Should I take the Uniform Bar Exam or my State Bar Exam?

Should I take the Uniform Bar Exam or my State Bar Exam?

We get this question from a lot of students! They may be living in a state that does not administer the Uniform Bar Exam and wonder if it is more worth it to take the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) rather than their state bar exam. This question has become more common now that many states have adopted the UBE!

In this post, we give you our general thoughts on whether you should take the Uniform Bar Exam or a state bar exam.

Should I take the Uniform Bar Exam or my State Bar Exam?

The most important question to ask yourself is: where will I practice law?

Passing the Uniform Bar Exam will not help you if you are not licensed to practice law in the state you hope to practice law in! So, if you are in Florida, and that is where you intend to stay and practice, then take the Florida bar exam! One exception to this may be if you work at a big firm where it may be advantageous for you to be licensed in additional states. However, even then, you will most likely want to be licensed in your home state.

You may want to take the Uniform Bar Exam in addition to your state bar exam, but if you want to practice in your home state, take that bar exam first!

The second question to ask yourself is: do I see myself leaving this state (and if so, do I know which state I want to practice in)? 

If your goal is to eventually move out of your home state to New York, then it may be worth it to take the Uniform Bar Exam. It is often easier to complete bar exams back-to-back while you are in “study” mode, rather than returning to study five years later. However, this requires that you have an idea about where you want to practice as you will want to be admitted to the jurisdiction relatively quickly. Many examinees don’t realize that the UBE is actually not that portable. For virtually every jurisdiction, you have to transfer your score within 2-5 years after taking the UBE. So you could not take the UBE today and then become licensed in a UBE state ten years later without retaking the exam. Check out this post on the portability of UBE scores.

So, if you knew you eventually wanted to move out of, say, Texas and to New York, you could take the UBE and meet the other requirements for admission in New York. (Some states require you take a jurisdiction-specific exam, that you pay a hefty licensing fee, and that you complete legal education requirements. New York also has a pro bono requirement!) This is a lot of time and money. So, it is best to do if you actually foresee yourself practicing in a UBE state.

In other words, while you may be tempted to take the Uniform Bar Exam since a lot of states have adopted it, make sure that it is practical for you to do so! Studying for the bar exam requires time, money, energy, and is often stressful. So, you want to make sure it is worth it for you if you are going to go through all the work required to pass the bar exam!

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