First, my perspective is largely shaped by having taught at law schools that focus on practical skills. This emphasis aligns with recent changes to the American Bar Association Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, which have increasingly emphasized experiential learning, skills-based education, and practice-ready training. In many ways, the exam is simply catching up with the direction legal education has already taken.
So, let’s break it down: What’s changing? What’s staying the same? And most importantly, why shouldn’t you worry if you’re taking the NextGen Bar Exam?
What Is the NextGen Bar Exam?
The NextGen Bar Exam, launching in some jurisdictions as early as July 2026, is a redesigned bar exam that places greater emphasis on lawyering skills rather than pure memorization. Unlike the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE)—which has distinct sections for multiple-choice questions (the Multistate Bar Exam), essay writing (the Multistate Essay Exam), and skills-based performance tests (the Multistate Performance Tests)—the NextGen Bar Exam blends these elements into a single, integrated assessment.
Instead of testing isolated legal knowledge, NextGen Bar Exam questions are designed to simulate real-world practice. Examinees must interpret statutes and case law, analyze client problems, draft and revise legal documents, and apply rules in a problem-solving context.
Key Differences Between the UBE and NextGen
Understanding how the NextGen Bar Exam differs from the UBE is essential for preparing effectively. While both exams assess legal competency, the NextGen Bar Exam focuses more on practical skills than rote memorization. Here’s what sets it apart.
Skills Focus
The UBE primarily emphasizes doctrinal memorization and application, with some practical skills tested through its components. Legal writing, issue spotting and analysis, and legal research are key skills assessed on the essays and performance tests, while the multiple-choice questions require strong issue-spotting abilities. However, skills like investigation and evaluation, negotiation and dispute resolution, and client relationship and management—which are critical to real-world lawyering—are largely absent from the UBE but will play a central role in the NextGen Bar Exam. This shift reflects a broader movement toward assessing the practical competencies new lawyers need to succeed.
Subject Coverage Changes
Some subjects are being removed from the NextGen Bar Exam. Initially, all MBE subjects and Business Associations will be tested. Family Law and Wills & Trusts will appear, too, but examinees will be provided with legal resources rather than needing to recall doctrine from memory—at least for the first few administrations of the new exam. (So, you can say goodbye to Secured Transactions and Conflict of Laws!)
Topics Within Subjects Reduced
Not only is the number of tested subjects being reduced, but specific topics within those subjects are also being removed. A review of the NCBEs released Content Scope Outlines indicates that certain topics previously tested on the UBE, such as the Rule Against Perpetuities in Real Property, rape and statutory rape in Criminal Law, and past sexual misconduct in Evidence, are no longer explicitly listed as they are on the NCBE’s Subject Matter Outlines for the UBE.
Time Allocation
The NextGen Bar Exam is shorter—three hours shorter. The NextGen exam is administered over three three-hour sessions spanning 1.5 days, while the UBE includes four three-hour sessions taking place over two full days.
Multiple-Choice Questions
The NextGen Bar Exam includes 40 standalone multiple-choice questions per session, totaling 120 questions. The UBE, in contrast, contains 200 multiple-choice questions.
Integrated Question Sets
The NextGen Bar Exam features six sets of integrated questions that include a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer components, whereas the UBE does not have integrated questions.
Performance Tasks
Instead of two 90-minute Multistate Performance Tests in the UBE, the NextGen Exam includes three shorter 60-minute performance tasks that assess legal writing and analysis. Sample 60-minute performance tasks that the NCBE has released so far are just condensed versions of previously released MPTs.
Realistic Case Scenarios
A key feature of the NextGen Bar Exam is the integration of questions within realistic case scenarios. You’ll be thinking like a lawyer, not just answering a series of questions about legal rules.
“The concept of the NextGen Bar Exam is interesting because it aims to come closer to recreating the experience of a newly licensed lawyer,” explained Sophie Dye Gayle, Director of Legal Education and Innovation at Themis Bar Review.
“As a lawyer, you don’t sit down at your desk and read a long narrative full of torts and crimes,” she said. “Instead, you review documents, contracts, police reports, correspondence. You read statutes and cases. You listen to your client’s problems, and then you issue spot, analyze, and strategize.”
This practical approach makes the exam not just a test of legal knowledge but also an assessment of how well you can apply the law in real-world settings.
Why You Shouldn’t Worry
If the idea of a new bar exam structure makes you uneasy, you’re not alone. Many students hear “change” and immediately think “more difficult,” but that may not be the case here. Instead, just think “different.” Don’t think about the NextGen Bar Exam as an obstacle. Rather, look at the new exam as a step toward making legal licensure more reflective of today’s legal education and actual practice.
Here’s why you shouldn’t stress.
1. Law Schools Have Been Preparing You for This All Along
The NextGen Bar Exam isn’t a radical departure from what law schools are supposed to be already doing. In recent years, ABA standards have required schools to place more emphasis on experiential learning and practice-ready skills.
For example, ABA Standards 303 and 304 mandate that law schools provide “substantial opportunities” for clinical work, simulation courses, and externships. As a result, skills-based assessments have recently become a bigger part of the curriculum, ensuring that students aren’t just memorizing blackletter law but are also learning how to use it.
“From that perspective, preparing for this exam could arguably help students be better prepared for the practice of law in a way that the current bar exam doesn’t,” said Sophie Dye Gayle.
If you’ve participated in a legal clinic, a moot court, or an externship, you’ve already been developing the very skills that the NextGen Bar Exam will test.
2. Bar Review Companies Are Ready
The big bar prep companies—Themis, BARBRI, Kaplan, and Helix—aren’t scrambling to catch up. In fact, they've been preparing for this transition since the NextGen Bar Exam was announced.
“Since the moment NCBE announced the NextGen Bar Exam, we have been developing and reiterating based on testing feedback and NCBE announcements,” said Sophie Dye Gayle. “And, while we are confident that we are leading the NextGen effort, we have also been making important improvements to the rest of our bar review suite and innovating our way to the top of the marketplace.”
That means students will have access to high-quality, NextGen-specific bar prep resources well before the first administration of the exam.
3. You’ve Already Been Training for This Exam
The NextGen Bar Exam isn’t asking you to learn new law—it’s just assessing you differently.
- If you can analyze a statute, you’re ready for the exam’s statutory interpretation questions.
- If you’ve ever drafted a legal memo and similar documents, you’re ready for the performance task section.
- If you can break down legal issues for a client, you’re ready for the integrated question sets that test client counseling and legal analysis.
The new exam isn’t just about trick questions or entirely based on memorization. While memorization remains necessary, the NCBE has also identified specific areas where students will be provided with legal resources. The focus is on applying legal knowledge in practical scenarios, ensuring that examinees are evaluated on their ability to think like lawyers.
Embrace the NextGen Bar Exam
Change can often bring uncertainty and even fear, especially when it involves something as significant as a high-stakes licensing exam. But rather than viewing the NextGen Bar Exam as an added challenge, think of it as a positive step toward a more practice-ready legal profession. This exam is designed to reflect the skills new attorneys actually use, ensuring that you’re not just prepared to pass a test but to succeed in your career.
Think about the NextGen Bar Exam as a positive step. Yes, the format is changing. But law schools, bar prep companies, and faculty are all adapting to ensure students are ready.
So, if you’re preparing for the bar in 2026 or later, don’t panic—embrace the change. With the right preparation, you’ll not only pass the exam but also enter the legal profession and be better prepared for practice.
