UBE Statistics

Since the first adoptions of the Uniform Bar Examination by Missouri and North Dakota in 2010, NCBE has been keeping statistics that have proven to be of interest to jurisdictions as they explore the appropriateness of the UBE for local adoption. In this section we trace the history of both UBE adoption and implementation, testing volumes, measures of actual score portability, minimum passing scores set by each UBE jurisdiction (expressed on a 400-point scale), and the degree of change to each UBE jurisdiction’s battery of tests that resulted from UBE adoption.

Just as the story of each jurisdiction’s adoption of the UBE is unique—with its Court, board, bar, and law schools playing roles that have been specific to each place—the numbers represented in the following charts do not capture the nuances that we have observed at close range. For example, the number of scores transferred in or out of a given jurisdiction may relate to how recently the jurisdiction became a UBE state, or when the opportunity for UBE score transfer became available.

With 25 jurisdictions (24 states plus the District of Columbia) in the UBE fold since 2010, and 20 of those already administering the UBE, we are well on our way to establishing a common entry-level test, with attention to state-specific distinctions undertaken in a variety of creative ways on a local basis where the particular Court or board has deemed it necessary. (See the article in this issue for a section devoted to describing the jurisdiction-specific components that have been developed by UBE jurisdictions.)

This snapshot is current at the time of publication and will undoubtedly continue to change.