Failed New York Bar Exam July 2025? Your February 2026 Retake Plan

New York Bar Exam July 2025 Results: 70% Pass Rate

The New York bar exam had a 70% overall pass rate for July 2025, with 78% of first-time takers passing and 32% of repeaters passing. Out of 9,931 total examinees (the largest bar exam in the United States), approximately 2,979 people did not pass. If you're one of them, you're not alone, and February 2026 is absolutely achievable with a different approach than what didn't work in July.

The problem: Barbri and Themis give you generic feedback after 3-7 days. When you're working full-time with 2 hours per night to study, you can't wait a week to learn what you did wrong. You need instant, specific feedback so you can practice daily instead of weekly.

The solution: BarScore tells you exactly what to do to earn more points on every essay. Instant feedback means you can practice daily instead of weekly. Practice 15-20 essays, and when you're consistently scoring in the high 70s, you're ready for February.

You just spent months preparing, possibly thousands on bar prep courses, and now you're facing uncertainty about your job, your future, and whether you can do this again while working full-time. This guide gives you a realistic, tactical February 2026 retake plan with the tools that actually help repeaters pass.

Understanding Your New York UBE Score

What Your Score Report Shows

New York provides detailed UBE score breakdowns online at nybarexam.org/lookup.html. You'll see:

• MBE Raw Score: Your multiple choice performance out of 200 questions
• Written Score: Your combined MEE essays and MPT performance (scaled to 200 points)
• Total UBE Score: Your final scaled score out of 400 points (you need 266 to pass)

What Your Score Means

250-265: Within striking distance. Focus 70% on your weaker section (essays OR MBE). 230-249: Need work on both essays and MBE. Differentiation techniques + consistent MBE practice will close this gap. Below 230: Revisit substantive law AND essay technique. Use BarScore for essays + dedicated MBE program. 3.5 months is enough with focused daily practice.

Why New York's Size Matters for Essay Strategy

The Stack of Blue Books Problem

With 9,931 examinees in July 2025, New York had the largest bar exam administration in the United States. Think about what this means for essay grading:

Your grader's experience:

• Sits down with a stack of 200+ essays on the same MEE issue (e.g., Contracts)
• Reads essay after essay that starts with "A contract is a legally enforceable agreement..."
• Sees the same IRAC structure, same rule statements, same generic analysis
• By essay #50, they're skimming, looking for reasons to give or deduct points

If your essay looks like this:

• "Battery is the intentional infliction of harmful or offensive contact..."
• Generic rule statement
• Conclusion that doesn't reference specific facts
• You're earning average points at best

If your essay looks like this:

• "A Committed Battery Against B When A Struck B Without Consent"
• Party names in heading, immediately showing application
• Every sentence intertwines law with facts: "When A struck B on the face without permission, A committed the intentional harmful contact that constitutes battery..."
• You stand out in the stack

This is called differentiation, and it's the most under-taught concept in bar prep. BarScore gives you feedback in about 15 seconds that tells you exactly what to do to earn more points. Practice 3-5 essays with this feedback, and differentiation becomes automatic.

What Went Wrong in July (And Why)

Barbri/Themis Taught You the Law, Not the Test

What you learned:

• Substantive law (contracts, torts, property, etc.)
• How to spot issues
• How to structure answers with IRAC
• How to memorize rules

What you didn't learn:

• How to write essays that stand out in a stack of 9,931 examinees
• How to intertwine black letter law with specific facts
• How to use party names to show application instead of memorization
• How to get specific feedback on what earns points vs. what doesn't

The feedback problem Barbri creates:

• Generic feedback after 3-7 days: "follow IRAC," "add more analysis" (not actionable)
• Doesn't tell you WHAT kind of analysis or WHERE to improve
• When working full-time with 2 hours/night, you can't wait a week to learn what you did wrong
• Result: 10-20 essays with vague feedback, no technique improvement

BarScore solves this: Get feedback in about 15 seconds that tells you exactly what to do to earn more points. You know exactly what to fix, so you can practice daily instead of weekly.

You Practiced the Material, Not the Test

Memorization vs. Application:

• You can know every rule for Contracts, Property, and Torts
• But test day is intense: 6 MEE essays in 3 hours = 30 minutes per essay
• Under pressure, knowing the law isn't enough
• You need to know how to write point-earning essays consistently under time constraints

The best way to pass the bar exam is to practice the exam itself, not just study the material. By doing multiple MEE essays with specific, actionable feedback, you learn:

• What graders are actually looking for
• What earns points vs. what wastes space
• How to structure analysis for maximum efficiency
• How to apply rules to facts instead of just reciting rules

The Differentiation Strategy That Works

Technique 1: Party Names in Headings

Instead of:

• "Battery"
• "Negligence"
• "Breach of Contract"

Write:

• "A Committed Battery Against B When A Struck B Without Consent"
• "C Was Negligent in Failing to Inspect the Premises Before D's Injury"
• "E Breached the Contract with F by Failing to Deliver the Goods on May 1"

Why this works:

• Shows you're applying law to facts immediately
• Grader sees you understand the issue AND the application in one glance
• Differentiates your essay from the generic "Battery" heading everyone else uses

Technique 2: Intertwine Law with Facts in Every Sentence

Instead of:

• "Battery requires intentional harmful contact without consent. A struck B on the face. A intended to hit B. B did not consent. Therefore, A committed battery."

Write:

• "When A struck B on the face without permission, A committed the intentional harmful contact that constitutes battery, demonstrating both intent (A deliberately swung at B's face) and lack of consent (B shouted 'stop' before the strike)."

Why this works:

• Every sentence shows application, not just memorization
• Uses specific facts from the prompt (B shouted 'stop')
• Grader doesn't have to hunt for your analysis - it's woven into every sentence
• Saves time and space compared to the generic "rule, fact, fact, fact, conclusion" approach

Practice Makes This Natural

The first time you try differentiation, it feels awkward. By essay 3-5, it's natural. By essay 10-15, it's automatic. How: Pick an MEE essay, write it using party names and intertwined law/facts, upload to BarScore, get 15-second feedback on what to fix, write the next essay incorporating that feedback. Compare to Barbri: Write essay, wait 3-7 days, get "follow IRAC better" (not helpful), write next essay without knowing exactly what to fix.

Your February 2026 Retake Timeline (3.5 Months)

November (Foundation): Register by October 31 if you haven't. Write 3-5 MEE essays using differentiation techniques with BarScore's instant feedback. Don't wait for your score report to start improving.

December (Volume): 2-3 MEE essays per week (12-15 total by end of month) + 100-150 MBE questions per week. Weeknight schedule: 1 essay + BarScore feedback + 30 MBE (2 hours). Weekends: 2-3 essays + 100 MBE + 1 MPT. Goal: Consistently scoring high 70s on BarScore by December 31.

January (Simulations): Full timed UBE simulations weekly. 6 MEE essays in 3 hours, 2 MPTs in 3 hours, 100 MBE questions in one sitting. Prove you can perform under test conditions.

February 1-21 (Taper): 1-2 essays per week + 50 MBE per day to stay sharp. February 22-23: Rest. No studying. February 24-25: Test day. You're ready.

BarScore vs. Barbri for February 2026 Retake

The Feedback Problem

Barbri/Themis:

• Submit essay, wait 3-7 days
• Get generic feedback: "follow IRAC," "add more analysis"
• This doesn't tell you WHAT to analyze or WHERE to improve
• If you're working full-time, you can only realistically practice 1 essay per week due to turnaround time

BarScore:

• Submit essay, get feedback in 15 seconds
• Instant feedback that tells you exactly what to do to earn more points
• Immediately actionable - you know exactly what to fix
• Practice daily instead of weekly (no waiting for feedback)

The Time and Cost Problem

If you're working full-time with 2 hours per night, you can't wait a week for feedback. Barbri's approach: 1 essay, wait 7 days, get generic feedback = 4 essays per month. BarScore's approach: 3 essays per week with 15-second feedback = 12 essays per month. That's 3x more practice in the same time.

If you already paid for Barbri/Themis: You don't need another $3,000 course. Use their materials for substantive law review and MEE prompts. Get instant, specific feedback from BarScore instead of waiting for their graders.

The Differentiation Problem

What Barbri doesn't teach:

• How to stand out in a stack of 9,931 essays
• Party names in headings
• Intertwining law with facts
• Application vs. memorization

BarScore gives you:

• Feedback in about 15 seconds
• Tells you exactly what to do to earn more points
• Practice daily instead of waiting a week for Barbri graders

Your Action Plan Starting Today

1. Register for February 2026 at nybarexam.org (if you haven't)
2. Write one MEE essay using party names in headings and intertwined law/facts
3. Try BarScore's free demo - get instant feedback that tells you exactly what to do to earn more points
4. Start your free trial - practice unlimited essays and see your scores improve
5. Track progress: Are you consistently scoring high 70s by December?

Don't wait for your score report. You know your weak areas from how you felt during the exam. Start practicing with specific feedback TODAY.

Why February 2026 Makes Sense

The material is fresh (it's only been 3-4 months since July). You know what didn't work (Barbri's generic feedback). And you get licensed 6 months faster (April 2026 vs November 2026). New York's repeater pass rate was 32%, but that's people using the same approach that failed the first time. With differentiation techniques and BarScore's instant feedback, your odds are significantly better.

Start Practicing Today

The New York bar exam is passable. You're not starting from scratch - you know the law. You just need to learn how to apply it in a way that stands out from the other 9,931 examinees.

BarScore tells you exactly what to do to earn more points on every essay. No more waiting 3-7 days for generic "follow IRAC better" feedback. Get instant, actionable feedback that helps you practice daily and actually improve.

By February 24, 2026, you'll have practiced 15-20+ MEE essays with feedback that earns you points, mastered differentiation techniques, and done full timed simulations. When you're consistently scoring in the high 70s, you're ready.

Start Your Free 3-Day Trial - No credit card required. Practice unlimited essays and see your scores improve.

Or try one free demo essay to see how BarScore helps you earn more points.

Source: BarScore Bar Exam Pass Rates - see all 56 jurisdictions

February 2026 is achievable. Let's make it happen.