The NextGen Bar Exam Is Here
Everything you need to know about NextGen Bar Exam structure, scoring, and subjects.
What is the NextGen Bar Exam?
The NextGen Bar Exam or NextGen UBE™ is a new exam designed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) to measure how well candidates can apply legal knowledge in real-world practice, not just recall it. Foundational lawyering skills will be tested alongside blackletter law subjects marking a shift in how lawyer competency is evaluated across the U.S. Over the next few years, the NextGen UBE will replace the current Uniform Bar Exam (UBE®).
What is tested on the NextGen Bar Exam?
(inc. Professional Responsibility Issues)
Which states will administer the NextGen Bar Exam and when?
While a limited number of jurisdictions will administer the NextGen UBE when it debuts in July 2026, most U.S. jurisdictions have announced their plans to transition throughout 2027 and 2028.
The current UBE will be phased out after the February 2028 bar exam and fully replaced by the NextGen UBE. That means that by July 2028, all jurisdictions must choose whether to adopt the NextGen UBE, administer their own state-specific bar exam, or pursue an alternative licensure path. Jurisdictions that don't initially adopt the NextGen UBE can still adopt it for later administrations.
© September 26, 2025. The most up-to-date information may be found at: https://www.ncbex.org/exams/nextgen
What are the NextGen Bar Exam format and question types?
Each 3-Hour Session Breakdown
-
2 standalone multiple-choice question types -
1) select 1 correct answer from 4 options or
2) select 2 correct answers from 6 options - Each question may test more than 1 subject
- Avg 1.8 minutes to answer each question
View sample NextGen Bar Exam multiple-choice questions:
-
2 integrated question set types -
Counseling Type and Drafting Type -
Counseling Type set is composed of 6 questions -
2 multiple-choice questions and
4 short-answer questions moving between subject areas -
Drafting Type set is focused on drafting or
editing a legal document - Each question set may test more than one subject
- Avg 24 minutes to answer each integrated question set
View sample NextGen Bar Exam Integrated Question Sets:
-
2 performance task types - Drafting Type and
Research Type -
Drafting type is a legal analysis drafting assignment
like writing a letter, a memo or brief -
Research type is a combination of multiple-choice
and short answer questions, followed by a
medium-length writing assignment -
Closed universe case file and library provided
for each task - Avg 60 minutes for each performance task
View sample NextGen Bar Exam Performance Task:
How is the NextGen Bar Exam graded and scored?
Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score. Your total exam score consists of points from the standalone multiple-choice questions, performance tasks and integrated question sets.
Exam Score Weight Distribution
How each question type contributes to your total score
Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score
Graded by NCBE using automated systems. Partial credit available for select-two MCQs
-
Graded by jurisdiction-appointed graders using detailed,
uniform rubrics provided by NCBE - Grader training provided by NCBE
-
Responses are dual graded with reconciliation by
jurisdiction grading leads -
Points assigned based on rubrics—not ranked relative to
other examinees
Final Score & Portability
Note: Jurisdiction rules vary. Consult your jurisdiction's bar admission agency for current information on score transfer acceptance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about the NextGen UBE
The NextGen UBE is 9 hours of testing administered over 1.5 days. Day 1 consists of 2, 3-hour testing sessions. Day 2 consists of 1, 3-hour testing session.
This leaves the second half day for jurisdictions to administer state components if they choose.
The NextGen UBE replaces the separate sections that comprise the traditional UBE (MBE®, MEE®, and MPT®) with a shorter, integrated format that strives to test real-world skills alongside legal knowledge.
The NextGen UBE places a heavier emphasis on applying practical legal skills like choosing the right lawyering strategies for a given situation, considering ethical implications of your decisions, and identifying and applying effective legal research tactics rather than relying heavily on memorization.
It also transitions from the current 2-day exam to a 1.5 day exam, there are no stand-alone essay questions and the NextGen UBE is an entirely computer-based exam.
There are notable similarities between the NextGen UBE and its predecessor. Like the traditional Uniform Bar Exam, the NextGen UBE evaluates your ability to apply core legal principles to hypothetical scenarios and to perform strong legal analysis and writing.
The exam is still administered biannually and taken after law school graduation. Each jurisdiction continues to set its own deadlines, requirements, passing score and overall policies for admission.
The NCBE still does all final conversions and converts raw scores to a final scaled score and reports results to the examinees. NextGen UBE scores are still designed to be portable to other jurisdictions if the other jurisdiction accepts NextGen UBE scores, it meets their minimum score and all of their requirements.
Candidates should not expect the NextGen Bar Exam to be easy; however, depending on personal learning and testing styles, candidates may find the NextGen Bar Exam either easier or more difficult than the legacy UBE.
The exam is intended to emphasize skills and critical thinking over rote memorization. If memorization is your strength, that shift may make the test feel more challenging. That said, memorization still matters. You'll need to quickly recall key legal principles and apply them under time pressure.
The NextGen Bar Exam also introduces integrated questions that blend doctrinal law with practical skills such as legal research, writing, client counseling, and dispute resolution. You'll analyze legal materials, extract relevant facts, and draft clear, concise responses to real-world scenarios within a time limit. The shorter, computer-based, and skills-focused format may feel more natural and realistic for many candidates.
Preparing for both multiple-choice and performance-based tasks may feel like a balancing act, but the goal is to measure how well you can think and perform like a lawyer.
The NCBE will begin administering the NextGen UBE in July 2026. Individual jurisdictions make the decision regarding if and when they will administer the NextGen UBE.
The current UBE will be phased out after the February 2028 bar exam and fully replaced by the NextGen UBE. That means that by July 2028, all jurisdictions must choose whether to adopt the NextGen UBE, administer their own state-specific bar exam, or pursue an alternative licensure path.
Short answer: absolutely.
As soon as the NCBE announced plans for the NextGen Bar Exam, Themis Bar Review + UWorld assembled an in-house team of bar exam and educational experts to begin adapting, developing, and pilot testing skills-based content. Our legal expert content team has now been working behind the scenes full time on NextGen Bar Prep for years to ensure that we can deliver the quality you've come to expect from Themis Bar Review + UWorld. You can trust that we're ready to get you ready.
We've developed a new tool called QSets™ to meticulously replicate the new, integrated question format on the NextGen Bar Exam. We've created new Skills Snapshots™ to provide quick, impactful strategies and tips that develop the "Foundational Skills" tested on the NextGen UBE. We've also created new foundational skills workshops and strategies to improve your legal analysis skills for the exam and beyond. There is also a specialized focus on performance task skills and strategies to prepare you for those tasks on the exam.
Themis Bar Review + UWorld was built from the ground up utilizing technology to its fullest extent to make online bar prep as active, efficient and effective as possible. We've redefined bar prep for the NextGen UBE while retaining the learning tools and methodologies that have produced the highest national published pass rates for years.
Ready to Prepare for the NextGen Bar Exam?
Start your journey to passing the bar with confidence