Short answer: Most July 2026 bar exam results are out. NCBE's pass-rate table, last updated October 26, 2026, shows July 2026 pass rates for 46 of 56 jurisdictions. New York, the biggest exam, passed 67% of 9,936 examinees, down from 70% in July 2025, and the District of Columbia 75%, down from 80%. Utah has the highest overall rate (89%) and Nevada the lowest (50%). Pass rates fell in 33 of the 40 legacy-UBE and state-exam jurisdictions that reported both July 2025 and July 2026. That matches NCBE's national MBE mean, which dropped from 142.4 to 140.7. Still to come: California on October 30, plus New Jersey, Alaska, Mississippi and Puerto Rico. Didn't pass? Check your February 2027 deadline.
The figures below come from NCBE's bar pass rates by jurisdiction table (last updated October 26, 2026, 3:48 p.m. CDT). Release information for the jurisdictions still to report comes from each board's own site, checked on October 27, 2026. We will update this page as boards post. If you sat the new exam, the NextGen results page has each NextGen board's own figures and the national NextGen numbers.
Just released: New York, Rhode Island, Michigan and DC
- New York, October 23: 67% passed (76% first-time, 25% repeat) out of 9,936, down from 70% in July 2025. The Board's public pass list went up on October 26, sorted by last name. If you failed, re-apply for February by 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 31. The Board says it won't extend that deadline.
- Rhode Island, October 23: 66% passed (69% first-time, 52% repeat) out of 108, down from 73%. Results show as a status change in RISCAP accounts and in a mailed letter, and the Judiciary posts its pass list under "Of Current Interest" on its website.
- Michigan, October 20: 62% passed (71% first-time, 20% repeat) out of 778, down from 65%.
- District of Columbia, October 23: 75% passed (83% first-time, 26% repeat) out of 2,222, down from 80% in July 2025. Results went to applicant accounts by 12:00 p.m. ET, and DC's list of successful applicants wasn't posted on October 27. If you failed, you can apply for February from October 30 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Still waiting: when the remaining results come out
| Jurisdiction | July 2026 results | How they arrive | July 2025 release |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Friday, October 30, by 4:00 p.m. | Applicant Portal. The public pass list follows "several days" later | November 7 |
| New Jersey | No date announced | October 10 | |
| Alaska | No date announced | October 31 | |
| Mississippi | Not yet in NCBE's table | September 18 | |
| Puerto Rico | Not yet in NCBE's table | November 24 |
The July 2025 dates are from NCBE's July 2025 table and show each board's usual rhythm. They are not a promise for this year. New Jersey, for example, released on October 10 last year and had still not posted July 2026 results on October 27.
Three jurisdictions have released results but show no pass rate in NCBE's table: Connecticut (October 9, pass list only), New Hampshire (its list of passing applicants is posted) and Guam (September 25). Palau and the US Virgin Islands have not reported to NCBE yet.
July 2026 bar exam pass rates by state
| Jurisdiction | Results released | Overall | First-time | Repeat | Examinees | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | September 25 | 52% | 77% | 13% | 548 | Legacy UBE |
| Alaska | Pending | — | — | — | — | Legacy UBE |
| Arizona | September 16 | 64% | 74% | 15% | 450 | Legacy UBE |
| Arkansas | August 31 | 65% | 75% | 24% | 249 | Legacy UBE |
| California | Due October 30 | — | — | — | — | Non-UBE |
| Colorado | September 17 | 70% | 79% | 15% | 700 | Legacy UBE |
| Connecticut | October 9 | — | — | — | — | NextGen UBE |
| Delaware | October 1 | 66% | 71% | 27% | 201 | Non-UBE |
| District of Columbia | October 23 | 75% | 83% | 26% | 2,222 | Legacy UBE |
| Florida | September 18 | 64% | 75% | 15% | 2,750 | Non-UBE |
| Georgia | September 18 | 64% | 75% | 17% | 1,157 | Non-UBE |
| Hawaii | September 18 | 73% | 83% | 33% | 160 | Non-UBE |
| Idaho | October 6 | 80% | 87% | — | 177 | NextGen UBE |
| Illinois | October 1 | 71% | 80% | 20% | 2,259 | Legacy UBE |
| Indiana | September 16 | 65% | 77% | 17% | 465 | Legacy UBE |
| Iowa | September 4 | 84% | 91% | 41% | 190 | Legacy UBE |
| Kansas | September 3 | 74% | 80% | 35% | 177 | Legacy UBE |
| Kentucky | September 30 | 76% | 83% | 21% | 332 | Legacy UBE |
| Louisiana | October 2 | 70% | 78% | 24% | 520 | Non-UBE |
| Maine | September 11 | 64% | 68% | 35% | 143 | Legacy UBE |
| Maryland | October 9 | 69% | 85% | — | 811 | NextGen UBE |
| Massachusetts | October 13 | 73% | 81% | — | 1,541 | Legacy UBE |
| Michigan | October 20 | 62% | 71% | 20% | 778 | Legacy UBE |
| Minnesota | October 2 | 77% | 84% | 25% | 650 | Legacy UBE |
| Mississippi | Pending | — | — | — | — | Non-UBE |
| Missouri | October 2 | 77% | 85% | 34% | 653 | NextGen UBE |
| Montana | September 14 | 78% | 80% | 50% | 94 | Legacy UBE |
| Nebraska | September 3 | 75% | 79% | 31% | 191 | Legacy UBE |
| Nevada | October 2 | 50% | 56% | 17% | 305 | Non-UBE |
| New Hampshire | September 25 | — | — | — | — | Legacy UBE |
| New Jersey | Pending | — | — | — | — | Legacy UBE |
| New Mexico | September 2 | 55% | 72% | 19% | 177 | Legacy UBE |
| New York | October 23 | 67% | 76% | 25% | 9,936 | Legacy UBE |
| North Carolina | September 2 | 76% | 82% | 37% | 765 | Legacy UBE |
| North Dakota | September 1 | 63% | 69% | 47% | 62 | Legacy UBE |
| Ohio | October 16 | 71% | 82% | 24% | 1,011 | Legacy UBE |
| Oklahoma | September 10 | 73% | 82% | 25% | 335 | Legacy UBE |
| Oregon | October 16 (Oregon State Bar) | 80% | 90% | 44% | 429 | NextGen UBE |
| Pennsylvania | October 9 | 73% | 81% | 26% | 1,473 | Legacy UBE |
| Rhode Island | October 23 | 66% | 69% | 52% | 108 | Legacy UBE |
| South Carolina | October 14 | 78% | 82% | 52% | 435 | Legacy UBE |
| South Dakota | September 4 | 73% | 82% | 11% | 71 | Non-UBE |
| Tennessee | October 6 | 72% | 80% | — | 719 | Legacy UBE |
| Texas | October 6 | 70% | 79% | 23% | 3,230 | Legacy UBE |
| Utah | September 11 | 89% | 90% | 54% | 279 | Legacy UBE |
| Vermont | September 15 | 63% | 75% | 10% | 60 | Legacy UBE |
| Virginia | October 9 | 72% | 79% | 28% | 558 | Non-UBE |
| Washington | October 9 | 74% | — | — | 280 | NextGen UBE |
| West Virginia | August 28 | 62% | — | — | 117 | Legacy UBE |
| Wisconsin | September 1 | 53% | 63% | 16% | 122 | Legacy UBE |
| Wyoming | September 11 | 69% | 76% | 30% | 65 | Legacy UBE |
| Guam | September 25 | — | — | — | — | NextGen UBE |
| Northern Mariana Islands | September 25 | 50% | 50% | N/A | 6 | NextGen UBE |
| Palau | Pending | — | — | — | — | NextGen UBE |
| Puerto Rico | Pending | — | — | — | — | Non-UBE |
| US Virgin Islands | Pending | — | — | — | — | NextGen UBE |
Pass rates and examinee counts are NCBE's, rounded to whole percentages as NCBE publishes them. A dash means the jurisdiction has not reported that figure to NCBE. Oregon's release date is from the Oregon State Bar, because NCBE's table leaves it blank. Each jurisdiction decides who counts as a first-time or repeat taker, so compare those columns with care, especially where only a few dozen people sat.
Highest and lowest pass rates
- Highest overall: Utah 89% (279 examinees), Iowa 84%, and Idaho and Oregon at 80% (both NextGen).
- Highest first-time: Iowa 91%, then Oregon and Utah at 90%.
- Lowest overall among the states: Nevada 50%, Alabama 52%, Wisconsin 53% and New Mexico 55%.
- Biggest cohorts reported so far: New York 9,936 examinees (67%), then Texas 3,230 (70%), Florida 2,750 (64%) and Illinois 2,259 (71%). California, the second biggest, is still to come. Last July it tested 7,362 people.
- Repeat takers: repeat pass rates sit far below first-time rates almost everywhere. Examples: Vermont 10%, South Dakota 11%, Alabama 13%, and Arizona, Colorado and Florida at 15%.
For a ranking over two July exams instead of one, see the hardest and easiest bar exams by state.
Did bar exam pass rates go down in July 2026?
In most places, yes. Of the 40 legacy-UBE and state-exam jurisdictions with both a July 2025 and a July 2026 rate in NCBE's table, 33 fell, 5 rose and 2 were unchanged. NCBE reported a national mean MBE score of 140.7 for July 2026, about 1.7 points below the July 2025 mean of 142.4. The MBE is half of the legacy UBE score and part of most state exams, so a lower national mean generally goes with lower pass rates.
| Change from July 2025 | Jurisdictions |
|---|---|
| Down 9 points or more | West Virginia (77% → 62%), Wisconsin (68% → 53%), Nevada (62% → 50%), Georgia (73% → 64%) |
| Down 5 to 8 points | Indiana, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico and Virginia (−8); Arizona, Minnesota and Rhode Island (−7); Delaware (−6); Arkansas, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Louisiana, Montana and Texas (−5) |
| Down 1 to 4 points | Pennsylvania (−4); Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and Oklahoma (−3); Alabama, Kentucky and North Dakota (−2); Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee (−1) |
| Unchanged | South Carolina (78%), South Dakota (73%) |
| Up | Iowa (79% → 84%), Utah (86% → 89%), Hawaii (71% → 73%), Vermont and Wyoming (+1) |
Wisconsin's change isn't like for like. July 2026 was its first legacy UBE, which replaced the Wisconsin Bar Examination, and graduates of Wisconsin's law schools still qualify through diploma privilege. All the changes use NCBE's rounded figures, so a one-point move is inside the rounding.
The NextGen jurisdictions
Ten jurisdictions gave the first NextGen bar exam in July 2026. NCBE reported a 72.7% overall pass rate across them, 85.2% for first-time examinees and 41.0% for repeaters, with a national mean score of 640.6. By state: Idaho and Oregon 80%, Missouri 77%, Washington 74% and Maryland 69%. NCBE cautions against comparing NextGen scores directly with legacy scores, because the two exams use different score scales. The NextGen results page has each board's exact figures. If you'll sit NextGen next, as a February retaker in one of these states or in 2027 or 2028, our comparison of NextGen bar prep and review courses sets out the options and their prices.
If you didn't pass: February 23–24, 2027
The February 2027 bar exam is on February 23–24, 2027. Some re-application windows close within days of results, so check yours first:
- District of Columbia: unsuccessful July applicants can apply for February from October 30, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern until November 6 at 11:59 p.m., or until the reserved seats run out.
- New York: re-apply for February by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, October 31. The Board says the deadline will not be extended.
- Alaska: the February application closes on December 1, 2026, and reapplicants from February or July 2026 pay $618.
- Everywhere else: the February 2027 deadlines by state list each board's window, and your jurisdiction page links to your board.
- Attempt limits: 21 jurisdictions cap how many times you can sit. See how many times you can take the bar exam.
- Exam type: February 2027 is a NextGen exam only in the jurisdictions that switched in July 2026: Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Washington and the territories that switched with them. Everywhere else, including New York, California, New Jersey, DC and Rhode Island, it is the legacy UBE or the state's own exam.
Then change the plan, not just the hours. The repeat-taker rates above are the reason. The best bar prep for repeat takers compares free-repeat rules and retaker options. The February comeback plan walks through the four months, and the retake guide covers whether your February exam is NextGen or legacy. A free 10-question diagnostic shows where you stand today. Still waiting for your board? The guide to the wait covers what to do until the email arrives.
Sources
- NCBE, bar exam pass rates by jurisdiction, July 2026 and July 2025 tables, last updated October 26, 2026
- NCBE, National Mean for July 2026 MBE, September 1, 2026
- NCBE, Inaugural NextGen UBE Results, September 25, 2026
- NCBE, Wisconsin Adopts the Legacy Uniform Bar Exam, April 9, 2026
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Committee on Admissions, announcements
- The State Bar of California, California Bar Examination
- New York State Board of Law Examiners, home page notices and July 2026 pass list
- Rhode Island Judiciary, bar examination information
- New Hampshire Judicial Branch, NH bar admissions
- Alaska Bar Association, admissions announcements
- New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners, home page
- Oregon State Bar, July 2026 exam results
