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Have you always dreamed of becoming a lawyer in New York? Pictured yourself sitting in an office overlooking Manhattan? Well, don’t give up on that dream just yet. Read on to find out about the ins and outs of sitting the New York bar exam as a UK-based law student.
Natasha Jones
Natasha is an Associate Solicitor in Browne Jacobson’s Health Advisory and Inquests team. She became an active member of AllAboutLaw's community as she completed her law degree at the University of Leeds and then her LLM at The University of Law, before securing a training contract with Browne Jacobsen in 2022, and ultimately qualifying into her chosen practice area.
When you hear people talking about the ‘New York bar exam’, in reality they’re usually referring to the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). The UBE (which itself consists of three assessments) is merely one of three examinations you must take to qualify as a lawyer in New York – but more on that later…
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All applicants educated outside the US must submit an ‘Online Foreign Evaluation Form’ to the New York State Board of Law Examiners, preferably before applying to sit the bar exam. Potential applicants must also ask their university to send various supporting documents directly to the Board. Confirmation of eligibility may take up to six months.
If you receive a positive determination on your request for evaluation, you can then apply to sit the bar exam and pay the non-refundable US$750 application fee.
The good news is, if you studied a three-year, full-time LLB in a common law country – including England and Wales – you will most likely be deemed eligible. If you studied law in a civil country (such as France, Germany or Spain), you may be required to study an LLM in the US.
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As we mentioned earlier, there are three examinations you must sit to become an attorney-at-law in New York. These are the UBE, the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) and the New York Law Exam (NYLE).
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The UBE itself consists of three exams:
- The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
The MBE accounts for 50% of the UBE and consists of 200 multiple choice questions to be answered in 6 hours.
- The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
The MEE accounts for 30% of the UBE and consists of two skills questions to be answered in three hours.
- The Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
The MPT accounts for 20% of the UBE and consists of six essay questions to be answered in three hours.
To pass the UBE, candidates must score at least 266 out of a total score of 400.
The second examination is the MPRE. The MPRE is a professional conduct exam consisting of 60 multiple choice questions, to be answered in two hours. To pass the MPRE, candidates must score 85 out of 150.
The final component is the NYLE, which is a two-hour multiple choice question exam. The NYLE must be sat after completion of the New York Law Course (NYLC).
The NYLC is an online course made up of 17 hours of recorded lectures given by the bar examiners. Candidates are given set course materials to use as revision tools for the NYLE.
To pass the NYLE, candidates must score at least 30 out of 50.
The UBE and the MPRE must be taken in the state of New York. However, the NYLE is administered online and can therefore be taken from anywhere in the world. The NYLC, the mandatory preparation course for the NYLE, is also administered online.
Set over two days of six-hour examinations with candidates needing 66.5% overall to pass, the UBE is infamously hard. In 2020, for example, the pass rate for foreign-educated candidates was 62%. In 2019, the pass rate for foreign-educated candidates was just 51%.
Effective preparation is therefore key. Many candidates choose to enrol in a bar preparation programme prior to flying to New York to take the exams. These programmes are offered by providers such as Kaplan and BARBRI.
If you want to get a feel for the types of questions you would be expected to answer, past bar exam questions and answers can be found on the website of the New York State Board of Law Examiners.
For more information about the New York bar exam, you can view our guide to the US Bar Review.
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