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Preparing for the Bar Exam

Guide to the Bar Exam
NextGen Bar Exam

 

Please take note if you are a 1L or 2L student. The first NextGen Bar Exam is scheduled to take place in July 2026 in certain jurisdictions.  This new bar exam is intended to replace the UBE as an exam that focuses more on the skills and knowledge required to practice law, rather than memorization. The NextGen Bar Exam will likely include the following:

  • Foundational concepts and principles: civil procedure, contract law, evidence, torts, business associations, constitutional law, criminal law, real property, (family law scheduled for July 2028)
  • 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

Transferability of Scores:

  • Examinees may transfer their NextGen bar exam scores between jurisdictions that participate in the UBE reciprocity.

Jurisdictions & Dates of Exam

(Check NCBE, linked below, for updates)

                            

(NCBE, 2024)

NCBE Sample Questions & Scope Outlines

 

The NextGen Bar Exam questions will be presented with scenarios that will require the test-taker to draw upon multiple areas of legal knowledge and skills to answer multiple-choice questions, short-answer and essay questions discussing the scenarios presented. NCBE has labeled and described the three types of exam questions as the following:

  • Multiple-Choice - These questions will closely resemble the current Multi-State Bar Exam (MBE) and make up 40% of the exam.
  • Integrated Question Sets - These questions sets will provide the examinee short-answer and multiple-choice questions based on common fact scenarios with legal resources (statutes, case law) and supplemental documents (deposition, report, etc.). This will make up about 25% of the exam. 
  • Performance Tasks - A third of the exam will focus on three performance tasks. They will be similar to the current Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions. It will require examinees to demonstrate fundamental lawyering skills in realistic situation. These tasks will involve multiple-choice questions, short-answer and a long-answer or essay response.

For more information on the types of questions click here. 

Here are some links to NextGen Exam scope outlines and sample questions from the NCBE: