Per-state guide
South Dakota Bar Exam Prep
South Dakota bar exam (non-UBE): fees, deadlines, tested subjects, and recommended prep for the July 2026 and February 2027 administrations.
Key dates & fees
Source-of-truth pulled from the NCBE charts and verified state pages, last reviewed April 27, 2026.
July 2026 administration
ncbe_verified| Exam type | non-UBE |
|---|---|
| Timely deadline | 2026-05-01 |
| Final deadline | 2026-05-01 |
| Late deadlines | — |
| Standard fee | $450 |
| Attorney fee | $450 |
| Repeater fee | $450 |
| Late fee | Not published |
| Laptop fee | $100 |
February 2027 administration
ncbe_verified| Exam type | non-UBE |
|---|---|
| Timely deadline | 2026-11-01 |
| Final deadline | 2026-11-01 |
| Late deadlines | — |
| Standard fee | $450 |
| Attorney fee | $450 |
| Repeater fee | $450 |
| Late fee | Not published |
| Laptop fee | $100 |
Tested subjects
Current NCBE-heavy exam path with a South Dakota Indian Law component; NextGen planned for July 2027.
South Dakota is mostly national study coverage plus a local Indian Law component, but it has already announced a July 2027 NextGen switch.
National / UBE overlap
Civil ProcedureConstitutional LawContracts / SalesCriminal Law & ProcedureEvidenceReal PropertyTortsBusiness Associations
State-specific or local focus
Indian Law
Cycle-specific cautions
Conflict of LawsFamily Law / Domestic RelationsTrusts / EstatesSecured Transactions / UCC 9
Board note: South Dakota announced adoption of the NextGen bar exam beginning July 2027.
National resources to pair with South Dakota
Official sources
- NCBE SD non-UBE fees and deadlines chart
- NCBE jurisdiction indexOfficial NCBE entrypoint for jurisdiction-specific admission information.
- South Dakota Board of Bar ExaminersOfficial South Dakota bar examiner portal and current applicant information.
- South Dakota Unified Judicial System NextGen announcementOfficial South Dakota announcement adopting the NextGen bar exam beginning July 2027.
- NCBE NextGen UBE content scopeOfficial NCBE scope for July 2026-February 2028 and July 2028 forward, including foundational concepts and skills-context treatment.
- NCBE help: legacy and NextGen content differencesOfficial NCBE help article noting July 2026 MEE removals and the MPT treatment of family law and trusts and estates.