New NCBE Report Confirms NextGen Uniform Bar Exam Ready for Launch

Analysis Confirms Stable Scoring, Strong Platform Performance, and Rigorous Assessment Standards

MADISON, WISCONSIN, May 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In advance of the first administration of the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination (NextGen UBE) this July, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has published a comprehensive report on NextGen UBE research and development, including a detailed discussion of psychometric findings from the January 2026 NextGen beta administration. The central conclusion of The NextGen Uniform Bar Examination: A Comprehensive Report on Design, Development, and Delivery is that the NextGen UBE is ready for operational launch.

The NextGen UBE will first be administered by 10 jurisdictions this July; 50 jurisdictions have announced plans to begin administering the exam between July 2026 and July 2028. Since 2022, more than 10,000 law students and recent graduates have participated in pilot, field, prototype, and beta testing for the new exam. 

Key takeaways from the new report include the following:

• Psychometric performance is stable, reliable, and replicable across administrations. 
• The recommended passing score range is supported by multiple lines of evidence. 
• The six newly developed digital platforms and operational model function reliably under real-world conditions. 
• The exam strengthens measurement of applied lawyering skills without reducing rigor. 
• The system as a whole—content, platform, and scoring—works as intended. 

“This report reflects years of research, testing, and iteration,” said Kara Smith, Chief Product Officer at NCBE. “What we see in the data is consistent and clear. The system holds together across content, measurement, and platform, and it performs as expected under real-world conditions. It measures the knowledge and skills new lawyers need, and it does so with the rigor and reliability jurisdictions expect.” 

The NextGen UBE is being developed by NCBE, which currently develops bar exam content for 54 of 56 US jurisdictions. In the US, the highest court in each jurisdiction has authority over the admission of attorneys to practice in its courts, aided by its own bar admissions agency. Starting with the July 2026 administration of the bar exam, jurisdictions will begin replacing the legacy Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) with the NextGen UBE, which will, like the legacy UBE, serve as the basis for score portability between participating jurisdictions. The final administration of the legacy UBE will be in February 2028.

Designed to reflect the work performed by newly licensed attorneys, the NextGen UBE will test eight areas of legal doctrine (civil procedure, contract law, evidence, torts, business associations, constitutional law, criminal law, real property) and seven foundational lawyering skills (legal research, legal writing, issue spotting and analysis, investigation and evaluation, client counseling and advising, negotiation and dispute resolution, client relationship and management). Tenets of attorney ethics will also be tested in conjunction with other topics and skills. Family law will be added to the exam in July 2028.

The new exam will balance the skills and knowledge needed in litigation and transactional legal practice and will reflect many of the key changes affecting legal practice. Visit https://www.ncbex.org/exams/nextgen/content-scope for detailed outlines of the legal doctrine and skills that will be tested on the exam.

The subjects and skills to be tested were developed through a multi-year, nationwide legal practice analysis focused on the most important knowledge and skills for newly licensed lawyers (defined as lawyers within their first three years in practice). As with the current bar exam, each jurisdiction sets its own passing score for the NextGen UBE; NCBE has published a recommended passing score range, grounded in a rigorous, multi-method research process, to support jurisdiction passing-score decision-making.  

Like the current bar exam, the NextGen UBE will be administered, and the written portions graded, by the individual US jurisdictions. Grading for the NextGen UBE will be enhanced by the use of a centralized grading platform and a structured, criterion-based grading model that includes double grading and reconciliation processes. The exam will be administered over one and a half days, with six hours of testing time on day one and three hours on day two. The current bar exam is typically administered in 12 hours over two full days. 

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About the National Conference of Bar Examiners 

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1931. NCBE promotes fairness, integrity, and best practices in bar admissions for the benefit and protection of the public, in pursuit of its vision of a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession. Best known for developing bar exam content used by 54 US jurisdictions, NCBE serves admission authorities, courts, the legal education community, and candidates by providing high-quality assessment products, services, and research; character investigations; and informational and educational resources and programs. In 2026, NCBE will launch the next generation of the bar examination, ensuring that the exam continues to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for competent entry-level legal practice in a changing profession. For more information, visit the NCBE website at https://www.ncbex.org. 

About the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam 

Set to debut in July 2026, the NextGen UBE will test a broad range of foundational legal doctrine and lawyering skills in the context of the current practice of law. The skills and concepts to be tested were developed through a nationwide legal practice analysis and reflect the most important knowledge and skills for newly licensed lawyers in both litigation and transactional practice. NCBE is committed to ensuring a systematic, transparent, and collaborative implementation process, informed by input from and participation by stakeholders, and guided by best practices and the professional standards for high-stakes testing. For more information, visit https://www.ncbex.org/exams/nextgen.

NCBE Media Contact
National Conference of Bar Examiners
communications@ncbex.org

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