How Do You Get Admitted to the Hawaii Bar?
The Board of Examiners of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii admits lawyers, and Hawaii does not use the Uniform Bar Exam.
Applicants sit Hawaii's own exam, built from the MBE, MEE and MPT.
There is no admission on motion or UBE transfer; the exam-free routes our research found are limited license programs.
You need an MPRE scaled score of 85 taken and passed within two years before the exam, plus NCBE's character-and-fitness check.
The fee is $500; deadlines are November 1 (February) and April 1 (July).
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Board of Examiners of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii.
Hawaii's own bar exam, built from the MBE, MEE and MPT — not the UBE.
132 on the jurisdiction-drafted exam per NCBE's summary; the scale behind that number is unconfirmed, so check with the Board of Examiners.
A scaled score of 85, taken and passed no earlier than two years before the Hawaii exam.
Hawaii plans to switch in July 2028 and, per NCBE, is not accepting transferred NextGen scores at this time.
None.
Hawaii's rules provide for no admission on motion, apart from limited license categories such as the military-spouse and pilot programs.
$500, in effect since February 2014; NCBE character-and-fitness and ExamSoft laptop fees are extra.
Ways to get admitted in Hawaii
- Admission by examinationBy examination
Pass the Hawaii bar exam, built from the MBE, MEE and MPT, with an MPRE scaled score of 85 passed inside the two-year window before the exam.
- Admission on motionOn motion
Not available.
Hawaii's rules provide for no admission on motion, so licensed out-of-state lawyers sit the Hawaii exam, apart from the limited license categories below.
- UBE or NextGen score transferScore transfer
Not available.
Hawaii accepts no transferred legacy UBE scores and, per NCBE, is not accepting transferred NextGen scores at this time.
- Limited admission without the examOther
Narrow categories our research found: spouse-attorneys of U.S. Uniformed Services members (RSCH Rule 1.17) and the public-employee criminal-law pilot project.
Who admits lawyers in Hawaii?
The Board of Examiners of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii runs bar admission; the board lists [email protected] as its contact address.
Its rules sit in the Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii (RSCH).
Once admitted, a lawyer falls under the Hawaii State Bar, the unified bar the Hawaii Supreme Court established under RSCH Rule 17 — unified means membership is mandatory.
Which bar exam does Hawaii give?
Hawaii gives its own bar exam, not the Uniform Bar Exam.
The exam is built from the same three NCBE components that make up the UBE — the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) — but Hawaii gives it as its own exam and accepts no transferred legacy UBE scores.
Hawaii gives it in February and July.
NCBE's Hawaii summary lists a minimum passing score of 132 for the jurisdiction-drafted exam; that summary does not explain the scale behind the number, so confirm the current passing standard with the Board of Examiners before you rely on it.
Who is eligible to sit for the Hawaii bar?
The Hawaii bar-application pages we read set out the mechanics: file by November 1 for the February exam or April 1 for the July exam, and submit the NCBE Hawaii Character and Fitness Application with the bar application.
They did not give our research a confirmed list of eligibility criteria, such as legal-education requirements, so that part stays unconfirmed here.
Get the current eligibility rules from the Board of Examiners' instructions before you apply.
What MPRE score does Hawaii require?
Hawaii requires a scaled MPRE score of 85.
The clock matters as much as the number: the MPRE must be taken and passed no earlier than two years before the Hawaii Bar Examination, so an older passing score cannot be carried into a Hawaii application.
Time the MPRE inside that two-year window.
“The MPRE must be taken and passed not earlier than two years before the Hawaii Bar Examination”
How does character and fitness work in Hawaii?
Hawaii runs its character-and-fitness review through NCBE.
Applicants submit the NCBE Hawaii Character and Fitness Application together with the Hawaii Bar Application.
Our research did not establish how the review weighs individual issues, so questions about a specific history belong with the Board of Examiners and NCBE rather than with any general guide.
“You are required to submit a copy of the NCBE HAWAII Character and Fitness Application with your Hawaii Bar Application.”
Can out-of-state lawyers waive into Hawaii (admission on motion or UBE transfer)?
No. Hawaii's rules provide for no admission on motion, so a lawyer already licensed in another state sits the same Hawaii bar exam as a first-time applicant.
Score transfer is closed too: Hawaii accepts no transferred legacy UBE scores.
The exam-free routes our research found are narrow: spouse-attorneys of U.S. Uniformed Services members under RSCH Rule 1.17, and qualifying public-employee criminal-law lawyers under the pilot project covered below.
Confirm your situation with the Board of Examiners before assuming an exception applies.
Hawaii bar pass rates, fees and results timing
The Hawaii bar examination fee is $500, in effect since February 2014, and it is not the whole cost: NCBE's character-and-fitness application and the ExamSoft laptop program carry their own fees.
Applications are due November 1 for the February exam and April 1 for the July exam; the July 2026 exam ran at the Prince Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu on July 28-29, 2026.
Our research did not find a current pass rate or a published results schedule — check both with the Board of Examiners.
When does Hawaii switch to the NextGen bar exam?
Per NCBE's adoption list, Hawaii plans to first give the NextGen UBE in July 2028.
The catch for mobile lawyers is that NCBE currently lists Hawaii as not accepting transferred NextGen scores.
At this time, a NextGen score earned in another jurisdiction therefore does not replace the Hawaii exam.
NCBE's list does not say whether that will change once Hawaii adopts NextGen in 2028.
Can you be licensed in Hawaii without taking the bar exam?
Hawaii's exceptions to the exam are narrow and specific, not a general waiver.
Spouse-attorneys of U.S. Uniformed Services members have had a limited admission route since July 1, 2018, under RSCH Rule 1.17.
Hawaii also runs a pilot called the Limited License Method for Public Employee (Criminal Law), with instructions effective September 2, 2025, under which qualifying applicants are licensed without sitting for the bar exam.
Our research did not establish either path's full eligibility rules — the pilot's sit in a court order our research did not cover — so confirm eligibility with the Board of Examiners.
What happens after you're admitted?
Lawyers licensed after July 1, 2001 must complete the Hawaii Professionalism Course no later than December 31 of the year following the year they elect active status, under RSCH Rule 1.14.
Electing active status starts that clock, so the deadline follows your activation year, not your exam date.
“Each person licensed to practice law after July 1, 2001, shall, no later than December 31 of the year following the year of election of active status, complete the Hawaii Professionalism course”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Hawaii court rules, board and bar pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state bar admission rules series, current as of October 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the Board of Examiners of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Hawaii, see CLE requirements in Hawaii.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hawaii a UBE state?
No. Hawaii gives its own bar exam built from the MBE, MEE and MPT, and it does not accept transferred legacy UBE scores.
Hawaii plans to switch to the NextGen UBE in July 2028, but NCBE currently lists it as not accepting transferred NextGen scores either.
Plan on sitting Hawaii's exam.
Does Hawaii have bar reciprocity or admission on motion?
No. Hawaii's rules provide for no admission on motion, and the state accepts no transferred UBE or NextGen scores.
A lawyer licensed elsewhere applies to sit the Hawaii bar exam like any first-time applicant, unless they fit a limited category such as the Uniformed Services spouse-attorney rule (RSCH Rule 1.17) or the public-employee criminal-law pilot.
Confirm your situation with the Board of Examiners.
How much does the Hawaii bar exam cost?
The bar examination fee is $500, a figure in effect since February 2014.
It is not the whole bill: NCBE's character-and-fitness application and the ExamSoft laptop program carry their own fees.
Check NCBE's current pricing and the Board of Examiners' instructions for the full cost of applying.
When is the Hawaii bar exam given, and when are applications due?
Hawaii gives the exam in February and July.
Applications are due November 1 for the February exam and April 1 for the July exam.
The July 2026 exam ran at the Prince Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu on July 28-29, 2026.
Confirm upcoming dates with the Board of Examiners, since schedules change.
What score do you need to pass the Hawaii bar exam?
NCBE's Hawaii summary lists a minimum passing score of 132 on the jurisdiction-drafted exam.
Our research could not verify the scale behind that number from the board's own rules, so treat it as a starting point and confirm the current passing standard with the Board of Examiners before you rely on it.
More Hawaii Resources
Sources
- NCBE: Hawaii jurisdiction page (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Hawaii Judiciary: Bar Application (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii (RSCH) (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- NCBE: About the Uniform Bar Exam (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- NCBE: NextGen UBE adoption jurisdictions (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Hawaii Judiciary: Instructions for Pilot Project Applicants (eff. September 2, 2025) (retrieved 2026-10-02)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified October 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the Board of Examiners of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii.