Tennessee Board of Law Examiners

Applications for Admission without Examination (Comity) have been delayed due to the extensive amount of time the Board and staff members have had to dedicate to administering and processing the remote examinations given between October 2020 and July 2021. At this time, review of comity applications and approval by the Board are taking an average of 14 months. The Board and staff are committed to completing the pending cases and reducing the time between application submittal and Board decision.

To permit attorneys who have been affected by the delays to continue to practice pending admission as provided in Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7, Sec. 10.07, the Supreme Court filed an order on November 9, 2021, modifying Rule 7, Sec. 10.07. Lawyers who submitted and paid for an application for admission by comity prior to July 1, 2021, and who have registered or subsequently register to practice under section 10.07, may continue to practice pending admission until July 1, 2022, absent a terminating event as provided in section 10.07(b).

Applications for the February 2022 Examination are open. The Initial Deadline is December 1, 2021, and the final deadline is December 20, 2021. For step-by-step instructions, select “Admission by Examination” from the menu on this site and then select the First-Time or Re-Examination application information.

ExamSoft registration for the July 2021 remotely-administered UBE In Tennessee begins June 17, 2021. You will receive an email from ExamSoft with login information by 5:00 p.m. CT on June 17, 2021. The TNBLE does not have this information and will not be able to answer questions about the delivery of the email.

Please read the information provided on the ExamSoft home page for the Tennessee Bar at www.examsoft.com/tnbar prior to registration. Remote Exam FAQs can be found on this website here.

You must register for the software, pay the $50 fee, download the software and mock exams, complete the two mandatory mock exams and upload the mock exam answer and monitoring files on or before 4:00 p.m., July 1, 2021, or you will not be eligible to take the examination.

The General Information Manual will be sent by email and included in your Synergy account under “Letters” by June 21, 2021. You will be required to upload the July 2021 Acknowledgement on or before 4:00 p.m., July 2, 2021, or you will not be eligible to sit for the examination.

Results of the February 2021 UBE will be released by 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, 2021. The list of successful examinees can be found here. Each examinee will receive a results letter from the Board by email, which will also be in your Synergy account. To access letters in your Synergy account, login, select the current examination application, and click the “Letters” tab next to the “Items” tab.

The July 2021 UBE in Tennessee will be a remotely-administered Uniform Bar Examination. Applications are open. The Initial Deadline is May 3, 2021, and the Final Deadline is May 20, 2021. Please see “Admission by Examination Score” in the website menu for step-by-step instructions for applying for admission by examination, checklists, and forms.

UPDATE: Registration has been extended to 4:00 p.m. on FEBRUARY 1, 2021. You must register, download the Software, complete Mock Exam 1 and Mock Exam 2, and upload the files on or before the deadline or you will not be eligible to sit.

Registration for testing software opens January 14, 2021; Applicants will receive an email on or before the day registration opens from ExamSoft Support. Registration closes on January 29, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. In an effort to assist Applicants in registering with ExamSoft for the February 2021 bar examination, we offer the following important reminders and tips:

1. The Institution ID is TNBar.
2. The Applicant’s “NCBE” number is required for registration with ExamSoft. Each Applicant’s NCBE number that is on file with this office was sent to the Applicant in an email from the Board.
3. Remember to include the letter “N” before entering the NCBE number.
4. For returning users, it is recommended to UNINSTALL prior versions of the ExamSoft software, including those used in law school.  Then, make the payment first before trying to use Examplify (payment is the first step of the process). Once payment is completed, download the latest version of Examplify 2.6 and then register with credentials provided in the registration notice letter.

ExamSoft Requirements:

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for laptop or desktop compatibility for Windows and Mac computers can be found here: https://examsoft.com/resources/examplify-minimum-system-requirements. I-pads are not permitted for the bar examination.

Registration for download of the testing software will be done in time to provide applicants multiple opportunities to practice using the Software and virtual scratchpad. Spell-check and highlighting functions will be enabled for this exam.

Mock Exam and Downloads Requirements:

• The mock exams are MANDATORY. Applicants will have the opportunity to take multiple mock exams in order to practice screen management and use of the virtual scratch paper.
• Applicants who have not registered and downloaded the software, and completed both mock exams, by January 29, 2021, will be withdrawn from the exam and no refund will be issued from from ExamSoft. Board refund policies apply. 
• As part of the ExamSoft registration process, applicants will set up their camera and microphone and MUST consent to collection of biometrics, which include facial features for identifying the applicant prior to each session. ​
  • A baseline photo will be taken during the mock exam which will be used during registration before each online session to verify the applicant’s identity.
  • Additionally, all examination sessions will be videotaped and recorded.
  • By consenting to the use of biometrics, the applicant agree to allow the sessions to be videotaped and recorded and understand that the videotape and recordings will be reviewed by live proctors to determine if Applicant engaged in any behaviors that will result in cancellation of the exam scores.
  • Applicants who do not wish to permit the collection of biometric data will not be permitted to take the February 2021 bar examination and must withdraw from the exam. Applications cannot be transferred to another exam. The deadline for withdrawal with a partial refund is February 1, 2021.
• The Board will compare the baseline photo in the Examplify software to the photograph and ID uploaded with the application and again to the photo taken prior to each examination session on exam days.
• Applicants will receive emails from ExamSoft and the Board when registration opens and before it closes with reminders about the Mock Exam and deadline dates.

Applicants must have internet access in order to start the exam and to upload answers. The full session and all keystrokes are recorded and uploaded with the answers so if internet service fails during the upload of answer files, exam materials can be retrieved.

TAKE THE MOCK EXAM MULTIPLE TIMES TO GAIN FAMILIARTY WITH THE SOFTWARE. Practice screen management and use of the virtual scratch paper (the equivalent of 12 sheets of blank paper).

The following is a list of behaviors or actions that may result in flags for monitoring:

• Use of or presence of a cell phone, fit-bit, watch, camera other than the one in the laptop used for testing
• Paper of any kind other than as permitted for the MPT ONLY
• Headphones or earplugs of any type
• Mirrors that can reflect the laptop screen
• Anyone other than the examinee in the room
• Talking, reading aloud, or other extraneous noise in the room in which the examinee is testing
• Being out of the frame of the camera at any time, including standing up or walking around while testing; you must remain in the camera frame.

The Code of Conduct will be provided in the General Information Manual, which will be sent prior to February 1, 2021.

It is recommended that there be nothing that could be used to identify the applicant in the testing room i.e., do not have a framed diploma on the wall within the view of the camera.

The last day to withdraw from the February 2021 UBE with a refund is February 1, 2021 of $150.  After February 1, 2021, no refunds will be provided to anyone who withdraws or is withdrawn from the exam.

The Office of the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners will be closed Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25, 2020 for Christmas as designated state holidays.

Additionally, the office will be closed Thursday, December 31, 2020, and Friday, January 1, 2021, for the New Year as designated state holidays.

Questions emailed to BLE.Administrator@tncourts.gov will not be answered on days the office is closed. Responses will be provided during working hours as soon as possible and in the order in which the emails are received. Most answers can be found in information included in this website, in Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, or in the Board’s Policies and Procedures found under “Governing Authorities.”

The list of Applicants who achieved a passing score on the October 2020 Admissions Assessment administered in Tennessee for July 2020 applicants has been posted. Of the 677 people who completed the October Assessment, 507 received a score of 270 or higher and passed the examination requirement in Tennessee. The overall pass rate is 74.89% and the first time pass rate is 82.36%.

Emails with exam results will be sent to all applicants.  Qualifying Scores on the assessment may be used for admission to reciprocal jurisdictions. Please check with the jurisdiction to which you will transfer the score for that jurisdiction’s procedures.

FOR APPLICANTS WHO DID NOT ACHIEVE THE SCORE REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION IN TENNESSEE, pursuant to TN Supreme Court Rule 7, §14.04 the only remedy for failure to pass the bar examination is reexamination. No part of the Assessment will be regraded.

Applicants who wish to apply for Re-Examination in February 2021: Applications for Re-Examination are open. Although the Initial Deadline has passed, the Board has extended the Initial Deadline for applicants who were unsuccessful on the October Assessment until December 17, 2020. Board Policies related to the requirements for meeting the Initial Deadline can be found in Board Policy P-3.03. The Final Deadline has not changed and is December 21, 2020. Please note that there are new document requirements for applications.

UPDATE December 7, 2020:

As we announced on Friday, the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners is spending additional time verifying the results of the most recent bar exam to ensure each test taker receives the correct score.  We anticipate releasing exam results by noon on Wednesday, December 9 at the latest.

We understand this delay is stressful for test takers, and we are grateful for your patience during these unprecedented times. The Board and executive team are working diligently to verify each score, and we are confident that our results will be valid and accurate when released. To reiterate, there are no issues with the actual scoring of the tests. Tennessee is verifying each result to ensure test takers in our state receive their true and accurate score.

Friday, December 4, 2020: The Board issued the following statement regarding release of results of the October 2020 Assessment:

The State of Kentucky has announced that, after releasing grades for the online bar assessment, it has discovered a software error that resulted in the misassignment of scores. Because the State of Tennessee administered the same exam and uses the same software, the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners and executive team are spending additional time verifying Tennessee’s results. We are confident that our results will be valid and accurate when released.

As a result, for those who took the exam in Tennessee, it is possible that there may be a delay in releasing grades, which are scheduled to be released on Monday, December 7, 2020. If results are not announced Monday, the Board will issue a statement on Monday as to when applicants can expect the results. To reiterate, there are no issues with the actual scoring of the tests. The issue that arose is with a separate system that sent results to test takers. Tennessee is verifying each result to ensure test takers in our state receive their true and accurate score.

The delay is due to an issue with the system used to provide notification of results. The Board and staff are working diligently to release scores that accurately reflect each test taker’s performance on the October 2020 assessment and are committed to providing you with your results as soon as possible. Updates will be posted here if grades will not be released on Monday as soon as information is available.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order today approving remote administration of the February 2021 Uniform Bar Examination in Tennessee, citing the continuing risk associated with large gatherings due to the pandemic and the increase in COVID-19 cases in Tennessee. A “remote examination” means that the examination will be administered in the applicant’s home or location of choice. Applications for the February 2021 examination will open on Monday, October 26, 2020.

Although stringent public health and safety protocols were planned for an in-person administration of the February 2021 examination, the Court could not “justify the risk of assembling large groups of people in limited space for up to nine hours per day over a period of two day, even if all precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are implemented” and instead, adopted use of the remotely administered Uniform Bar Examination for the February 2021 examination.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners recently announced that jurisdictions may choose to administer the February 2021 Uniform Bar Examination either in person or as a remote examination. Both the in-person and remote examination will be administered on February 23 and 24, 2021, and will consist of two Multistate Performance Tests, six Multistate Essay Questions, and 200 Multistate Bar Examination questions. Scores earned on the examination are portable Uniform Bar Examination scores.

In entering its order, the Court recognized the hardships that COVID-19 has placed upon applicants to the Tennessee bar, as well as the interests of the applicants, the public, and the administration of justice as they relate to licensing and admission of attorneys.

Tennessee was one of 20 jurisdictions that administered a remote examination to July 2020 applicants, with 683 Tennessee applicants participating in the remote assessment that was administered to over 30,000 applicants on October 5 and 6.

The Court ordered additional modifications to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, section 11.03, and approved new Board Policies and Procedures related to remote administration of the examination which can be found on the Board’s website. A copy of the order can be found here.