You’re So Close!
Fill Out This Form For Your PDF
We’ll never sell your email address to any 3rd party or send you any spam.
Check out our Privacy Policy.
Check out our Privacy Policy.
The Smart Guide to the Washington State Bar Exam
A Guide to Understanding the Washington State Bar Exam
Washington State Bar Exam Format
Washington State uses the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam (NextGen UBE) format, which features 3 question types across three sections:
Standalone Multiple-Choice Quesitons
120 Questions
Integrated Question Sets
6 Question sets
Performance Tasks
3 Tasks
Starting with the July 2026 exam, Washington State is transitioning from the traditional Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) to the NextGen UBE. If you’re taking the Washington State bar exam in July 2026 or later, you’ll be taking the NextGen UBE version.
Washington State Bar Exam Dates
July 2026 exam: July 28-29, 2026
Feb. 2027 exam: Feb. 23-24, 2027
*The Washington State Bar Exam takes place on the last Tuesday & Wednesday of February and July.
Jurisdiction-Specific Component
YES
Washington Law Component (WLC) is an open-book, timed, online multiple-choice test with Washington-specific study materials available online to review prior to and during the test.
This jurisdiction-specific component is given separately from the bar exam.
Contact Info
Washington State Bar Association
1325 4th Ave., Ste. 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539
Website: https://www.wsba.org/
Phone: (206) 727-8209
Fax: (206) 727-8313
Email: admissions@wsba.org
Minimum Passing Score
For Washington, the NextGen UBE minimum passing score is 610.
On December 8, 2025, the Washington Supreme Court issued an order reducing the minimum Legacy UBE passing score in Washington from 266 to 260. The court also held that any examinee who has sat for the exam since July 2020 and received a score between 260 and 265 would now be allowed to apply for admission.
Previously, on March 15, 2024, the Washington Supreme Court issued an order reducing the minimum Legacy UBE passing score in Washington from 270 to 266 for all bar exams administered from July 2020 forward (including examinations already administered in February 2023, July 2023, and February 2024). The minimum passing score of 266 applies equally to Legacy UBE Score Transfers.