News  Board of Bar Examiners Posts Information About Bar Exam Seating Limitations

The Supreme Judicial Court is the Commonwealth's highest appellate court.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - Massachusetts Bar Exam, September 30-October 1, 2020

The Board of Bar Examiners anticipates that, due to social distancing requirements and to ensure the safety of examinees, the number of available seats may be limited for an in-person administration of the Massachusetts Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), as scheduled for September 30-October 1, 2020. Should the number of applicants to sit for this administration of the Massachusetts UBE exceed the number of available seats, access to available seats will be prioritized, as follows.

1. All graduates of law schools located in Massachusetts who have met all requirements of S.J.C. Rule 3:01 and who are sitting for the bar exam for a first time or a second time will be provided a seat for the exam, regardless of the date of the filing of the Petition for Admission to the Massachusetts bar.

2. Graduates of ABA-approved law schools located outside of Massachusetts who have met all requirements of S.J.C. Rule 3:01 and who are sitting for a UBE for the first time will be given first priority to available exam seats after all applicants eligible under paragraph one above have been seated, based on the date of the filing of the Petition for Admission to the Massachusetts bar.

3. Graduates of ABA-approved law schools in 2018, 2019, or 2020 who have met all requirements of S.J.C. Rule 3:01 and who are not eligible under paragraph one or two above, will be given second priority to available exam seats after all applicants eligible under paragraph one and two above have been seated, based on the date of the filing of the Petition for Admission to the Massachusetts bar.

4. Once all applicants meeting the criteria in paragraphs one, two, and three above have been seated, remaining available seats will be assigned based on the date of the filing of the Petition for Admission to the Massachusetts bar.
In the event that limitations on large gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to interfere with the September 30-October 1, 2020 administration of the Massachusetts UBE, an alternative exam providing for Massachusetts admission only will be administered remotely without limitation on the number of examinees.

Massachusetts will continue to accept Petitions for Admission by Transfer of UBE Score from persons achieving a UBE score of 270 or higher from a UBE administration in another jurisdiction. Information regarding administration of the UBE in other jurisdictions is available at www.ncbex.org.

The Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners (BBE) is established by G.L. c. 221 §§35 & 36 to evaluate the qualifications of persons seeking admission to the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.