Arkansas Bar Examination Requirements and Information

Arkansas began administering the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) in February 2020. All exams are prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and include:

• Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) – six essay questions
• Multistate Performance Test (MPT) – two performance tasks
• Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) – 200 multiple-choice questions

The UBE is a two‑day exam. Day one consists of the MPT and MEE; day two consists of the MBE. An applicant must achieve a minimum total score of 270 to pass.

All applicants must hold a J.D. or LL.B. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association at the time the degree was conferred.

All applicants—regardless of whether they intend to seek admission in Arkansas—must submit an application to sit for the Arkansas Bar Examination and pay the required non‑refundable fee.

Arkansas offers three bar examination application types:

Applicants who fail the Arkansas Bar Examination must submit a standard application and NCBE Character and Fitness application every three years.

Online Application →

The Arkansas Bar Examination is administered simultaneously in Little Rock and Fayetteville. Applicants may indicate their preferred testing site, but preference cannot be guaranteed due to seating limits. All applicants will be assigned a seat and will receive notification of their test location at least 45 days prior to the exam.

Requests to change testing locations should be submitted to the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners as soon as possible.

The fee to sit for the Arkansas UBE is non-refundable and is $1,000, payable online through GovPay at the end of the application to sit for the exam.

Rule X of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar sets the application deadlines:

• February Exam: November 15 of the preceding year
• July Exam: April 1 of the preceding year
• Retake Option: Applicants who fail the February exam may apply for the immediately following July exam until May 15

If a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, it moves to the next business day.

The Board provides reasonable accommodations under the ADA for qualified applicants with documented disabilities. Applicants must submit the appropriate forms, comprehensive professional reports, and any relevant history of prior accommodations.

Documentation from other testing contexts may not be sufficient, and granting of accommodations elsewhere does not guarantee accommodations for the Arkansas Bar Examination.

Applicants should review the Board’s guideline documents:

• General Instructions for Requesting Accommodations
• Guidelines for Documentation of Disabilities
• General Guidance for Qualified Professionals

The burden of proof lies with the applicant to show both the existence of a disability under the ADA and the need for testing accommodations. Requests are evaluated individually. Applicants must complete the appropriate application and follow all instructions. Required documentation will vary depending on the disability. All documentation submitted will be retained by the Board and may be reviewed by one or more qualified professionals.

Because applicants must have qualified professionals complete applicable forms and submit comprehensive reports, the following guideline documents can be provided to the qualified professional to ensure completeness of the records required for the Board and the independent reviewer to consider the accommodation request.

• Guidelines for Documentation of Disabilities
• General Guidance for Qualified Professionals

All applicants must complete Form 1 and submit with whatever form is applicable to their disability with relevant and applicable records and the comprehensive report. If accommodations were requested in the past of an educational institution or testing agency, whether granted or denied, Form 7 is also required.

Required forms include:

• Form 1: Applicant Request for Test Accommodations

Required, if applicable:

• Form 2: Learning Disability Verification
• Form 3: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Verification
• Form 4: Psychological Disability Verification
• Form 5: Visual Disability Verification
• Form 6: Physical Disability Verification
• Form 7: Certification of Accommodations History

The Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners has recommended that the Arkansas Supreme Court adopt the NextGen Bar Examination, which is prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, beginning with the July 2028 examinations for individuals seeking admission to the Arkansas Bar. The Court is currently considering whether to adopt the NextGen Bar Examination in Arkansas.

Arkansas Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion (2025 Ark. 119) on June 12, 2025 regarding the adoption of NextGen and are currently accepting comments on its adoption.

Members of the bench, the bar, and the public are invited to submit comments on the issues outlined in the per curiam by December 31, 2026. Comments should be submitted in writing to: Kyle E. Burton, Clerk of the Arkansas Supreme Court, Attention: Arkansas Bar Examination, Justice Building, 625 Marshall Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, or by email: rulescomments@arcourts.gov.

It is the expectation of the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners that the bar examination and all related applicant conduct be beyond reproach. Applicants must always maintain a professional attitude toward other applicants, proctors, and examination personnel. Any conduct that violates exam security or disrupts administration of the examination may result in immediate disqualification and removal from the testing site. Such conduct includes cheating, failing to follow all rules and instructions governing the examination, or otherwise compromising the security or integrity of the bar exam.

All applicants must provide a valid Photo ID, such as a current driver's license or military identification card, for both days of the Exam. No applicant will be allowed to test without one. It will be checked upon arrival in the testing room.

The Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners permits applicants to use laptop computers for the MEE and MPT portions of the Arkansas Bar Examination. Applicants who elect to use a laptop on their bar exam application will receive additional instructions and are responsible for completing all required ExamSoft registration steps before the exam. The Board uses Examplify, which secures the testing environment by blocking access to files, programs, and the Internet during the exam. Applicants must register qualifying laptops through ExamSoft by the deadlines provided.

Applicants who choose to use a laptop must acknowledge the inherent risks of relying on technology, including potential device or power failure. If technical issues occur, the applicant will be required to handwrite their answers. Applicants may rescind their election to use a laptop at any time and choose to handwrite, but must notify the Board promptly.

Applicants are responsible for bringing their own laptops and charger cords and ensuring their devices are fully functional. Electrical outlets will be available at each testing table. External peripherals—including monitors, keyboards, and mice—are not permitted.

Applicants must achieve a scaled score of 85 or higher on the MPRE. The MPRE score must be earned:

• Within three years before the UBE administration date in which the applicant passed, or
• Within one year after that administration.

Applicants must request NCBE to send official score reports directly to Arkansas.

Large rooms make maintaining a consistent temperature difficult. Accordingly, you should dress in layers and remove or add clothing as needed. Generally, the rooms are fairly cool. Hooded shirts may be worn in the testing rooms, but the hoods must stay down during testing and are subject to inspection.

The Arkansas Bar Examination is a professional licensing exam, and all applicants are expected to arrive on time. Applicants will not be permitted to take the exam if they arrive after the proctor has begun giving the examination instructions. Applicants must be seated by their assigned testing time. The testing room doors will close promptly at that time, and no one will be admitted once the doors have closed.

All applicants will be provided with #2 pencils, a yellow highlighter, scratch paper, and disposable foam earplugs on Day 1 during the MPT and MEE portions of the exam.

On Day 2, during the MBE, applicants will be provided with #2 pencils and disposable foam earplugs.

A plastic ziplock bag will be provided at check-in on both days for the applicant’s keys and ID, which must be placed under their chair at all times during the exam.

To ensure the integrity and fairness of the examination for all applicants, the following behaviors are prohibited:

• bringing unauthorized materials or devices (whether on or off) into a testing room,
• taking test materials out of the testing room,
• causing a disruption or disturbance,
• copying answers from another applicant or sharing answers with another applicant, and
• continuing to work after a proctor has instructed applicants to stop.

NCBE owns the UBE and it is a secure examination protected by U.S. copyright laws. You may not remove or attempt to remove any original, duplicated, or recorded test materials, notes, or reconstructed test questions or answers from a testing room by any means.

The following items are not allowed in the testing room during the administration of the Arkansas Bar Exam. Applicants should have only their photo ID, along with laptop and laptop power cord for the MEE/MPT, at their workstations. Previously approved medically necessary items are permitted but subject to visual inspection.

• any electronic devices, including but not limited to:
  • cell or mobile phones
  • smartwatches, digital watches or timers, smart glasses, fitness trackers, or other wearable technology
  • cameras or any picture-taking devices
  • audio or media players, handheld computers and tablets, language translators
  • earbuds, headphones, or earphones (including noise-cancelling devices)
  • e-cigarettes
• watches or timers
• books, study aids, notes, scratch paper, or paper of any kind
• pens, mechanical pencils, mechanical erasers, highlighters, or rulers
• non-electronic headphones, earbuds, or earplugs (unless provided by the jurisdiction)
• wallets, purses, bags, laptop sleeves, eyeglass cases
• firearms or other weapons
• large jewelry or hair accessories
• hats (and other non-religious head coverings), coats, jackets
• food and drinks

While a room will be available for applicants to place personal items such as computer bags, please note it will not be continuously monitored, and the Board is not responsible for these any items in this room. It is advised not to bring any bags or purses to the testing site.

Rule III(t) allows the top paper in each subject to be viewed at the Supreme Court Library or any ABA‑accredited Arkansas law school. Names of authors are not disclosed. These papers may contain errors and should be used only as one of many study resources.

Since February 2012, NCBE permits jurisdictions to post questions and best answers online. Earlier materials may be reviewed in person at designated libraries. All NCBE exam materials are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed.

In compliance with this rule the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners is releasing these papers. Members of the Board note that many papers may have significant deficiencies in styles, draftsmanship and organization. Indeed, some may fail to recognize issues and may have reached erroneous legal conclusions. Those who review these papers are cautioned that numerous elements enter into the determination of the "top paper" including the perceived writing, analytical and reasoning ability as well as knowledge of the law. These papers are not perfect papers but are examples of the better papers. They should be used merely as one of many guidelines in preparing for the examination. With few exceptions, the transcribed copy of any hand written answer appears exactly as it was written. This includes spelling errors, grammatical errors, as well as the format.

Effective with the February 2012 Bar exam, the National Conference of Bar Examiners allows the posting of questions and best answers to our website. If you are interested in any questions and answers prior to that, please visit the Supreme Court Library or one of the Arkansas Law School Libraries. The Questions are copyrighted by the NCBE and are being reprinted with the permission of the NCBE. For personal use only. May not be reproduced or distributed in any way.