NY Bar Exam (UBE) registration for February graduates & Pro Bono Scholars

[Pro Bono]

The next New York State Bar Examination will be given on February 25 - 26, 2020.

ONLY those students who will have their JD degree conferred on February 1, 2020 (completing all courses during the Fall 2019 semester) and the approved Pro Bono Scholars are eligible to take the bar examination

PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE FILLING OUT YOUR APPLICATION!!!

APPLICATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED ON LINE STARTING ON November 1, 2019 and ending on November 30, 2019 at 11:59 pm. Failure to complete your application by 11:59 pm on November 30, 2019 will cause you to have to take the July 2020 examination. THE BAR EXAMINERS MAKE NO EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE!!!!

BEFORE YOU FILL OUT YOUR APPLICATION

1. Obtain a NCBE Identification Number: Prior to completing the New York State application to sit for the bar examination, all applicants and re-applicants must obtain an NCBE identification number. If you already have an NCBE Number from completing the MPRE, do not request a new number as your existing NCBE Number will be saved from your previous application. Please visit http://www.ncbex.org/ncbe-number and complete the brief application to receive your NCBE Number. The Board will verify with NCBE the validity of the NCBE Number that you enter on your application. If you enter an invalid NCBE Number, your application may be nullified, and you may be subject to misconduct for furnishing misleading or inaccurate information.

2. Create a BOLE Account. You will need the NCBE number (above) Click on the Application link to create the account. It is also helpful to download and print an unofficial transcript from hUB. It will be helpful to determine information you will need when submitting your online application, such as how many credits of clinics, transfer, and externships you have, etc. Please note that your DEGREE CONFERRAL DATE is February 1, 2020. SUNY confers all degrees on February 1st.

FILLING OUT YOUR APPLICATION

Make sure you complete ALL information required. An incomplete application may mean you will not be able to take the February bar exam.

Taking your bar examination on laptop you may use your laptop with Examsoft software for the New York day for essays. You pay a $100 nonrefundable fee. You can ONLY opt into the laptop program with your initial application. You can always opt out of using your laptop, but you can never opt in to using your laptop once you submit your bar examination application. So, if you think you might want to write your essay with your laptop, choose “yes” to the laptop on this application.

If you are a student with a disability and received accommodations from the Law School, you will need to obtain a letter from me about your accommodations to apply for accommodations on the bar examination. The accommodation packet it available now on the Board of Law Examiner’s web site.

Important information on the subject content of the bar examination, with outlines of the tested subjects is available. The UBE consists of the MPT (Multistate Practice Exam), MEE (Multistate Essay Exam) and Multistate Bar Exam).

MPT - http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=%2 ... ument%2F54

MEE - http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=%2 ... ment%2F227

MBE - http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=%2 ... ment%2F226

You MUST take a bar review course if you hope to pass the bar exam. If you are having trouble choosing – see me or Professor William MacDonald in 427 O’Brian. It is all about your learning style.

AFTER FILLING OUT YOUR APPLICATION

Once the registration period is closed, the Board of Law Examiners will send e-mails to you. Make sure e-mail from the Board of Law Examiners does not go into your SPAM folder. It is usually from administrator@nybarexam.org

The first e-mail will contain the Law School Certificate and the Hand Writing Sample with your personal bar code on it. Please bring both forms to Records and Registration. It is likely that Records & Registration will have your Law School Certificate already. IMPORTANTLY, you must complete the handwriting sample in front of the staff at Records & Registration. If you are out of town, you must do it in front of a notary public and then send it to Records and Registration, UB School of Law, 304 O’Brian Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260.

The Board of Law Examiners will also give you the opportunity to select where you take the February Bar Exam - Seat Assignments for the Bar Exam.

The Board has changed its policy concerning Test Center assignments. Seating is no longer based on the applicant’s residential address as provided by the applicant on the bar exam application. Test Center assignments will be based on availability and on a first come, first-served basis at the time of the Board’s seating assignment email. No applicant is guaranteed a seat in any particular city or test center, even if the applicant lives or attended law school in that city. The Board’s seating assignment email is sent out after the application period closes (usually in early June for a July exam and early January for a February exam) and instructs applicants to select a test location from the list of available locations in the email. Only locations with available seats will be listed in the email. First-time applicants who graduate with a Juris Doctor degree from a New York State law school will be given the first opportunity to select a location.

The Buffalo exam site is the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center in downtown Buffalo. There is also an Albany and New York City site. https://www.nybarexam.org/ExamSites/ExamSites.htm

ANY QUESTIONS? Contact Vice Dean Melinda Saran at saran@buffalo.edu, 614 O'Brian, or (716) 645-6603