Is there a limit on how many times you can take the bar exam?

Is there a limit on how many times you can take the bar exam?

Is there a limit on how many times can you take the bar exam?

Of course, nobody wants to think about taking the bar exam multiple times. However, it is useful to know if states impose any particular limits on the number of times you are permitted to take the bar exam. For example, if you are limited to taking it three times in your jurisdiction, and you have already taken it twice, you may want to think about retaking it a third time unless you feel as prepared as possible! 

However, if you can take the bar exam an unlimited amount of times in your state, being super-prepared for the one you sit for isn’t as of supreme importance and other factors can weigh into a decision to take the exam (for example, some students just need a bar exam under their belt to see how it is, how they perform, and to get over that initial intimidation of the bar exam).

This convenient picture shows which states impose restrictions on the number of times you can take the bar exam and which states do not. You can see that the majority of states do not impose limitations and allow you to take the exam as many times as you need to! We also explain some specific state policies further below.

How jurisdictions impose bar exam limits:

Jurisdictions fall into three different categories in terms of their approach:

• No limits: The vast majority of jurisdictions do not limit the number of times that you are able to sit for the bar exam (so in theory, you can sit for the bar as many times as you want).
• Discretionary limits: Some jurisdictions impose limits (anywhere from 2 to 6) but allow you to take the exam more than that if you get special permission from the state bar.
• Hard limits: A minority of jurisdictions impose hard limits on how many times you can take the bar exam (e.g., after a certain amount of times, you can no longer sit for that bar exam).

We organize these states by category below so that you can easily see what your jurisdiction does.

Note: The below information has been gathered from the NCBE Bar Admission Requirements Guide. Please see your specific jurisdiction’s requirements for specific inquiries. Note that if your jurisdiction has adopted the Uniform Bar Exam recently, it may have also changed their rules on how many times an applicant is permitted to sit for the bar exam. So be especially aware of that!

For the following jurisdictions, there is no limit
on the number of times you can take the exam:

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana*, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau

*[See below to understand what the asterisk means!]

The following jurisdictions limit the amount of times
you can take the bar exam without special permission:

Arizona (3)*, District of Columbia* (4), Idaho (6) Iowa (2), Maryland (3), Montana (3), South Carolina* (3), South Dakota* (3), Texas (5), Utah (6), Virginia (5), West Virginia* (4), Puerto Rico (6), Virgin Islands (3)

The following jurisdictions limit the amount of times
you can take the exam and impose hard limits
(i.e. no special permission will be given!)

Kansas (4), Kentucky (5), New Hampshire (4), North Dakota (6), Rhode Island (5), Vermont (4),

*[See below to understand what the asterisk means!]

Below are a few notes on specific states:

Arizona: We are aware of students who were able to request special permission and who have told us that permission to retake the exam is generally permitted.  In fact, multiple students have been granted permission with relative ease. 

District of Columbia: After taking the bar exam four times, an applicant must show “extraordinary circumstances” to take it another time.

Louisiana: Louisiana used to limit the number of times an applicant could take the bar exam without special permission to 5, but no longer does.

South Carolina: There is no limit on the number of times an applicant can sit for the bar exam, but additional study is required after the third failure, making it impossible to sit but 1 time each year. (Note: South Carolina recently adopted the UBE so this may be subject to change.)

South Dakota: Applicants must get Supreme Court permission to take exam after three failures in any jurisdiction or combination of jurisdictions

West Virginia: Applicants are limited to four failed exams in West Virginia or any other state before special permission from the Board is required.

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