Short answer: In most US jurisdictions you can take the bar exam as many times as you need. NCBE's Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements lists no limit in 35 of 56 jurisdictions, including California, Florida, New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania. The other 21 set a number, from 2 (Iowa, after which the court decides) to 6 (Idaho, North Dakota, Utah and Puerto Rico). Several of them let you ask for permission to go past it. A few count failures in other states, so moving doesn't reset the count.
The table below is from NCBE's Comprehensive Guide (charts 5 and 9, with their supplemental remarks), read on October 22, 2026. Texas comes from its own Rules Governing Admission (September 18, 2026 rulebook), Virginia from its statute, and Connecticut's February-only rule from its Bar Examining Committee. The rules change, so check your board before you count on a number.
Bar exam attempt limits by state
| Jurisdiction | Limit | What happens at the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No limit | — |
| Alaska | No limit | — |
| Arizona | 4 | After 4 unsuccessful attempts, you need the Committee on Examinations’ permission for each further exam |
| Arkansas | No limit | — |
| California | No limit | — |
| Colorado | No limit | — |
| Connecticut | No limit | No cap, but after 4 failures in Connecticut you may apply only for February exams (since October 27, 2025); you can still sit the UBE elsewhere in July and transfer a passing score |
| Delaware | No limit | — |
| District of Columbia | 4 | After 4 failures you may not take the exam. Failing UBE scores from any jurisdiction count |
| Florida | No limit | — |
| Georgia | No limit | — |
| Hawaii | No limit | — |
| Idaho | 6 | — |
| Illinois | No limit | — |
| Indiana | No limit | — |
| Iowa | 2 | After one failure you may sit the next exam; further attempts are at the court’s discretion |
| Kansas | No limit | — |
| Kentucky | 5 | — |
| Louisiana | 5 | Number of sittings allowed without special permission |
| Maine | No limit | — |
| Maryland | No limit | No cap, but after 3 unsuccessful attempts the Board may require an extra course of study |
| Massachusetts | No limit | — |
| Michigan | No limit | — |
| Minnesota | No limit | — |
| Mississippi | 4 | Number of sittings allowed without special permission |
| Missouri | No limit | — |
| Montana | 3 | — |
| Nebraska | 4 | — |
| Nevada | No limit | — |
| New Hampshire | 4 | After 4 failures you may not retake. Failing UBE scores elsewhere count |
| New Jersey | No limit | — |
| New Mexico | No limit | — |
| New York | No limit | No cap, but after 4 failures in New York you may re-apply only for February exams (since December 1, 2024); you can still sit the UBE elsewhere in July and transfer a passing score |
| North Carolina | No limit | — |
| North Dakota | 6 | — |
| Ohio | No limit | — |
| Oklahoma | 5 | Applies from July 2025, not retroactively. After 5 attempts you may ask for a one-time waiver for a sixth |
| Oregon | No limit | — |
| Pennsylvania | No limit | — |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 5 failures in Rhode Island or any other state, with no special permission |
| South Carolina | No limit | No cap, but after a third or later failure you must wait a year before sitting in South Carolina |
| South Dakota | 3 | After 3 failures in any jurisdiction or combination, you need the Supreme Court’s permission |
| Tennessee | No limit | No cap, but after 5 failures (the former Tennessee exam or the UBE anywhere) you must petition the Board with a study plan |
| Texas | 5 | 5 exams combined, counting UBE scores under 270 and NextGen scores under 620 earned elsewhere; the Board may waive for good cause |
| Utah | 6 | — |
| Vermont | 4 | After 4 failures you need a waiver, on a strong showing of improved preparation and good cause |
| Virginia | 5 | 5 sittings; the Board may allow more for mitigating circumstances |
| Washington | No limit | — |
| West Virginia | 4 | 4 failures in West Virginia or anywhere else; after that you need the Board’s special permission |
| Wisconsin | No limit | — |
| Wyoming | 4 | — |
| Guam | No limit | — |
| Northern Mariana Islands | No limit | — |
| Palau | No limit | — |
| Puerto Rico | 6 | Number of sittings allowed without special permission |
| US Virgin Islands | No limit | — |
A dash means NCBE gives the number without further conditions. Ask your board whether permission to sit again is possible.
Where failures in other states count
In these jurisdictions a failed exam elsewhere counts toward the limit:
- District of Columbia: failing UBE scores from any jurisdiction count toward its 4.
- New Hampshire: failing UBE scores elsewhere count toward its 4.
- Rhode Island: 5 failures "in Rhode Island or any other state".
- South Dakota: 3 failures "in any jurisdiction or combination of jurisdictions".
- Tennessee: 5 failures on the former Tennessee exam or the UBE in any jurisdiction trigger the petition requirement.
- Texas: a combined five examinations, counting UBE scores under 270 and NextGen scores under 620 earned in other states.
- West Virginia: 4 failures "in West Virginia or any other jurisdiction".
Texas also closes the transfer route: after the combined five, you can't be admitted on a transferred UBE or NextGen score either. If you plan to sit in one state and move your score to another, check the receiving state's rule too.
Hard limits and limits with a way through
- Hard stops. The District of Columbia (after 4 failures you "may not take the exam"), New Hampshire ("may not retake") and Rhode Island ("no special permission will be given").
- Permission or a waiver.
- Arizona: committee permission for each exam after the fourth failure.
- Iowa: the court's discretion after your second attempt.
- Oklahoma: a one-time waiver for a sixth attempt.
- South Dakota: Supreme Court permission after 3.
- Texas: a waiver for good cause.
- Vermont: a waiver on a strong showing.
- Virginia: mitigating circumstances, under Va. Code § 54.1-3930.
- West Virginia: the Board's special permission.
- No cap, but conditions.
- Maryland may require an extra course of study after 3 failures.
- South Carolina makes you wait a year after a third failure.
- Tennessee requires a petition and a study plan after 5.
- Connecticut (since October 27, 2025) and New York limit applicants with 4 or more failures to the February exam.
How soon can you retake the bar exam?
Usually at the next administration, so February after a July failure. The catch is the filing deadline. Some boards close February applications within days of releasing July results (see the July 2026 results by state for this season's dates). The exceptions:
- South Carolina: after a third or later failure, you wait a year.
- Connecticut and New York: after four or more failures in that state, February only.
- Iowa: the next administration is guaranteed after a first failure; after that, it's up to the court.
In Texas, if you have failed more than once, Rule 11(h) lets you request a Formal Review within two weeks of the results: an individual oral review of your written answers from the last exam.
The NextGen switch doesn't reset the count
None of the rules we read treats a NextGen attempt differently from a legacy one, and Texas names NextGen scores in its rule. If your state switches in July 2027, its limit carries over: Arizona 4, Iowa 2, Kentucky 5, Nebraska 4, North Dakota 6, Oklahoma 5, South Dakota 3, Vermont 4 and Wyoming 4. Minnesota, New Mexico and Tennessee have no cap. Among the jurisdictions already on NextGen, only Idaho has a number (6), and Connecticut limits applicants with four or more failures to February exams.
If you're close to a limit
An attempt near the limit is worth more than the fee. Before you file:
- Find out what cost you points. The scoring guide explains what your score report does and doesn't tell you.
- Change the method, not just the hours. Repeat takers pass at far lower rates than first-time takers. The best bar prep for repeat takers compares free repeats and retaker options, and the February comeback plan lays out the weeks.
- Check where you'll be admitted, not just where you sit. If you plan to move a score, the score transfer guide covers who accepts what.
Sources
- NCBE, Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements: Chart 5, UBE jurisdictions and Chart 9, non-UBE jurisdictions, with supplemental remarks, read October 22, 2026
- Texas Board of Law Examiners, Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas, Rule 11(g) and (h), rulebook updated September 18, 2026
- Virginia, Va. Code § 54.1-3930 and 18VAC35-10-180
- New York State Board of Law Examiners, notices
- Connecticut Bar Examining Committee, new limit on applications from repeat applicants, effective October 27, 2025
