When Do Bar Exam Results Come Out? A State-by-State Timeline

The wait for bar exam results is one of the most stressful periods in any lawyer's career. You finished the exam, you cannot change anything, and you have no idea whether you passed. Here is what to expect.

General Timeline

July Bar Exam

Results for the July bar exam are typically released between mid-September and late November, depending on the jurisdiction. Most states release results 8-12 weeks after the exam.

February Bar Exam

Results for the February bar exam are typically released between late April and early June. The timeline is similar — roughly 8-12 weeks after the exam.

How Results Are Released

Most jurisdictions release results in one or more of the following ways:

• Online portal: Many states post results to their bar admissions website, accessible by candidate number or name
• Email notification: Some states email candidates directly
• Postal mail: Some states still mail results (in addition to or instead of online posting)
• Public posting: Some states publish a pass list with names of successful candidates

The exact method varies by jurisdiction. Check your state bar admissions website for specifics on how and when results will be released.

What You Receive

If you passed

You will be notified that you passed and given information about the next steps for admission: the swearing-in ceremony, character and fitness completion (if not already done), and any additional requirements.

If you did not pass

You will receive your score report, which typically includes:

• Your total UBE score (or equivalent)
• Your MBE scaled score
• Your written component scaled score
• Subject-level performance indicators for the MBE (often shown as below average, average, or above average relative to passing candidates)

This information is essential for planning your retake. See our retaker guide for how to use your score report effectively.

Managing the Waiting Period

Start working

If you have a job lined up, most law firms and organizations allow you to begin working as a law graduate or legal intern before bar results are released. You typically cannot appear in court or sign legal documents until you are admitted, but you can do legal research, draft documents, and contribute to cases under supervision.

Do not analyze the exam

You cannot determine whether you passed based on your memory of how you felt during the exam. Confident candidates fail. Anxious candidates pass. Your subjective experience of the exam is not a reliable indicator. Stop replaying questions in your head.

Do not read internet speculation

Every bar exam cycle, forums fill with posts analyzing specific questions, debating correct answers, and predicting pass rates. This is noise. You cannot change your answers, and crowdsourced analysis of remembered questions is unreliable.

Have a plan for either outcome

Decide in advance what you will do if you pass and what you will do if you do not. Having a plan for the negative outcome does not jinx anything — it reduces the anxiety of uncertainty. If you do not pass, you will retake the exam and you will pass. The plan for that scenario should include when to start studying, what to change, and who to tell.

Take care of yourself

The waiting period is a good time to reestablish the habits that bar prep disrupted: exercise, social activities, hobbies, adequate sleep. You have been under intense stress for months. Give yourself time to recover.

Swearing-In and Admission

After you pass the bar exam and complete all other admission requirements (character and fitness, MPRE, any state-specific requirements), you will be scheduled for a swearing-in ceremony. This is the formal event where you are admitted to the bar and licensed to practice law.

Swearing-in ceremonies vary by jurisdiction. Some are large group events at a courthouse. Some are smaller. Some allow family and friends to attend.

After swearing in, you can practice law, represent clients, appear in court, and hold yourself out as an attorney in that jurisdiction.

The Bottom Line

The wait is hard. There is no way around it. The best thing you can do during this period is live your life, start your career, and trust that you did the work. If you prepared thoroughly and performed to the best of your ability on exam day, you have done everything within your control.

Results will come when they come. You will handle whatever they say.