The D.C. bar exam pass rate runs about 78 to 79 percent in July and drops to roughly 43 to 45 percent in February, with first-time takers consistently outperforming repeaters by twenty points or more. The D.C. Court of Appeals Committee on Admissions administers the Uniform Bar Exam and requires a scaled score of at least 266 to pass.
Recent Pass Rates in D.C.
July 2024 produced an overall pass rate of roughly 79 percent, with about 2,003 of 2,520 examinees passing. July 2023 came in nearly identical at 78 percent (1,710 of 2,190).1District of Columbia Courts. Notice of the July 2023 Bar Examination Results July 2025 results, released in late October 2025, reported 1,770 successful examinees.
February looks very different. The February 2025 administration posted an overall pass rate of 43 percent, with first-time takers at 54 percent and repeaters at 33 percent.2National Conference of Bar Examiners. Bar Exam Results by Jurisdiction February 2024 was essentially the same, at 44.6 percent overall.3District of Columbia Courts. Notice of the February 2024 Bar Examination Results
First-Time Takers vs. Repeaters
The overall rate hides the number that most predicts your outcome. In February 2025, first-timers passed at 54 percent while repeaters passed at 33 percent, a gap of more than twenty percentage points.2National Conference of Bar Examiners. Bar Exam Results by Jurisdiction The gap tends to be even wider in July, when a large wave of recent graduates takes the exam for the first time.
If you’re a repeater, the math is sobering but not fatal. The pattern suggests that another round of the same study approach usually isn’t enough. Something in the preparation needs to change.
Why July Rates Beat February Rates by 30 Points
July pass rates outperform February by roughly thirty percentage points, and the exam itself is the same. The difference is who shows up. July draws the largest wave of recent law school graduates, most of whom just completed a dedicated two-to-three-month study period. February attracts a higher proportion of repeat takers and people who delayed their first attempt, which drags the overall rate down.
Both cycles have been stable for several years. D.C.’s July results have held around 78 to 79 percent, and February results have held in the 43 to 45 percent range across recent administrations.3District of Columbia Courts. Notice of the February 2024 Bar Examination Results If you have flexibility on timing, July puts you in a stronger statistical pool.
How D.C. Compares Nationally
D.C.’s July 2024 overall pass rate of about 79 percent ran well above the national average of 68 percent for the same cycle. Among first-time takers nationally, July 2024 came in at 79 percent.4The Bar Examiner. 2024 Statistics Snapshot D.C. tends to sit above the national number in July because its applicant pool skews toward graduates of highly ranked law schools concentrated in the Washington metropolitan area.
In February, that advantage disappears. The national February 2024 overall rate was 43 percent,5The Bar Examiner. 2024 Statistics and D.C. landed at 44.6 percent.3District of Columbia Courts. Notice of the February 2024 Bar Examination Results The February pool includes more repeaters everywhere, which flattens out the demographic edge D.C. enjoys in summer.
What “Passing” Means: The 266 Cutoff
To pass in D.C., you need a scaled UBE score of at least 266.6District of Columbia Court of Appeals. District of Columbia Court of Appeals – General Information There is no separate cutoff for the multiple-choice, essay, or performance test components; only the combined scaled score matters.
That 266 threshold sits in the middle of the UBE scoring range. Eight jurisdictions set lower cutoffs at 260 or 264. Thirteen others use the same 266 mark as D.C., including New York, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey. About twenty jurisdictions require 270 or higher, with Michigan at 268.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Bar Exam Score Range
Your D.C. Score Travels
A passing score in D.C. can be transferred to any UBE jurisdiction whose cutoff is 266 or lower. A score of 270 or higher would qualify you in nearly every UBE state. Scores stay valid for transfer for five years after they’re published.8District of Columbia Court of Appeals. DC Bar Admissions News
The reverse also works. If you already earned a qualifying UBE score of 266 or higher in another state within the past five years, you can apply for D.C. admission by score transfer without taking the exam again. Character and fitness review still applies.6District of Columbia Court of Appeals. District of Columbia Court of Appeals – General Information
Retake Limits
D.C. caps you at four attempts on any component of the exam. If you’ve taken the UBE five or more times in any jurisdiction, you also cannot transfer that score into D.C.9District of Columbia Court of Appeals. District of Columbia Court of Appeals – Frequently Asked Questions No mandatory waiting period sits between attempts, so a February failure can be followed by a July retake in the same year. Given the four-attempt ceiling and the drop-off in repeater pass rates, each sitting needs to count.
What Changes in February 2028
If you’re planning to sit for the bar in July 2027 or earlier, the numbers above describe the exam you’ll take. D.C. has announced that the NextGen Bar Exam will replace the UBE starting in February 2028,10District of Columbia Court of Appeals. DC Bar Admissions News with a minimum passing score of 616.11District of Columbia Court of Appeals. DC Bar Admissions – Latest News
NextGen is a different test. It runs a day and a half instead of two full days, uses a secure platform on your own laptop, and focuses on foundational lawyering skills like legal research, legal writing, issue analysis, client counseling, and negotiation rather than the current split between multiple-choice questions and essays.12National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Historical D.C. pass rates won’t predict outcomes on a new format, so anyone whose timeline stretches into 2028 or later should treat the numbers on this page as reference for the outgoing exam only.