NextGen Bar Exam: Everything You Need to Know

By Adam Balinski
Updated: April 3, 2026

Latest updates

4/3/26

The NextGen UBE debuts this July in ten jurisdictions: Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Palau, the Virgin Islands, and Washington. If you are sitting for the bar in one of these jurisdictions in July 2026, see our NextGen supplements below. More jurisdictions follow in July 2027, and the phased rollout continues through 2028.

Per the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), the legacy UBE and its component parts—the MBE, MEE, and MPT—are expected to be phased out in jurisdictions adopting the NextGen exam, though the final sunset timeline remains subject to change. Check the NCBE’s jurisdiction page for the latest.

12/16/24

Virginia and South Dakota announced plans to adopt the NextGen bar exam. South Dakota will roll out the new format in July 2027, followed by Virginia in July 2028.

11/26/24

The NCBE released the family law subject matter outline for the NextGen bar exam, detailing the topics to be tested starting in July 2028. The Alaska Supreme Court also confirmed it will administer the NextGen bar exam beginning July 2028.

10/25/24

The NCBE published a research brief on January 2024 field testing for the NextGen bar exam.

Field testing summary

Over 4,000 law students and recent graduates from 88 U.S. law schools participated, helping assess new question types, exam timing, and question performance across different groups, as well as the impact on jurisdiction graders. A full-length prototype test was administered in 32 jurisdictions to about 2,300 July 2024 bar exam participants, providing data to guide passing score decisions for the new exam.

NextGen Bar Exam rollout schedule

Per the NCBE as of April 2026, the following jurisdictions have announced plans to adopt the NextGen UBE:

• July 2026: Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Palau, Virgin Islands, Washington
• July 2027: Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming
• February 2028: Delaware, D.C., Illinois
• July 2028: 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, Wisconsin
• No announcement yet: Arkansas, Montana

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is replacing the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) with what it calls the “NextGen UBE.” Unlike the traditional bar exam (which focuses predominantly on memorization and multiple-choice questions), the NextGen UBE aims to focus more heavily on skills and application. As former Chief Strategy Officer for the NCBE, Kellie Early, stated, “One of the goals is to make [the bar exam] more realistic to what lawyers do in practice.” Some have criticized the update as “dumbing down” the bar exam.

The NextGen UBE debuted in July 2026 in a limited number of jurisdictions and will expand through a phased rollout ending in July 2028. The legacy UBE and its component parts—the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and Multistate Performance Test (MPT)—are expected to be phased out in jurisdictions that adopt the NextGen exam, though the final timeline remains subject to change.

More than 40 U.S. jurisdictions have adopted the UBE and will be directly impacted, but so will non-UBE jurisdictions that administer the MBE, such as California and many others (though a small number of jurisdictions, including Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and Nevada, do not use the MBE).

This may cause some MBE jurisdictions to adopt the NextGen exam to avoid having to replace the 200-question MBE component. Other jurisdictions may instead develop their own alternatives.

As the rollout progresses, jurisdictions still using the legacy UBE or its component parts will need to make decisions about their path forward. Jurisdictions that have not announced NextGen adoption should be watched closely, as the legacy exam’s eventual sunset—while still tentative—will require a response from every jurisdiction.

Brief history of the Uniform Bar Exam

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)—a 200-question, closed-book, multiple-choice, six-hour exam—has been a rite of passage for the vast majority of law school graduates since 1972. Most jurisdictions adopted the MBE, typically supplementing it with essays and performance tests of some kind.

In 1988, the NCBE began offering the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)—a three-hour, closed-book, six-essay exam.

In 1997, the NCBE began offering the Multistate Performance Test (MPT)—a three-hour, open but limited library, two-task performance exam.

In 2011, the NCBE bundled the MBE, MEE, and MPT together into the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which was first administered in North Dakota and Missouri.

How will the NextGen UBE look

While the NextGen UBE is built from the ground up, it won’t be completely unrecognizable. Despite replacing the MBE, MEE, and MPT, most core doctrinal areas from the current exam remain, though they are tested in a more integrated, skills-based format:

• civil procedure
• contract law
• evidence
• torts
• business associations
• constitutional law
• criminal law and constitutional protections of accused persons
• real property
• *family law and trusts and estates will have temporary performance-task-style inclusion through at least February 2028

Most tested subjects overlap with traditional MBE subjects, but the NextGen exam does not preserve the same structure or subject silos. Topics that were previously tested primarily on the MEE—such as conflict of laws and secured transactions—are no longer tested as standalone doctrinal subjects.

The NextGen UBE is also administered digitally on examinees’ own laptops using secure testing software, replacing pen and paper entirely.

Keeping you current with the latest NextGen updates

The NCBE hosted a webcast that Crushendo’s founder attended. With permission, we have shared the webcast recording on our YouTube channel. You can learn more about the NextGen UBE by watching that recording here.

Crushendo’s commitment to your success

At Crushendo, we are actively developing NextGen-specific content to align with the evolving exam administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).

Supplements tailored to the July 2026 NextGen UBE are currently in development, designed to support examinees in the ten jurisdictions launching the new exam this July. These materials focus on the new question formats, integrated subject testing, and skills-based approach that define the NextGen exam.

We are also building a more comprehensive NextGen suite targeted at the February 2027 exam cycle, which will expand coverage as additional jurisdictions adopt the new format.

If you are sitting for the legacy UBE in the meantime, our existing UBE packages remain highly relevant. The core doctrinal subjects continue to carry over substantially into the NextGen exam, even as the format evolves.

As the transition progresses, we will continue refining our materials to ensure they align with the latest developments. Stay tuned for updates as our NextGen offerings become available.