The New York State Board of Law Examiners









*New September 15, 2020*





The New York State Board of Law Examiners is making arrangements to allow candidates to transfer scores earned on the remote bar admission examination to be administered on October 5-6, 2020. At present, 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 and Vermont. The Board will continue its efforts to secure reciprocity with other UBE jurisdictions administering the remote exam, and will provide updates as additional information becomes available. The following candidates will be eligible to transfer 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. Transferred scores will not be accepted from candidates who do not meet one of the aforementioned criteria * July 29, 2020 *









UPDATE REGARDING THE OCTOBER 2020 BAR EXAMINATION:

Operating under the auspices of the New York State Court of Appeals, the New York State Board of LawExaminers 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.

In light of accelerating public health concerns and continuing governmental restrictions, the September 9-10, 2020 bar exam is cancelled. New York will administer the emergency remote option offered by NCBE, on October 5-6, 2020.

Candidates registered for the September exam will be automatically registered for the October remote exam. Juris Doctor candidates who graduated from an ABA-approved law school in the United States in 2019 or later, who previously took the bar examination in New York and failed no more than two times, and who wish to apply for the remote exam may submit a written request to the Board, which must be received in the Board office by no later than Friday, July 31, 2020. Requests must include the candidate’s BOLE Number, mailing address, email address and a phone number, and must state whether or not the candidate is registered to take the UBE in another jurisdiction in July or September 2020 or the October 2020 remote exam in another jurisdiction. If the request is granted, the candidate will be provided instructions regarding how to submit an application for the remote exam.

If you registered for the September exam but do not wish to take the remote exam in October, you may withdraw from the exam by logging into your BOLE Account and clicking on the Withdrawal button in the Bar Examination Application section. You will be issued an automatic credit of the application fee. The credit is valid for three years and may be used towards a future administration of the New York bar examination or toward the required payment for application by transferred score from another jurisdiction. If you withdraw from the exam and you were signed up for the Laptop Program, you will need to contact Examsoft directly to request a refund of the laptop fee.

Individuals with disabilities who did not previously submit an application for test accommodations on the September 2020 New York bar examination because the nature of their disability did not require test accommodations for an in-person examination but who now require test accommodations in light of the revised exam format must file an Application for Test Accommodations and all required supporting documentation by close of business (5:00PM Eastern Time) on Friday, August 7, 2020. The completed Application together with all required supporting documentation may be mailed to the Board’s office for receipt or submitted in digital (pdf) format by this strict deadline. Please consult the Test Accommodations page on the Board’s website for more information. https://www.nybarexam.org/ADA/ADA.htm

Individuals with disabilities who were previously granted test accommodations on the September 2020 New York bar examination and now require additional or modified test accommodations on the remote exam may fax or mail a letter of explanation to the Board by close of business (5:00 PM Eastern) on Friday, August 7, 2020, together with updated relevant medical documentation to support the new accommodations.

Individuals with disabilities who meet the criteria to apply for the October 2020 remote examination during the current application filing period and who require test accommodations must file an Application/Re-Application for Test Accommodations with all supporting documentation by close of business (5:00PM Eastern Time) on Friday, August 7, 2020. The completed Application/Reapplication together with all required supporting documentation may be mailed to the Board’s office or submitted in digital (pdf) format by this strict deadline. Please consult the Test Accommodations page on the Board’s website for more information. https://www.nybarexam.org/ADA/ADA.htm.

Additional information can be found in the Court of Appeals’ statement, available at https://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/. The Board will update this website, and will also contact the registered candidates by email, as additional information becomes available.

NEW YORK LAW EXAM



The results from the June 11, 2020 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 September 24, 2020 at 12:00 pm Eastern. The deadline to complete the New York Law Course and register for the September NYLE is August 25, 2020. 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. Click here for future dates of the NYLE.



REPORT OF THE IMPACT OF THE UNIFORM BAR EXAMINATION IN NEW YORK



The 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.

– 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.