and who sat for one prior administration of the UBE but who has not sat for more than one prior bar exam in any U.S. jurisdiction; and

4) Any candidate who graduated in 2019 or later with a J.D. degree from an ABA approved law school and who previously took the UBE and failed no more than two times.

Candidates who do not meet one of the aforementioned criteria may submit a verified petition to the Board seeking a waiver under Board Rule 6000.15. To apply by transferred remote bar exam score login to your BOLE Account and scroll down to Application by Transferred Remote Bar Exam Score and click the Remote Exam Transfer button to access the application. If you previously applied to take the bar exam in New York and received a credit of your application fee you will be able to apply the credit towards the fee for the Application by Transferred Bar Exam Score. Upon completion of your application you will receive an email confirmation from the Board with further instructions. Should you have questions please contact the Board at (518) 453-5990.

NOTICE FOR SPRING 2020 GRADUATES REGARDING APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION AND ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

On April 21, 2020, the Court of Appeals announced the waiver for certain groups of students of certain rules related to law school instructional requirements and the bar admissions process including limits on distance education, the pro bono scholars program, the 50 hour pro bono service requirement, the skills competency requirement, and the timing of the New York Law Course and New York Law Examination. Click here to access the Court's Order. Click here to access the APRIL 27, 2020 STATEMENT FROM THE APPELLATE DIVISION PRESIDING JUSTICES REGARDING BAR ADMISSION PRACTICES.

REPORT OF THE IMPACT OF THE UNIFORM BAR EXAMINATION IN NEW YORKThe New York Court of Appeals announced on August 20, 2019 the release of the Study of the Impact of Adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination in New York. Click here to access the Press Release, Executive Summary, the Report and the Appendices.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY WITHDRAWN OR FAILED TO APPEAR FOR THE BAR EXAM

Candidates with multiple withdrawals may apply for a future exam, without first petitioning the Board. However, if the candidate withdraws or fails to appear, the Board may then, in its discretion, require the candidate to petition the Board before applying for a subsequent exam. See Board Rule 6000.9(b)(3) and the Bar Exam Information Guide.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT SUPPORTING FOREIGN DOCUMENTATION FOR REVIEW

July Bar Exam – To meet the six-month deadline for review of your documents, you must submit your Foreign Evaluation Form and supporting foreign documentation no later than October 1st of the year preceding the exam you plan to sit.
February Exam –To meet the six-month deadline for review of your documents, you must submit your Foreign Evaluation Form and supporting documentation no later than May 1st of the year preceding the exam you plan to sit. LLM applicants who fail to meet these deadlines run the risk that they may not receive a decision from the Board on their eligibility in time to take the exam, causing the application to be denied and the application fee to be forfeited.

LLM applicants who fail to meet these deadlines run the risk that they may not receive a decision from the Board on their eligibility in time to take the exam, causing the application to be denied and the application fee to be forfeited.