Skip to Main Content

Admission to the Bar - Preparation and Resources: Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)

This guide provides background and handy resources for students facing the last remaining hurdle before a career in the law--the bar exam.

Jurisdictions Adopting the UBE

The following jurisdictions have adopted the UBE--all since 2011:

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • District of Columbia
  • Idaho
  • Illinois (effective July 2019)
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Maine
  • Maryland (effective 2019)
  • Massachusetts
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina (effective February 2019)
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island (effective February 2019)
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee (effective February 2019)
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)

The Multistate Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), administered by the NCBE, is not a separate test, per se, but a package of NCBE's other standardized tests adopted by certain jurisdictions as all or part of their bar exams.  The UBE consists of:

  • The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
  • The Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
  • The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

In states where the UBE is administered, the MBE is given on the last Wednesday of July or February and the MEE and MPT on the immediately preceding Tuesday.  Massachusetts implemented the UBE for the July 2018 exam. North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Tennessee will adopt the UBE for the February 2019 exam, Illinois for the July 2019 exam, and Maryland some time during the 2019 calendar year.