Uniform Bar Exam States: All UBE Jurisdictions & Passing Scores (2026)

What Is the Uniform Bar Exam?

The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is a standardized two-day bar exam administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). It replaces what used to be 50+ different state bar exams with a single test whose score transfers between participating jurisdictions.

The UBE has three components:

• Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) — 200 multiple-choice questions covering Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. Worth 50% of the total UBE score.
• Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) — six 30-minute essay questions covering the MBE subjects plus Business Associations, Conflicts of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, Article 9 Secured Transactions, and the UCC. Worth 30%.
• Multistate Performance Test (MPT) — two 90-minute lawyering tasks (drafting a memo, brief, contract, or letter) that test practical legal-writing skills using a closed-universe file. Worth 20%.

Scores are reported on a 400-point scale. Each jurisdiction sets its own minimum passing score (currently 260-280 across the 41 UBE jurisdictions).

UBE Score Transfers

The headline feature of the UBE is score portability. You take the exam once and can transfer your score to any other UBE jurisdiction where you meet the local passing minimum, subject to that jurisdiction's score validity window.

Validity periods vary widely:

• Indefinite — Iowa accepts UBE scores from any prior administration with no expiration.
• 5 years — Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, DC, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Utah, West Virginia.
• 3 years — most jurisdictions, including New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington, Maryland.
• 2 years — Alabama, Arizona, New Jersey, South Carolina.

Strategy implication: if you sat for the UBE in a 270-minimum state, you could also use that score in any 260, 264, or 266 jurisdiction whose validity window is still open. A New York 270 could move you into NJ (266, 2 years), DC (266, 5 years), or Texas (270, 5 years) without retaking the exam.

Want to plan a multi-state career? Our Law School Transfer Predictor uses the same ABA 509 data structure to model school-to-school mobility — different problem, same logic.

NextGen Bar Exam Transition (2026-2028)

The NCBE has announced the NextGen Bar Exam as the UBE's successor. The first administration is scheduled for July 2026 in early-adopter jurisdictions: Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. Additional jurisdictions are expected to transition through 2027 and 2028.

What changes with NextGen:

• Integrated tasks instead of separate MBE/MEE/MPT components. Test takers analyze fact patterns, identify legal issues, and produce written work product within a single task.
• Reduced subject coverage. NCBE has narrowed the tested subjects to focus on foundational lawyering skills — Conflicts of Laws, Family Law, and Trusts & Estates were dropped from the standard exam.
• More practical-skills emphasis. Counseling, negotiation, and client-interaction skills are explicitly tested alongside doctrinal analysis.

UBE continues alongside NextGen through July 2028 for jurisdictions still on UBE. Score transfers between UBE and NextGen jurisdictions are not yet finalized — applicants planning cross-jurisdiction careers should expect retesting if their target jurisdiction has fully transitioned to NextGen by the time they apply.

For 1Ls and 2Ls today, the practical advice: take whichever exam your target jurisdiction administers when you sit for it. Don't try to optimize across the transition — by the time you take the bar, the NextGen rollout schedule will be much clearer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest UBE state?

By passing-score alone, the lowest minimums are 260 (Alabama, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah). But pass rate also depends on the test-taker pool — small, low-volume jurisdictions like North Dakota and Wyoming consistently have higher pass rates than heavily-tested ones like California or New York. “Easiest” isn't purely about the score.

What is the hardest UBE state?

By passing-score, Alaska at 280 is the highest UBE minimum. Among large-applicant states, Colorado (276) and Rhode Island (276) set the highest bars. But California, Florida, and Louisiana — none UBE states — administer their own exams that are widely considered harder than any UBE jurisdiction.

Is New York a UBE state?

Yes. New York adopted the UBE in 2016 with a minimum passing score of 266. New York additionally requires applicants to pass the New York Law Course (NYLC) and New York Law Exam (NYLE) — two short online courses/exams covering NY-specific law that are not part of the UBE itself.

Is California a UBE state?

No. California administers its own California Bar Examination, which tests California-specific subjects (community property, California Civil Procedure, California Evidence). A UBE score does not transfer to California, and a California Bar Exam score does not transfer out.

Is Texas a UBE state?

Yes. Texas adopted the UBE in 2021 with a minimum passing score of 270. Texas accepts transferred UBE scores from other jurisdictions for up to 5 years.

How long is a UBE score valid?

Score validity depends on the receiving jurisdiction, not the one where you sat for the exam. Most jurisdictions accept scores 3 years old; some accept up to 5 years (DC, Texas, Utah); a few accept only 2 years (Alabama, Arizona, New Jersey, South Carolina); Iowa accepts indefinitely.