UBE States

You probably noticed the trend already, but many of the US states are ditching the traditional state-specific bar exam for a Uniform Bar Examination known generally as the UBE.

Instead of each state creating their own questions, a single test is applied across all participant states to promote conformity and standardization. It is then graded consistently across the board so your scores won’t vary state to state. This doesn’t mean the states don’t still vary in many ways. Each state retains the right to choose their own passing score, implement additional requirements, and control the standards for accepting transferred scores from other states.  

The UBE builds on the similarities between state exams to include the standard MBE, MEE, and MPT formatted portions, administered over two (2) days and four (4) sessions.

• MBE (50%)
• MEE (30%)
• MPT (20%)

Examinees are graded out of 400 possible points.

Score	% Equivalent
260	65%
264	66%
266	66.5%
270	67.5%
272	68%
273	68.25%
276	69%
270	70%

Taking the exam in a UBE state can be beneficial in a lot of ways.

1. Situation 1 ~ You take the UBE in State 1 and fail, but your score is passing in UBE State 2. You might be able to transfer your score, and (assuming you meet all their other requirements), you should be able to bar in there instead. 🙂 (For more specific details, check out the website here.)
2. Situation 2 ~ You take the UBE in State 1 in 2015. State 2 moves over to the UBE in 2017. You can now transfer your old UBE score over to State 2 (assuming you took the bar recent enough to meet State 2’s time limitations rule). (For more specific details, check out the website here.)
3. Situation 3 ~ You take the UBE in State 1, and later you want to transfer your MBE scores to a non-UBE State 2. So long as the state accepts transferred MBE scores, you might be able to do that (For more specific details, check out the website here.)

Below is a list of the present UBE states and their current (as of 2022) passing scores based on reports from the NCBE.

DISCLAIMER: State rules and policies change; do NOT to rely on this information for any decision-making processes. We just provide it here to promote general discourse and demonstrate variations in ease of bar admissions. You must consult the jurisdiction’s bar admission agency directly for current information.

Notes 

(Based on NCBE Instructions)

• To Transfer UBE scores, you must take the entire exam at one time. You cannot mix and match scores. 
• To Transfer UBE scores, you must take the exam in a current UBE state.

---

---

As of June 2022:

Wyoming
(July 2013)

Passing Score	Limit on Attempts
270	4 Times

---

Virgin Islands
(July 2017)

Passing Score	Limit on Attempts
266	No Limit

---

**If you see any errors or updates, please contact us!