Nevada Bar Exam | The Ultimate Nevada Plan Guide 2026–27

If you're sitting for the Nevada Bar Exam in 2027 or later, your path to licensure has undergone significant change. Nevada has retired its traditional Non-UBE bar exam, with its last administration in July 2026, in favor of a 3-component licensing pathway called the Nevada Comprehensive Licensing Examination, also known as the Nevada Plan.

This is a new competency-based licensing model where you'll work through each component separately upon meeting the requirements. The page covers everything from what's changed to the licensing structure, its subjects, requirements, scoring, and fees.

Here's what these changes mean for your path to becoming licensed in Nevada.

What Changed (Nevada Plan vs. Legacy Exam)

The biggest change for applicants is that licensure no longer hinges on the 2-day comprehensive legacy exam. The Nevada Plan splits the same core requirements, subject knowledge, practical skills, and hands-on experience into 4 components. You'll complete these on your own schedule within the eligibility of 6 years, and you can begin making progress before graduation. Licensure becomes a longer process but with more flexibility. Here's how the 2 exams compare:

Who Is Affected and How to Prepare? (July 2026 vs. 2027 applicants)

Nevada Plan: New Licensing Examination Structure

Starting with the 2027 cohort, you'll be completing the Nevada Plan: a 4-part assessment consisting of the Foundational Law Exam (FLE), the Lawyering Performance Exam (LPE), Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE®), and Supervised Practice Program (SPP). The components can be completed in any order within a 6-year eligibility window (no earlier than 3 years before and no later than 3 years after passing the LPE). There is no limit on retakes within that window, but any component that falls outside it must be retaken.

• The FLE is currently offered 3 times in 2026 (May, October, and December). It will be offered 4 times a year, starting in February 2027.
• The LPE is offered twice a year in January and June.
• The MPRE is offered 3 times a year in March, August, and November.
• SPP works differently, with 2 cycles for summer 2026 (submission due Aug. 1, 2026) and fall 2026 (submission due Jan. 1, 2027).

Note: Besides the 3 components, the MPRE will continue to be administered, with applicants required to achieve a scaled score of 85. The MPRE must also be completed within the 6-year eligibility period.

Foundational Law Exam (FLE)

Unlike the legacy Nevada bar exam, the Foundational Law Exam can be taken before graduating from law school. FLE is a closed book, 4-hour exam consisting of 100 multiple choice questions covering 7 topics. Each presents a narrative of facts followed by 1 question with 4 possible answers. You can take the exam at a Prometric testing center within or outside of Nevada.

You can consider FLE as the MBE replacement, where instead of taking a 200-question exam after graduation, you complete a shorter multiple-choice exam after completing at least 42 credits at an American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law school or receipt of the Fundamental Equivalency Committee approval.

Lawyering Performance Exam (LPE)

The LPE is modeled after the legacy Nevada Performance Tests (NPT) and assesses the ability to perform common legal tasks a beginning lawyer would be expected to handle. The exam consists of 3 performance scenarios administered in 2 sessions: a 4-hour session covering 2 tasks, followed by a 1.5-hour lunch break, then a 2-hour session covering 1 task.

Unlike the legacy essay exam, the LPE asks you to assume the role of a new associate where you'll complete realistic legal assignments using a file and library, draft communications, prepare litigation documents, and analyze legal authorities, or recommend next steps. You must have earned a Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school before sitting for the LPE.

MPRE® Requirements

The is a 2-hour exam consisting of 60 multiple-choice questions, administered 3 times annually to assess candidates' understanding of professional conduct standards for lawyers. For the Nevada Bar Exam, a minimum passing score of 85 is required. MPRE scores must be earned within a specific timeframe: no earlier than 3 years before the year an applicant passes the bar exam and no later than 3 years after passing the bar exam.

Learn More

• About MPRE
• MPRE Study Guide
• MPRE Schedule

Supervised Practice Program (SPP)

The Supervised Practice Program shifts part of Nevada's licensing process into real legal work. You must attain a minimum of 40 hours of supervised legal practice, which you can complete while in law school or after graduation. While other components assess your subject matter competency, the SPP requires you to demonstrate supervised legal tasks, and prove that you're ready to qualify for the practice.

As part of the SPP, you're required to work under an approved supervising attorney or program, complete a self-directed learning project, and journaling requirement, along with performing at least 4 tasks from a list defined by the State Bar of Nevada. Students who participate in clinics, externships, or approved legal aid programs may be able to satisfy this requirement before beginning full-time practice.

Eligible settings for SPP satisfaction include clinical courses at ABA-accredited law schools, government offices in Nevada, externships at governmental or nonprofit entities, and approved legal aid programs.

Note: Bar applicants who have not completed more than 6 continuous months of active, licensed practice in a U.S. jurisdiction within the last 2 years must complete this component.

Nevada Plan Deadlines, Fees, and Cost-Saving Options

The Nevada Plan replaces the single filing deadline of the legacy exam with separate registration windows for each component. Early registrations will help you avoid late fees, and give time to gather required documentation.

Exam Dates and Deadlines

Fees

Payment Policies

Payment will only be accepted by online submission via credit or debit card at the time you submit the application. There are no exceptions, no transfers, and no refunds.

Cost-Saving Options

Scholarships and grants are available to help Nevada law students and graduates with legal education and bar exam costs.

• The William S. Boyd School of Law awards institutional scholarships.
• Browse AccessLex Institute Law School Scholarship Databank.
• Check out the ABA website, which offers 100+ opportunities and programs for young lawyers and law students.

Nevada Plan: Licensing Requirements

To sit for the Nevada Bar Exam, you must meet specific educational and certification requirements depending on whether you're a current law school student, a recent JD graduate, or a foreign-educated lawyer.

Law School Students

• To be eligible for the FLE and SPP, applicants must have completed at least 42 credits at an ABA-accredited law school.
• The LPE requires a full JD from an ABA-accredited law school and must be taken after graduation.
• The MPRE may be taken at any point during law school.

Graduates of non-ABA-accredited law schools must obtain approval from the Functional Equivalency Committee before applying for any component of the Nevada Plan.

Foreign Lawyers and Students

Graduates of foreign law schools must obtain a functional equivalency certification from the Nevada State Bar’s Functional Equivalency Committee before applying for any component of the Nevada Plan. Obtaining a Master of Laws (LLM) or other graduate law degree from an ABA-accredited law school does not, on its own, satisfy this requirement. More information is available at nvbar.org under Non-ABA Law School Graduates.

Admission on Motion (Reciprocity)

Nevada does not offer reciprocity or admission by motion, so there's no shortcut for attorneys licensed elsewhere: Full admission requires completing the Nevada Plan.

Nevada does allow a handful of narrow, limited practice certifications for specific situations, such as in-house counsel employed by a single Nevada business, attorneys working for approved legal aid programs, emeritus attorneys doing pro bono work, and law students or recent graduates practicing under supervision. These certifications restrict who you can represent and don’t make you an active member of the Nevada Bar. If one might apply to you, review the State Bar of Nevada’s Limited Admissions page for eligibility rules and forms.

Applying and Scheduling for the Nevada Plan

Unlike the legacy exam's single application, the Nevada Plan runs on a rolling basis, so you'll open 1 account, and use it as you work through each component.

1. Set up your account early: You can open your Nevada Plan application through the nvbar.org as soon as you start law school, well before you’re eligible to register for anything. Getting this done early means one less thing to handle when a registration window actually opens. 
2. Registry and pay component by component, not all at once: Each of the components (FLE, LPE, and SPP) has its own registration, its own fee (attorney vs. non-attorney rates apply), and its own deadline. Budget for this separately rather than expecting 1 combined bill, as fees aren't refundable, and late fees kick in if you miss a window.
3. MPRE runs through NCBE, not the board: Unlike the other 3 components, you register for the MPRE directly with the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®), not through your Nevada Plan account. It's offered 3 times a year and can be taken any time during law school, so many candidates knock it out early, well before touching the FLE, LPE, or SPP.
4. Schedule FLE through Prometric: Upon successful registration, you’ll get an eligibility ID by the board which you can use to book your testing appointment directly at the Prometric website.
5. Apply for SPP through a provider: You'll need to secure an approved supervising attorney or program before you register, since the application itself asks for their details.
6. Character and fitness: You can only submit this application once you've finished 3 of the 4 components, including MPRE. It is a reversal from the legacy exam, where character and fitness could clear before you ever sat for the test.
7. Register and schedule the LPE: You'll register and schedule through the same portal after graduation, pay the application fee, and save the exam date on the calendar. As of now, the Nevada State Bar hasn't released the exact testing location or registration deadlines, only the exam dates themselves.
8. Track your 6-year clock: All the components must be completed at least 3 years before and 3 years after you pass the LPE. There's no cap on retakes inside that window, but anything outside it has to be redone.
9. Note on Accommodations: If you need accommodations for any component, submit 1 comprehensive written request covering everything you'll need across the whole process, since Nevada doesn't accept separate requests per component. Pair the medical or psychological verification forms with your request, and time it alongside your component registration and eligibility ID, rather than waiting until closer to your test date.