New Mexico
Overview
- Admitting Entity (Supreme Court, Mandatory Bar, etc.)
- New Mexico Supreme Court
- Entity Managing Admissions Process
New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners
- [State] Application Materials
- Are law students required to register with jurisdiction while in law school?
- No
- If UBE, is there a Jurisdiction Component?
- No
- Multistate Bar Exam?
- Yes
- Multistate Essay Exam?
- Yes
- Is exam jurisdiction-drafted?
- No. A separate one-day, in-person course on New Mexico law is required prior to admission.
- Multistate Performance Test?
- Yes
- Does the jurisdiction provide information on day of testing procedures?
No, instruction is provided directly to applicants
- What are the restroom use rules of the admitting entity?
Information not publicly available
General
- Phone Number
- 505-271-9706
- Email Address
- Diploma Privilege
No
- Prelegal education requirements
No
- Legal education requirements
A graduate with a JD or bachelor of laws and letters degree from a law school that is (a) formally accredited by the ABA; or (b) not formally accredited by the ABA, in which event the applicant must also show admission to the practice of law in one or more other states for at least 4 of the 6 years immediately preceding application.
- Registration requirements, if applicable.
N/A
- Registration fee, if applicable.
- N/A
- Limit on attempts?
- No limit
- Fee(s)
$750: Bar Exam application fee: $500: for applicants who have only ever taken the UBE one time, regardless of state; $1700: UBE score transfer application fee; $2500: Reciprocity/Admission on Motion application fee; $100: Laptop Fee paid to Exemplify/Exam soft; $1500: Initial Deposit for any Character and Fitness Hearing, if applicable
- Are laptops allowed/required?
- Allowed
- Laptop fee?
- $100
- Is courtesy seating allowed?
- No
- Transfer fee?
- $1,700
- Day-of Testing Procedures
An applicant testing at a Pearson VUE testing center must present a government-issued primary ID and a secondary ID. The primary ID must include a first and last name, recent recognizable photo, and signature. The secondary ID must include at least a first and last name and signature or first and last name and recent recognizable photo. The first and last name used to register must match exactly both IDs presented on test day. Any name corrections must be submitted through the NCBE Account Dashboard at least 48 hours before the first day of the test administration. Before entering the test room, Pearson VUE will collect a digital photograph and digital signature to verify identity. The applicant must consent to the NCBE Candidate Rules Agreement, which in part requires that if the applicant uses the restroom during testing, they must use “the restroom that is closest to the testing room” and pat themselves down (arms, legs, waistline) when leaving and re-entering the testing room. Applicants must also pat themselves down before entering the test room for the first time.
- What security measures can applicants expect? Metal detectors? Bag search?
Information not publicly available
Eligibility
- Admission by Exam
- Yes
- Admission by Transfer
- Yes
- Admission by Motion
- Yes
- UBE Exam?
- Yes. New Mexico intends to first administer the NextGen bar exam in July 2027.
- Minimum passing score?
- 260
- Can exam score be transferred?
- Yes
- Can only UBE scores be transferred?
- Only an entire UBE score, not portions (e.g., MBE score only)
- Is there a time limit for accepting transferred scores?
- 5 years
- Is MPRE required?
- Yes
- Minimum passing score
- 80
- Is there a time period in which the MPRE score must be earned?
- No
- MPRE fee
- $30: NCBE fee to report MPRE score
Requirements
- Application Name and Gender Identification
The MPRE application requires the first and last name to match exactly as listed on valid government-issued photo identification. If the applicant indicates they have been known by a different name, they must list the first name and last name or surname and does not have the option to explain the reason for the name change. The demographic information section asks, “[w]which of the following questions best represents your gender identity?” and provides the following options: “man,” “woman,” “non-binary,” “gender not listed here (please specify),” and “I prefer not to have my response used for research purposes.”
- What identifying documents do applicants need on test days and what name is required to be on that ID (as related to the name on the application for admission)?
Information not publicly available
- Is there assigned seating? If so, how do applicants identify their seat (i.e. name, application number, etc.) If it is by name, which name will be listed?
Information not publicly available