Connecticut Bar Examining Committee

Admission by Examination

Important Regulation Changes - Effective January 26, 2026 - PDF

July 2026 NextGen Bar Exam Application Information - PDF

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 A fee credit towards a future bar exam may be available if an application is withdrawn under certain circumstances.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.

Exam Delivery

The NextGen UBE is a fully computer-based digitally delivered examination administered on examinee's own laptops through the NCBE's secure testing browser. This means that the questions are given to you through the browser and your answers are also submitted through the browser. There is no handwriting of answers for the NextGen UBE, and no hard copy booklet of questions. All applicants must pay a nonrefundable fee to download and use the required software. Applicants must timely complete all mandatory technology and readiness steps not less than seven (7) days prior to the date of the examination (Article V(A)-2). Click here for more information about using your laptop.

Exam Structure and Subjects Tested

Beginning with the July 2026 administration, Connecticut will administer the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination (NextGen UBE), developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Visit the NCBE website for detailed information about the NextGen UBE structure, timing, content, and subjects tested.

Exam Scores

The passing score on the NextGen UBE in Connecticut is 616 on a scale from 500 to 750. Standalone multiple-choice questions make up 49%, integrated question sets make up 21%, and performance tasks make up 30% of the overall exam score. All written responses are dual graded. NextGen exam scores are equated to ensure that an official NextGen UBE score earned in any jurisdiction and at any administration will have the same meaning as any other NextGen UBE score, and that there is no advantage or disadvantage for taking the exam in one month, or one jurisdiction, versus another.

The passing score on the Legacy UBE in Connecticut is 266 on a 400-point scale. A Legacy UBE score is the sum of the applicant's MBE scaled score and written scaled score. The MBE questions (multiple-choice) make up 50%, the MPT questions make up 20%, and the MEE questions make up 30% of the overall exam score. There is no passing score on either the MBE or written portion alone. Legacy UBE scores are scaled to ensure that the standard used to measure competence is not affected by the difficulty of the particular test or the ability of the applicants sitting for a particular examination. All applicants with total scores between 256 and 265 automatically have their written examination answers reread.

Unless an 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 NextGen and Legacy UBE Scores from Connecticut

The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee uses the UBE score transcript services provided by NCBE to transfer NextGen and Legacy UBE scores earned in Connecticut to other jurisdictions. NCBE will not release any 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 NCBE website.

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 all sessions of the exam in Connecticut during the same administration of the examination. See Art. V-6 and Art. V(A)-6 of the CBEC Regulations.

MBE Score Transfers FROM Connecticut to Another Jurisdiction
To transfer an MBE score obtained in Connecticut (February 2026 and prior exams) 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. A Petition for Test Accommodations and all supporting documentation must be filed in hardcopy by mail or in-person to the CBEC Administrative Office. Petitions cannot be filed online and are not accepted by e-mail. 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.