NextGen Bar Exam: Format, Rollout Schedule, and State Adoption

The NextGen Bar Exam is the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ replacement for the Uniform Bar Exam: a one-and-a-half-day, nine-hour computer-based test that emphasizes practical lawyering skills over broad doctrinal memorization. It debuted in six U.S. jurisdictions on July 28–29, 2026, and will expand to nearly every UBE jurisdiction by July 2028.¹ Scores are reported on a 500–750 scale and are portable between adopting jurisdictions, much like the legacy UBE.²

What’s Different from the Legacy UBE

Three changes matter most. First, the exam tests eight foundational subjects instead of the dozen-plus on the legacy UBE. Second, those subjects rarely appear in isolation; a single question set may fold evidence into a torts problem or a constitutional issue into a contract dispute. Third, performance-based lawyering tasks now count for 30% of your score and are fully integrated into scoring, rather than sitting apart as the old Multistate Performance Test did.³

The exam also acknowledges that most new lawyers spend significant time advising clients, evaluating facts, and resolving disputes outside the courtroom. Negotiation, client counseling, and client relationship management are explicitly tested skills alongside the traditional analysis, research, and writing competencies.⁴

How the Exam Is Structured

Testing runs across three sessions. Day one (Tuesday) has a three-hour morning session and a three-hour afternoon session. Day two (Wednesday) has a single three-hour morning session. Jurisdictions that test local law can extend day two for that purpose.⁵

Three question formats fill those nine hours, each weighted differently:⁴

Standalone multiple-choice questions make up 49% of your score and about 40% of exam time. Some ask you to pick one answer from four options; others ask you to pick two from six.
Integrated question sets contribute 21% of your score. Each set bundles multiple short-answer and multiple-choice items around a shared fact pattern and takes roughly 24 minutes.⁶
Performance tasks account for 30% of your score. Each one takes about 60 minutes and asks you to complete a realistic lawyering assignment, such as drafting a memorandum or client letter.⁷

Performance tasks are closed-universe. You receive a file with all relevant case facts and a library with all the legal sources you need. No outside research is required or permitted.³ It’s the section that most closely mirrors actual legal work: a stack of materials, a deadline, and a product to deliver.

Subjects and Skills Tested

Eight foundational subjects appear on every administration:⁸

Business Associations
Civil Procedure
Constitutional Law
Contract Law
Criminal Law
Evidence
Real Property
Torts

Seven foundational skills run through the test as well, grouped into analysis, client skills, research, and writing. The client skills category covers counseling and advising, negotiation and dispute resolution, and client relationship management.⁴

When Your State Switches

Nearly every UBE jurisdiction has committed to a first administration date. The legacy UBE’s final administration is February 2028, after which NCBE will retire it.⁹

July 2026

Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Washington administered the first NextGen UBE, joined by Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Virgin Islands.⁹

July 2027

Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming follow.⁹

February and July 2028

Delaware, the District of Columbia, and Illinois are scheduled for February 2028. The July 2028 group includes Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Mississippi has adopted the NextGen UBE but has not announced a first administration date.⁹

During the transition, candidates in jurisdictions that haven’t yet switched can still sit for the legacy UBE. If your jurisdiction’s first NextGen administration is July 2028, you can take the legacy format through February 2028 or wait for the NextGen version that summer. Candidates graduating in 2027 should check their jurisdiction’s calendar carefully; the format available depends entirely on when you sit.

Scoring and Passing Scores

Scores are reported as a single number on a 500–750 scale, with the question formats weighted as described above.² NCBE recommended that jurisdictions set their minimum passing score between 610 and 620.¹⁰ Adopted thresholds so far all fall within that band: Iowa, Missouri, and Washington require 610; Indiana requires 614; Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, and the Virgin Islands require 616; and Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont require 620. Oregon’s passing score is 615 for July 2026 only and rises to 620 after.¹¹

The gap between a 610 jurisdiction and a 620 jurisdiction is a real difference for borderline candidates. If you have flexibility about where to sit, check your target jurisdiction’s published score before building your study plan.

NextGen scores transfer between adopting jurisdictions. Jurisdictions in the NextGen compact can also choose to accept legacy UBE scores, and NCBE has published a recommended mapping between legacy and NextGen scores to help boards determine equivalency.² If you earned a legacy score and want to transfer it to a jurisdiction that has switched to NextGen, confirm acceptance and the required mapped equivalent with that jurisdiction’s board.

Registration, Costs, and Logistics

Registration is managed by individual jurisdictions, not centrally by NCBE. There are no universal opening or closing dates. You start by creating an NCBE account, then apply through your jurisdiction and complete pre-exam requirements like the character and fitness investigation.¹²

Costs have two components. Each jurisdiction sets its own application fee, which varies widely and often bundles the exam fee with the character and fitness investigation. Every examinee also pays a $149 technology fee to NCBE for the digital testing platform.¹³

The entire exam is delivered digitally through a secure testing browser on your own laptop.¹⁴ Tablets and Chromebooks do not meet the technical specifications. NCBE sends laptop requirements before each administration, and a pre-exam tutorial confirms your machine is compatible.¹⁵ Run the tutorial early; if your laptop fails, you’ll need time to find an alternative.

Testing accommodations are handled by individual jurisdictions, not by NCBE. Apply through the jurisdiction where you plan to sit, and approved accommodations will be built into your registration.¹⁶

How to Prepare

The biggest adjustment isn’t the subject matter. It’s the format. Traditional bar prep organized around single-subject essays and MBE drills won’t prepare you for integrated question sets that cross doctrines. NCBE publishes sample questions for all three formats on its website, and working through those samples early is the single most efficient use of study time during the transition.⁴

Pay particular attention to the performance tasks. Thirty percent of your score depends on them, and because they’re closed-universe, memorizing case law won’t help. What matters is reading, synthesizing, and writing under time pressure.³ For candidates who struggled with memorization-heavy prep, that’s good news. For candidates who leaned on multiple-choice instincts, it’s a signal to rebuild the plan.

1
National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam – About
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Scores and Score Portability
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. About Performance Tasks
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam – Sample Questions
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. Official Examinees Guide to the NextGen UBE
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Blueprint, July 2026 – February 2027
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Constructed Response Guide
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam – Home
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Decisions by Jurisdiction
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NCBE Releases Guidance on Recommended Passing Score Range
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Minimum Passing Scores
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. How Much Will It Cost to Take the NextGen UBE
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Test Day Policies
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. Will My Laptop Meet the NextGen UBE Technical Specifications
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. How Do I Apply for Accommodations for the NextGen UBE