VerdictUp
All jurisdictions

Massachusetts

Verified

Imported 2026-09-27 — not yet reviewed; confirm with the admitting authority.

How to apply

Admitting agencyMassachusetts Board of Bar Examiners
Application portalApply online
Character & fitnessApplication process managed by the jurisdiction's bar admission agency; many jurisdictions use NCBE's Character & Fitness application/investigation as part of the exam application (timing: filed together with or shortly after the bar exam application). Verify exact process/timing per jurisdiction at the agency_url.

Exam & score rules

Exam typeUBE; transitioning to NextGen UBE (first administration: July 2028)
UBE min score270
MPRE requiredyes (min: 85)
Education requirementABA-approved J.D. NOT strictly required. Alternatives permitted: Non-ABA-approved in-state law school (Additional requirements: —) Foreign-law graduates may be eligible (see jurisdiction rules).

Other required components

Local law componentMassachusetts Law Component (MLC) — an added, Massachusetts-specific online, open-book test taken after the UBE and before admission; administered via the BBE's Applicant Portal.
Other pathsNo diploma privilege or supervised-practice pathway identified.

Transfer options

Accepts transferred UBEyes, max score age 5 years
UBE transfer acceptedyes
Score age limit3 years

Admission on motion

Allows AOMyes
Reciprocal onlyno
Years of practice5 of past 7
AOM fee$1,015 (plus C&F fee)
Other requirementsMPRE (85) required, no strict time parameter noted; ABA-approved JD NOT required; diploma-privilege admittees ARE eligible.
Official AOM source

Essays & sample answers

Publishes past essayspartial (pre-2018 MA-specific essays archived mainly via third parties, not on mass.gov)
Years availableIndividual mass.gov PDFs found for at least 2006 (doc/2617); third-party sites (passthebar.com, all4jds.com) mirror essay questions 2002-2009+
Sample answersno — MA Board did not release model answers historically ('0 with officially released model answers' per all4jds.com summary of 149 essay questions 2002-2009)
Exam typeUBE (adopted July 2018; prior to that, MA-specific essay exam)
Terms of usemass.gov PDFs are official government documents, generally public domain/open for Massachusetts state materials but not explicitly labeled
Essay archive / sample answers

mass.gov itself returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch in this session (likely bot protection); a specific old essay PDF (doc/2617) was separately confirmed reachable via search. Since UBE adoption in 2018, Massachusetts uses standard MEE/MPT with no separate state essay.

Fees & deadlines

Feesfirst_time_applicant: $815; attorney_applicant: $815; repeater: $815; laptop_fee: $175; admission_on_motion_fee: $1,015 (plus C&F fee)
Application deadlinesjuly_2026_regular: At least 75 days; july_2026_late: —; february_2027_regular: At least 75 days; february_2027_late: —
Next exam datesjuly_2026: Scheduled (standard UBE/local administration); february_2027: Scheduled (standard UBE/local administration); nextgen_first_administration: July 2028; legacy_ube_final_administration: February 2028

Possible multi-bar pathways

Researched examples that name Massachusetts. Discovery content only — not eligibility approval.

UBE score transfer: CT + MA + NY (reciprocal cluster)

CT publishes an explicit list of ~40 UBE/reciprocal jurisdictions that includes MA and NY (among many others); a UBE score earned in any of these can be transferred to CT, and separately to MA or NY.

Colorado + South Dakota + other 'no-ABA-grad-required, non-reciprocal-only' UBE AOM cluster

This group of UBE states share two friendly traits for career-changers: (1) AOM open to any jurisdiction (not reciprocal-only), and (2) no requirement that the applicant's JD come from an ABA-approved school — broadening eligibility for foreign-trained or non-ABA-school attorneys with sufficient practice years.

Official sources

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 Source 5 Source 6 Source 7 Source 8 Source 9
UBE + Massachusetts Law Component (MLC); Massachusetts has announced intent to administer NextGen UBE in July 2028 (confirmed via NCBE ncbex.org/jurisdictions/MA).

VerdictUp is a study aid and does not provide legal advice or guarantee admission. Confirm with the admitting authority.