Maine Bar

Under the fee schedule effective March 15, 2025, applicants never admitted anywhere, or admitted elsewhere for less than one year, pay $800. Applicants admitted in another jurisdiction for one year or more pay $900, plus the NCBE Character and Fitness Application fee paid directly to NCBE.

The Board accepts applications only through its applicant portal, open from March 15, 2026 until 5:00 pm on May 20, 2026. There is no option to pay a late fee and submit after that deadline, and the cutoff applies to both exam applications and testing accommodation applications.

The Board states that applications are available from March to May for the July exam and from October to December for the February exam. Treat these as planning ranges only: the controlling dates for any given administration are the ones the Board announces for its portal.

Maine has announced that it will begin administering the NCBE NextGen Bar Exam beginning in July 2028. The Board says more information, including changes to the bar admission rules, will be posted once available, so candidates sitting in 2027 should watch for updates before finalizing study plans.

No. The Board states that, due to staffing limitations, it does not accept telephone requests for forms or copies of the Rules. You can download forms from the website, or write to the Board and complete a Request for Application Form to receive an application by mail.

No. The Board has suspended Courtesy Seating for all future Maine Bar Exams, and all applicants must be seeking admission to the Maine Bar. If you only wanted to take the exam for practice or for another jurisdiction, that option is no longer available.

The Maine Bar Admission Rules, promulgated by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, prevail. The Board describes its site as abbreviated and says that if any conflict exists between website language and the Rules, the Rules control, so read the Rules themselves for anything that matters.

Read the Maine Bar Admission Rules and the application procedures, confirm which application type fits your admission history, and start the character and fitness process early. Then build a study schedule around the tested subjects and practice under timed conditions rather than rereading outlines.

Yes. The Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges is a free, confidential service available to members of the bench and bar, University of Maine Law School students, and applicants to the Maine Bar, addressing stress, anxiety, depression, behavioral health disorders, and life balance.