Late last October, on three brisk mornings, I found myself setting out from West Chester, Pennsylvania, at 5:30 a.m., hurtling down the Pennsylvania Turnpike toward our state’s capital. My destination?
Widener University Law School in Harrisburg is responsible for administering the NextGen Prototype bar exam. My motivation was simple: as a perpetually broke law student, the $1,500 stipend offered by the NCBE for participating was hard to resist. After spending thousands on bar prep and exam fees, this payout felt like a small but satisfying reimbursement.
July 2026 will bring more than just sweltering heat and the excitement of the FIFA World Cup. It will also mark the official debut of the NextGen bar exam in select jurisdictions. The arrival of the NextGen bar exam signals a transformative shift in how state bars evaluate future attorneys.
NextGen aims to replace the traditional Uniform Bar Exam and claims to mirror real-world legal tasks. It includes multiple-choice questions with multiple correct answers and performance exercises designed to simulate daily legal practice.
As of now, 26 jurisdictions have committed to adopting the NextGen bar exam. Pennsylvania, however, is among the states taking a more cautious, wait-and-see approach. The Keystone State only recently switched to the UBE in July 2022. There are currently no plans for Pennsylvania to administer the new exam in 2026, 2027, or 2028.
The National Conference of Bar Examiners, which oversees bar exam content for 54 of the 56 US jurisdictions, is leading this initiative. While each state’s highest court holds ultimate authority over attorney admissions, with guidance from their respective bar admissions agencies, the move toward NextGen reflects a broader effort to unify how lawyer competence is assessed. Like its predecessor, the UBE, NextGen will offer score portability, allowing aspiring attorneys to transfer their scores across participating jurisdictions.
The rollout of NextGen will be gradual. The first wave of adopters includes Connecticut, Guam, Maryland, Missouri, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington, where the exam will debut in July 2026. By the following year, states like Arizona, Iowa, and Kentucky will have joined, with nearly half of US jurisdictions expected to be on board by mid-2027.
By 2028, Pennsylvania and other states not yet committed will need to decide whether to adopt the NextGen bar exam or develop their own exam because the UBE and the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ Multistate Bar Examination will be retired. The MBE, a multiple-choice component historically used in most US jurisdictions, will be phased out as a stand-alone product by 2028.
California has already opted to create its own exam, partnering with Kaplan to develop multiple-choice, essay, and performance test questions. This exam will replace the MBE starting in February 2025. In addition to aligning with modern testing preferences, California is adopting remote and small vendor-owned test center administrations to save costs and address a projected admissions fund shortfall. These changes are expected to save up to $3.8 million annually while maintaining exam content comparable to current standards.
Pennsylvania and other states haven’t signaled any intention to create a state-specific bar exam should NextGen not meet their needs. However, the impending changes raise an important question: if adopting a new exam like NextGen is on the table, why not consider other alternatives? Pennsylvania or another state could collaborate with California to share resources and reduce costs in developing a new exam.
Whether Pennsylvania or other states embrace NextGen or choose a different path, one thing is certain: the traditional bar exam framework is evolving, and the legal profession is poised for significant transformation.
I and the other prototype test takers were required to sign a confidentiality agreement. But here’s what I can tell you about my experience. NextGen introduces three main types of questions, each targeting different aspects of legal expertise:
Around 40 percent of the exam is devoted to stand-alone multiple-choice questions. Unlike the UBE, where candidates typically work to narrow options down to the two most plausible answers, these NextGen questions come with four to six answer choices, and—here’s the kicker—there could be more than one correct response. So far, it’s unclear whether partial credit will be awarded if you pick one correct answer alongside an incorrect one.
Approximately 25 percent of the exam time is reserved for integrated question sets. I found this to be one of the standout features. This format was unlike anything I’d encountered on previous standardized tests—a refreshing and innovative approach.
However, it wasn’t without its hurdles. The single-screen setup on the testing computers made navigating between documents and questions cumbersome, slowing down comprehension. Dual monitors could have alleviated this, but that’s probably not feasible for such a high-stakes exam.
Another concern? Subjectivity. The answers here aren’t always cut-and-dried. Questions remain unanswered, including how consistency and fairness in grading will be maintained and whether this could lead to even longer grading timelines in jurisdictions already plagued by delays,
The final third of the exam focuses on longer performance tasks, which I found to be the most engaging and relevant part of the test. These tasks are modeled closely on real-world legal work, offering a more practical and immersive evaluation of the skills lawyers actually use on the job. For me, this component struck the perfect balance between testing legal knowledge and assessing the ability to apply that knowledge meaningfully.
I found the exam practical and client-focused. Without needing to cram or memorize, I walked in, relying on my professional and academic foundation. By the time I left the testing center, I felt satisfied. The exam was neither overwhelming nor overly easy.
When a Board of Law Examiners member asked if I thought the test was too easy, I responded with a smile, “There’s no bar exam anywhere that’s too easy.” That moment spoke volumes about the exam’s enduring challenge, even amid major reforms.
The NCBE has announced that we can expect our results in the spring, which means we will wait around six months. This timeline feels excessive. While grading a new exam format like NextGen undoubtedly comes with challenges, six months is a significant delay that raises legitimate concerns about efficiency and transparency.
Reflecting on the prototype experience, I wouldn’t describe it as the nightmare many associate with bar exams. That said, whether it achieves its goal of better evaluating practical legal skills remains an open question. What is clear, however, is that no bar exam will ever be easy.
NextGen certainly feels like a more relevant exam. For anyone who thinks NextGen might be a more forgiving alternative, I offer this challenge: try it yourself. When you’re stuck agonizing over whether B, D, and F are all technically correct, you’ll quickly appreciate the complexity of this exam.
The bar exam may be evolving, but its ability to humble even the most prepared test-takers remains firmly intact.
