Michigan Adopts UBE
(Uniform Bar Exam) 

By Adam Balinski
Updated: December 30, 2021

Michigan is the first state since Pennsylvania to announce its jump to the Uniform Bar Exam. Michigan adopted the UBE but will not administer it until February 2023 (bumped back from the original plan to administer it in July 2022). Until then, the Michigan State Bar Exam will continue as usual.

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Background on the UBE

The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is a standardized exam that has been adopted in 40 (and counting) jurisdictions. The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) administers the exam. It has three parts: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The Uniform Bar Exam allows you to transfer scores within a certain amount of time from one UBE jurisdiction to another.

Which jurisdictions use the UBE?

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (starting February 2023), Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania (starting July 2022), Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the Virgin Islands.

For the most updated information regarding which jurisdictions have adopted the UBE, check the NCBE’s official map.

The following are not UBE jurisdictions:

California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, *Hawaii, *Mississippi, Nevada, *South Dakota, Virginia, *Wisconsin, *Guam, *Northern Mariana Islands, *Palau, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico.

*These jurisdictions are not considered UBE jurisdictions, because part of their bar exam is jurisdiction specific. However, they do test all parts of the UBE (the MBE, MEE, and MPT) on their bar exam.