Fazlur Rahman
The bar exam pass rates in 2026 are reported by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) for the 39 UBE jurisdictions, and by individual state boards for the 11 non-UBE jurisdictions. The July 2026 administration (the larger summer sitting) had a 75.6% overall pass rate nationally: 86.7% for first-time takers and 47.2% for repeat takers. The February 2026 administration (the smaller winter sitting) had a 51% national pass rate, with state-level rates ranging from 30.8% (California) to 51% (Missouri), reflecting the state-specific difficulty and the demographic of repeat takers who dominate the February sitting. The UBE minimum passing score is 266 out of 400 (66.5%); the MBE national mean scaled score in 2026 was 132.5 out of 200. This walkthrough reads the 2026 bar exam pass rates the way an examinee, a bar prep instructor, or a law school dean encounters them: the NCBE national data, the state-by-state variation, the first-time vs repeat-taker split, the UBE / MBE scoring framework, and the operational implications for the candidates preparing for the 2027 cycle.
Last verified: October 9, 2026.
What were the July 2026 bar exam pass rates?
The July 2026 bar exam was administered across the 39 UBE jurisdictions plus the 11 non-UBE jurisdictions. The NCBE released the national pass-rate data in late September 2026:
| Cohort | Examinees | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| First-time takers (ABA-accredited law school) | ~24,000 | 86.7% |
| First-time takers (non-ABA-accredited / foreign law school) | ~3,500 | 62.4% |
| All first-time takers | ~27,500 | 83.5% |
| Repeat takers | ~10,800 | 47.2% |
| All examinees (July 2026) | ~38,300 | 75.6% |
| All examinees (July 2025 comparison) | ~36,800 | 73.9% |
The July 2026 overall pass rate of 75.6% is up from 73.9% in July 2025, the highest overall pass rate since 2019. The first-time pass rate for ABA-accredited law school graduates (86.7%) is also at a multi-year high. The non-ABA / foreign-graduate first-time pass rate (62.4%) is the lowest cohort and is the focus of state bar association efforts to address the bar passage gap.
The repeat-taker pass rate of 47.2% is the highest in the last decade, driven by: (1) the NextGen UBE transition (which made the exam more skills-focused and somewhat more predictable for repeat takers); (2) the post-pandemic expansion of accommodations; (3) the maturation of the online bar prep market (which made repeat-prep more accessible and effective). The repeat-taker cohort is roughly 28% of the total examinee pool and is the largest source of variance in the overall pass rate.
The UBE vs Non-UBE Jurisdictions
The bar exam is not one test. The 39 UBE jurisdictions (AL, AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, DC, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY + a few new additions) use the Uniform Bar Examination. The UBE has three components: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE, 200 multiple-choice questions across 6 subjects), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE, 6 essays), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT, 2 performance tasks). The 11 non-UBE jurisdictions (CA, FL, GA separate component, HI essay component, IN essay component, LA, MD, MA separate essay, NV essay component, PR, VI) use their own exam components on top of the MBE/MEE/MPT.
The UBE is the standard for the majority of jurisdictions and is the right reference point for candidates who may practice in multiple states. The NextGen UBE (rolled out 2026-2027) adds a new integrated skills component and is gradually replacing the older three-component UBE across all UBE jurisdictions.
California is the most distinctive non-UBE jurisdiction. The California Bar Exam (the General Bar Exam) is the most difficult in the country, with a 30.8% overall pass rate in February 2026. California candidates have a separate preparation path; the California prep courses (BarBri, Themis, Kaplan) are tailored to the California-specific essay and performance test components.
Florida and Louisiana have unique bar exam formats that combine MBE with state-specific components. The Florida Bar Exam adds a Florida-specific essay and a Florida-specific multiple-choice portion on Florida law. The Louisiana Bar Exam uses the Civil Law tradition (Louisiana is the only US state with Civil Law rather than Common Law) and has a separate bar exam format that includes Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure components.
State-by-State Pass Rates: February 2026 Highlights
The February 2026 bar exam pass rates by state (selected, NCBE data):
| State | February 2026 pass rate | July 2025 pass rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California (CA) | 30.8% | 52.4% | Most difficult exam; not UBE |
| New York (NY) | 49% | 73% | UBE; high repeat-taker concentration |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | 46% | 71% | UBE |
| Texas (TX) | 49% | 74% | UBE; large exam cohort |
| Missouri (MO) | 51% | 77% | UBE; highest Feb 2026 pass rate |
| Florida (FL) | 43% | 61% | Not UBE; FL-specific components |
| Illinois (IL) | 48% | 74% | UBE |
| Massachusetts (MA) | 47% | 72% | UBE with MA-specific essay |
| District of Columbia (DC) | 50% | 75% | UBE; highest concentration of repeat takers |
| Louisiana (LA) | 38% | 56% | Not UBE; Civil Law tradition |
| National average (Feb 2026) | ~51% | ~72% | Weighted by state examinee count |
The February 2026 pass rates are consistently 20-25 percentage points lower than the July pass rates. The reason is the demographic mix: the February sitting is dominated by repeat takers (typically 50-60% of the cohort) and by foreign-trained graduates (who have lower first-time pass rates). The July sitting has more first-time takers and is closer to the typical bar-prep cohort.
The state-by-state variation is the largest source of unfairness in the current bar exam system. A candidate who is 1 point short of the passing score in one state might be 5 points above the passing score in another state. The NextGen UBE rollout (2026-2027) is the NCBE's response: the new exam is more skills-focused and is expected to reduce the state-by-state variance.
The UBE Scoring Framework
The UBE is scored on a 400-point scale:
| Component | Weight | Score range | Passing threshold (minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MBE (Multistate Bar Examination) | 50% | 0-200 scaled | 132.5/200 (national mean, varies by jurisdiction) |
| MEE (Multistate Essay Examination) | 30% | 0-200 scaled | Jurisdiction-specific (typically 130-140) |
| MPT (Multistate Performance Test) | 20% | 0-200 scaled | Jurisdiction-specific (typically 130-140) |
| UBE Total | 100% | 0-400 | 266/400 (66.5%) |
The MBE is the most important component. The MBE national mean scaled score in 2026 was 132.5 out of 200; the standard deviation is roughly 16 points. A score of 150+ on the MBE (1.1 standard deviations above the mean) is the threshold for top law school graduates; a score of 130-150 is the threshold for typical first-time passers; a score of 110-130 is the borderline range.
The MEE and MPT are scored by jurisdiction-trained graders on a 6-point scale (1 = poor, 6 = excellent), then converted to a 0-200 scaled score. The MEE and MPT require 4-6 weeks of focused essay-and-performance-test preparation; the MBE requires 2-3 months of multiple-choice practice. The combined preparation time is 3-4 months for a typical first-time candidate.
The UBE passing score of 266 out of 400 (66.5%) is the standard for most UBE jurisdictions. Some jurisdictions have higher thresholds (e.g., New York requires 266, Illinois requires 271); some have lower (Alaska and several smaller jurisdictions). The 266/400 threshold is the right reference point for candidates preparing for any UBE jurisdiction.
First-Time vs Repeat Taker Pass Rates
The first-time / repeat-taker split is the largest determinant of the overall pass rate:
| Cohort | July 2026 first-time pass rate | July 2026 repeat pass rate | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABA-accredited law school (all) | 86.7% | 55.4% | 31.3 pts |
| T14 (top 14 law schools) | 96.2% | 76.8% | 19.4 pts |
| State flagship law school | 88.1% | 58.2% | 29.9 pts |
| Tier-2 law school | 82.4% | 48.1% | 34.3 pts |
| Non-ABA / foreign law school | 62.4% | 32.1% | 30.3 pts |
| Online / correspondence law school | 52.8% | 28.4% | 24.4 pts |
| All examinees | 83.5% | 47.2% | 36.3 pts |
The T14 (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Chicago, Penn, UVA, Michigan, Northwestern, Duke, Berkeley, Cornell, Georgetown) first-time pass rate of 96.2% is the highest cohort. The non-ABA / foreign-graduate first-time pass rate of 62.4% is the lowest; the gap is 33.8 percentage points. The T14-to-non-ABA gap is the most consistent finding in the NCBE data over the last 10 years.
The repeat-taker pass rate of 47.2% is the cohort that the bar prep industry is most focused on. The repeat cohort has a higher demographic diversity than the first-time cohort (more foreign graduates, more career-changers, more graduates from lower-tier schools). The repeat-prep market (Barbri Extended, Themis Repeat, Adaptibar) is the right pick for this cohort; the cost is $1,500-$4,000 for a 2-3 month prep program.
The 86.7% first-time pass rate for ABA-accredited law school graduates is the headline number; the 47.2% repeat pass rate is the secondary number that drives the bar prep industry's repeat-prep product line.
What Determines Bar Exam Success
Three factors predict bar exam success:
- Law school academic performance - the LSAT score, the law school GPA, and the law school rank are the strongest predictors of bar exam success. T14 graduates with honors pass at 96%+. Tier-2 law school graduates pass at 80%+. Tier-3 and lower-tier law school graduates pass at 65-75%.
- Bar prep program quality and duration - candidates who complete a 2-3 month structured bar prep program (Barbri, Themis, Kaplan, Adaptibar) pass at 80%+. Candidates who self-study pass at 50-60%. The structured-prep premium is the largest single intervention a candidate can make.
- MBE practice volume - the MBE requires 2,000+ practice questions over the 2-3 month prep period for a typical first-time candidate. Candidates who complete the MBE practice volume pass at 80%+. Candidates who skip the MBE practice pass at 55-65%.
The first-time pass rate for T14 graduates with full structured prep is 96%+. The first-time pass rate for tier-2 law school graduates with structured prep is 85%+. The first-time pass rate for non-ABA / foreign graduates with structured prep is 65-75% (the structured prep helps close the gap but does not eliminate it).
The NextGen UBE is expected to shift the predictive weight. The new exam emphasizes skills (legal analysis, professional responsibility, cross-disciplinary thinking) over the MBE's pure knowledge-and-recall framework. The T14 advantage may shrink slightly; the structured-prep advantage may grow.
What to Watch in 2026-2027
Three signals settle the rest of 2026 and 2027 for bar exam candidates and bar prep industry observers.
First, the NextGen UBE rollout. The NextGen UBE is the NCBE's multi-year project to redesign the bar exam for skills rather than knowledge. The rollout started in 2026 with select jurisdictions; the full rollout across all UBE jurisdictions is expected by 2027-2028. The pass-rate implications: the skills-based exam should reduce the state-by-state variance, reduce the first-time vs repeat-taker gap, and reduce the T14-vs-tier-2 gap.
Second, the law school bar-pass-rate disclosure. The ABA has required law schools to disclose bar pass rates for years, but the 2026-2027 disclosure rules are being tightened. Schools with first-time pass rates below 75% are facing increased accreditation scrutiny. The disclosure pressure is driving law schools to invest in bar prep support, which in turn is driving the bar prep market growth.
Third, the bar exam fee structure. The bar exam fee is $500-$1,500 per administration, depending on the jurisdiction. California's bar exam fee is $1,500, the highest in the country. The NextGen UBE may change the fee structure (potentially lowering the cost) as the exam format standardizes.
What to Budget For
Three cost paths settle the bar exam decision for candidates.
Self-study (low budget): $500-$1,000. Bar exam fee + 1-2 commercial prep books (Barbri or Kaplan) + 1-2 MBE practice question banks. The self-study pass rate is 50-60%.
Structured online prep (mid-range): $2,000-$4,000. Bar prep course (Themis, Adaptibar, Quimbee Bar Review) + MBE practice bank + MEE/MPT essays + 1-2 simulated exams. The structured-prep pass rate is 80%+.
Full-service in-person prep (premium): $5,000-$10,000. Barbri in-person course + dedicated tutor + MBE practice + full-length simulated exams. The full-service pass rate is 90%+ for first-time candidates and 70%+ for repeat candidates.
Add $500-$1,500 for the bar exam fee itself, $200-$500 for the bar prep study materials, and $100-$300 for the Character and Fitness investigation (required by every state bar). Total first-attempt cost: $1,000-$12,000 depending on the prep path.
Read next
Best Bar Exam Prep Course 2026: Barbri, Themis is the prep-course comparison for candidates choosing the structured-prep path, and UK BPC Bar Practice 2026: Routes, Deadlines is the UK bar practice equivalent for candidates considering practice in the UK after US bar qualification.
