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Is Your State Considering Adopting The Uniform Bar Exam?

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What States Are Considering Adopting The Uniform Bar Exam?

If you are planning to take the bar exam in the near future, then you’ve probably heard about the Uniform Bar Exam (or UBE). While the UBE is still relatively new, it has already been adopted by many jurisdictions and several more states are considering adopting the Uniform Bar Exam.

UPDATE: for the most recent post on the states that have adopted the UBE, go here.

What States Are Considering Adopting The Uniform Bar Exam?

What is the UBE?

The Uniform Bar Exam is a standardized bar examination that was developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). The UBE contains three parts: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).

The MBE is comprised of 200 multiple-choice questions that test seven primary areas of law. The MEE consists of six essay questions that are not state-specific. The MPT tests real-life legal tasks that attorneys might face in practice, like drafting a complaint, memorandum or client letter.

A major benefit of the UBE is that it is uniformly administered. This means your score on the exam can be easily transferred among different states that have adopted the UBE so you don’t have to take another bar exam.

UBE Jurisdictions

Missouri was the first state to administer the UBE during the February 2011 bar examination. Since then, many other states have also gone on to adopt the UBE.

To find a list of the jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE, check out this link!

States considering adopting the UBE

If you’re not in one of these jurisdictions, there’s a good chance your jurisdiction may adopt the UBE soon. So, are there currently any other states considering adopting the Uniform Bar Exam?

The NCBE also lists the UBE states on its website.

North Carolina

In October 2016, the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners recommended that North Carolina adopt and begin administering the UBE in February 2019. Currently, this recommendation is awaiting approval by the North Carolina Supreme Court. So, North Carolina may very well be adopting the UBE.

UPDATE: adopted the UBE

Illinois

In January 2017, the Illinois State Bar Association approved a committee recommendation for the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt the UBE. A decision from the Illinois Supreme Court is expected soon. It appears as though this may be one of the next major states to adopt the UBE.

UPDATE: adopted the UBE

Maryland

Late last year, the Maryland Court of Appeals created an advisory committee to explore the possibility of adopting the UBE. The committee was scheduled to submit a report recommending whether Maryland should adopt the UBE to the Court of Appeals at the end of August. To date, the Court of Appeals has not yet made a decision on whether to adopt the UBE.

UPDATE: adopted the UBE

With more than half of the country already administering the UBE and at least three more states considering adopting the Uniform Bar Exam, it is clear the UBE is quickly gaining momentum. If you’re in one of the three states considering adopting the Uniform Bar Exam, you can check the NCBE’s website for an up-to-date list of the jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE.

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