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How to Transfer Your UBE Score to New York

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UBE score to New York

How to Transfer Your UBE Score to New York

After taking the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”) and passing you may be considering transferring your score to other jurisdictions, such as New York. This may have even been your main reason for taking the UBE. While the task of applying to another bar seems daunting, it is a simple (yet time consuming) process. The New York Board of Law Examiners (“BOLE” or “the Board”) website provides detailed information on how to transfer your passing UBE score to become barred in New York. Yet in an effort to tell you everything you need to know you may walk away from their instructions feeling a little confused. So here is a simplified list of all you need to accomplish in order to transfer your UBE score to New York and become licensed to practice law in the state of New York. Note: You should refer to their website to make sure you have all the updated information that applies to you. This is just a general overview for your convenience!

How to Transfer Your UBE Score to New York

1. Make sure you qualify to transfer your score to New York.

Before your begin to transfer your UBE score to New York , make sure that you are qualified to do so. The last thing you want to do is pay to submit your application only to discover you do not qualify. Be sure to review this article and the Board’s website to make sure you comply with all requirements. One of the things to check right away is that your UBE score and MPRE score are high enough.

  • The New York Board of Law Examiners states that “An applicant must achieve a score of 266 or higher on the UBE, whether taken in New York or another jurisdiction, in order to qualify for admission in New York.”
  • You will need at least an 85 on the MPE.

You will want to ensure that your UBE score has not expired. New York accepts UBE scores within three years from the date when you sat for the second day of the UBE. Since the application period can take a while, do not wait until the last few months to transfer your score. Read this list and the requirements on the the Board’s website thoroughly before you begin the application process.

2. Create your BOLE account and submit your initial application.

After making sure you meet all the requirements, go to the Board’s website and create a BOLE account. The website says it is only for those that plan to sit for the exam, but it is also for those that plan to transfer your UBE score. Be sure you have your NCBE identification number handy since you need it to complete your account. After you make your account, you can begin your application to transfer your UBE score to New York. The application is a brief questionnaire of what law school(s) you went to and the credits you received in law school. Have your transcript on hand to help you fill this out. In order to submit this application, you will be directed to pay the $250 application fee online. Once you have submitted the application and payment an email will be sent to you detailing your next steps.

3. Transfer your scores.

As mentioned above, in order to transfer your UBE score to New York you need a score of at least 266 or above. You also need a passing MPRE score of 85 or higher. After you submit your application via your BOLE account you will receive an email from the Board letting you know what you still need to submit to be certified by the Board. Two easy things you can submit right away are your UBE and MPRE scores.

This can easily be done on your NCBE account. Go to the “Score Services” tab and select the exam you wish to transfer the score and what state you want to receive it. Be sure you are sending official score transcripts to New York. You will have to do this two times for each score since they are for separate exams. However, if you are also transferring your UBE score to other jurisdictions you can do that in the same order. It cost $25 each per score transfer. The NCBE will send confirmation of your orders.

4. Submit the Certificate of Attendance Form to your law school.

New York requires proof of compliance with its law school credit requirements through its Certificate of Attendance Form. Within 72 hours of submitting your application to transfer your UBE score to New York in your BOLE account you will receive an email with the Law School Certificate of Attendance Form attached. You are required to submit this to your law school to complete and then have them send it directly to the Board. The form you receive is pre-filled in with the answers you submitted on your application. If you got the credits wrong, your law school can correct it.

Make sure you submit the form to the correct office of your law school or the correct office of the larger university of which your law school may belong. If you are unsure, check with the designated advisor for bar exams at your law school. Also make sure you do not have to submit another form with the certificate to have it completed. For example, at GW Law School, you have to submit the certificate with a Certification Request form in order to have the form completed and sent to the correct recipient.

5. Take the New York Law Course (“NYLC”) and pass the New York Law Exam (“NYLE”).

Even though New York is a UBE jurisdiction you are not entirely off the hook when it comes to learning state law. In order to be certified by the Board you need to complete the New York Law Course (“NYLC”). Afterwards, you need to take and pass the New York Law Exam (“NYLE”).

The NYLC is accessible at any time through your BOLE account. The course is approximately 15 hours of recorded lectures. The lectures cover the following topics in New York law: Administrative Law, Business Relationships, Civil Practice and Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Matrimonial and Family Law, Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Torts and Tort Damages, and Trusts, Wills and Estates. Questions are embedded in the lecture videos and must be correctly answered before the applicant can continue on with the lecture. These are not videos you can skip through as applicants are expected to watch all videos in their entirety and time spent watching the videos is monitored electronically by the Board.

Once you complete the NYLC you can then register for and take the NYLE. The NYLE is a two hour, fifty question, open-book, online test administered through Examsoft. The test is offered four times a year and applicants must register 30 days ahead of time. However, you can only register for the NYLE after you have completed the NYLC. Therefore, make sure you complete the NYLC in time to register for your desired test date. The test dates for 2018 are as follows:

  •  March 22, 2018, 12:00 pm EST
  • June 14, 2018, 12:00 pm EST
  • September 27, 2018, 12:00 pm EST
  • December 20, 2018, 12:00 pm EST

6. Pro Bono Requirement.

New York infamously requires applicants to the bar to complete 50 hours of pro bono service. Even applicants who transfer their UBE score to New York must complete the pro bono requirement. In order to prove you completed the required 50 hours you fill out a form certifying the hours you completed for each pro bono project. You will need to have the form notarized and then certified by the supervising attorney for each project. The majority of law school clinics and internships with courts or government are qualifying pro bono projects for New York. Be sure to check the frequently asked questions provided by the Board to make sure your projects qualify.

7. Skills Requirement.

If you started law school after August 1, 2016 and you want to be admitted to the New York bar then you need to comply with the new Skills Competency Requirement. Applicants must prove that they have the skills to become lawyers. Mostly, this involves your law school certifying that they have implemented a skills requirement into their law school curriculum and that you have completed it. The Board goes into more detail in their FAQ on their website.

8. Character and Fitness.

After you have completed all these requirements you must still prove that you are fit to be barred in New York. Unfortunately, New York does not have the NCBE complete their character and fitness investigations. Applicants must file an application questionnaire with supporting affidavits and documentation. This documentation includes two Affidavits of Good Moral Character, Legal Employment Affidavits from every law-related position you have held, and law school certificates.

This is probably the most time consuming step, so make sure you do not sit on your UBE score for too long or you might just have to sit for the actual New York bar exam!

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