Connecticut Bar Examining Committee

Admission by Examination

Filing Deadlines and Fee Schedule

The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee will not accept applications before March 1st for the July Bar Examination or before October 1st for the February Bar Examination.

The filing fee is determined upon the submission date of the completed electronic application.

Filing Fees Are Not Refundable

Filing fees are non-refundable. A fee credit towards a future bar exam may be available if an application is withdrawn under certain circumstances. See Article III-3 of the CBEC Regulations.

Exam Dates & Location

The Bar Examination is given on the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday of each February and July.

J.D. Requirements

To be eligible to sit for the bar examination in Connecticut you must have:

• Received your JD degree from an approved law school not less than seven (7) days prior to the date of the examination (Article II). You will not be permitted to sit for the bar examination unless your law school certification and final transcript are received by the Committee not less than seven (7) days prior to the examination; or
• An approved foreign legal education, and an LL.M. degree from an approved law school not less than seven (7) days prior to the date of the examination (Article II-3). Approved foreign legal educated applicants will not be permitted to sit for the examination unless your final transcript for your LL.M. degree is received by the Committee not less than seven (7) days prior to the date of the examination.

Your law school dean must complete the Certificate of Dean of Law School (Form 4) only after you have received your degree and your school must submit a final, official transcript of your grades (transcript must show date degree was conferred). Your law school may require you to execute a special document to permit them to forward your transcript and application.

Laptop Program

Applicants may register to use their laptop computer to type their answers to the written portion of the examination, subject to use of the required secure software. Applicants must pay a nonrefundable fee to download and use the required software. Applicants must timely follow all instructions for registering and downloading the software. Click here for more information about using your laptop.

Subjects Tested

Connecticut administers the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which is comprised of the Performance Test (MPT) , the Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). The MPT, MEE, and MBE are written by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Visit the NCBE website for information about the components of the examination and the subjects tested.

Exam Scores

The passing score in Connecticut is 266 out of a possible 400 points. A bar examination score is the sum of the applicant's MBE scaled score and written examination score on the MBE scale (i.e., the MBE counting 50%, the MPT counting 20%, and the MEE counting 30%). There is no passing score on either part alone. All applicants with total scores between 256 and 265 automatically have their written examination answers reread. Unless the applicant clearly demonstrates that a clerical error has been made or that the Committee's grading procedures have been violated, there is no review of the applicant's answers or scores once the results of the bar examination are released. To review pass/fail rates and performance statistics for past examinations, click here.

Transferring UBE Scores from Connecticut

The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee uses the UBE score transcript services provided by NCBE to transfer UBE scores earned in Connecticut to other jurisdictions. NCBE will not release any UBE score information until after your scores have been released by the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee. Instructions for submitting a request can be found on the UBE page on NCBE's web site.

Transferring an MBE Score

The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee does not accept transferred MBE scores. All applicants taking the bar examination in Connecticut must sit for the MPT, MEE, and the MBE in Connecticut during the same administration of the examination and will receive a UBE score. See Art. V-6 of the CBEC Regulations.

MBE Score Transfers FROM Connecticut to Another Jurisdiction
To transfer an MBE score obtained in Connecticut to another jurisdiction, submit an MBE score transfer request. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the transfer request and the fee are submitted to the CBEC in time to meet the transfer deadline set by the jurisdiction to which the score will be transferred.

Non-Standard Testing Accommodations

If you have a disability which will require special assistance or accommodations on the bar examination, you must file a complete Petition for Test Accommodations no later than the date of the final filing deadline for that examination. See NST General Information and NST Forms (which can be printed for completion and submission). Petitions for Test Accommodations cannot be filed online. All documentation and supporting documentation must be filed in hardcopy by mail or in-person to the CBEC Administrative Office. The filing deadline is a RECEIVED by date, and not a postmarked date. 

MPRE/Professional Responsibility Course

The Professional Responsibility requirement must be satisfied within four years prior to the date you file your application or within one year after the date you file your application, in either of two ways (see Article IV):

• by passing the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a scaled score of at least 80; or
• by obtaining a grade of "C" or better in a course on Professional Responsibility at an approved law school (CLE courses are NOT acceptable).

The MPRE is developed and administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). Applicants must request that NCBE report their MPRE score directly to Connecticut. Score reports submitted by applicants are not acceptable. Registration and additional information can be found online on NCBE's MPRE page.

Character and Fitness

Passing the bar examination is only one step in the admission process and does not automatically entitle the candidate to practice law in Connecticut. The Committee begins the review of a candidate's character and fitness immediately upon the filing of the application for admission to the bar. However, the Committee will usually conduct a hearing, if necessary, only after the candidate has taken and passed the bar examination and the candidate's file is complete. While the Committee attempts to have all eligible candidates admitted at the group ceremony, a candidate whose application presents complex or unresolved issues of character and/or fitness will not be admitted until such issues have been resolved to the Committee's satisfaction. On occasion, disclosures in a candidate’s file will necessitate review of medical documentation. Protocol followed by the Committee in such cases. See Article VI of the CBEC Regulations for more information.

Proof of Citizenship or Lawful Residence

CT Practice Book § 2-8(1) requires that an applicant for admission to the Connecticut bar must satisfy the Committee that the applicant is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully residing in the United States, which shall include an individual authorized to work lawfully in the United States.