Tennessee
Overview
- Admitting Entity (Supreme Court, Mandatory Bar, etc.)
- Tennessee Supreme Court
- Entity Managing Admissions Process
- [State] Application Materials
- Are law students required to register with jurisdiction while in law school?
- No; option to register during first year of law school
- If UBE, is there a Jurisdiction Component?
- Yes
- Multistate Bar Exam?
- Yes
- Multistate Essay Exam?
- Yes
- Is exam jurisdiction-drafted?
- No
- Multistate Performance Test?
- Yes
- Does the jurisdiction provide information on day of testing procedures?
Yes HERE is the link to the most recent guide
- What are the restroom use rules of the admitting entity?
Specific restroom use rules are unavailable online; only information provided is the procedure of leaving the room to be decided and communicated by Chief Proctor.
General
- Phone Number
- 615-741-3234
- Email Address
- Diploma Privilege
No
- Prelegal education requirements
No
- Legal education requirements
Must hold a JD from an ABA accredited law school or must hold a law degree from a non-ABA accredited or foreign law school and must demonstrate that their legal education substantially equivalent to that provided by an ABA-accredited school.
- Registration requirements, if applicable.
N/A
- Registration fee, if applicable.
- N/A
- Limit on attempts?
- No limit
- Fee(s)
First time applicant: $625; Re-exam applicants: $450 with the Tennessee Law Course Fee: $15, and $100 option fee for laptop use
- Are laptops allowed/required?
- Allowed
- Laptop fee?
- $100
- Is courtesy seating allowed?
- No
- Transfer fee?
- $675
- 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?
Clear bag, no larger than gallon size, 12inx10in; other security measures not available online; empty pockets and no cell phones
Eligibility
- Admission by Exam
- Yes
- Admission by Transfer
- Yes
- Admission by Motion
- Yes
- UBE Exam?
- Yes. Tennessee intends to first administer the NextGen bar exam in July 2027.
- Minimum passing score?
- 270
- Can exam score be transferred?
- Yes, so long as the applicable has achieved a score equal to or greater than the minimum passing score and Tennessee and meet the following admission requirements: hold an undergraduate degree and law degree, be in good standing in all jurisdictions where currently admitted, not subject to any current or pending disciplinary matters, meeting Tennessee's character and fitness standards and not having engaged in the unauthorized practice of law.
- Can only UBE scores be transferred?
- Yes
- Is there a time limit for accepting transferred scores?
- 3 years, possibly 5 years under certain conditions
- Is MPRE required?
- Yes
- Minimum passing score
- 82
- Is there a time period in which the MPRE score must be earned?
- Within 2 years of passing bar exam
- MPRE fee
- $160
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)?
Government ID; no other information available online
- 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?
Applicants receive a pre-assigned seat number via email the week prior to the exam.