NCBE to Issue Official Sourcebooks for the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination
First Sourcebooks to be Published September 2025 in Collaboration with West Academic
MADISON, WISCONSIN, Aug. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) will publish a new resource to help examinees prepare for the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination (NextGen UBE). The NCBE Sourcebooks Collection for the NextGen UBE is a series of digital books that serves as a companion to the NextGen UBE Content Scope, providing legal educators, examinees, and other stakeholders with information about which legal concepts and principles are within the scope of doctrine to be assessed on the NextGen UBE. The first series covers the July 2026 and February 2027 administrations of the new bar exam.
The first two Sourcebooks, covering contract law and real property, will be released in September 2025, with the remaining subject areas (business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, criminal law, evidence, and torts) to be released in stages through early 2026. In later years, NCBE will issue updated Sourcebooks only when necessary to ensure that content remains current and relevant. In 2027, NCBE will also release the family law Sourcebook (family law will be added to the core subjects tested on the NextGen UBE starting in July 2028).
The public may sign up to receive notice by email when the first Sourcebooks become available at https://nextgenbarexam.ncbex.org/subscribe/.
“The NextGen UBE, like the current bar exam, tests a wide range of substantive law. The Sourcebooks help to ensure that law school faculty, bar preparation providers, and the examinees themselves have access to clear, accessible information about the specific law that will appear on the NextGen exam” said NCBE’s President and CEO, Judith Gundersen.
According to University of Oklahoma College of Law Professor and NCBE Distinguished Scholar in Residence Jon J. Lee, who served as a collaborator on the Sourcebooks, “the Sourcebooks are a valuable new resource that provides greater transparency regarding the concepts and principles tested on the NextGen bar exam. From my experience working with students preparing for the bar exam, I believe the Sourcebooks will be especially helpful to legal educators.”
The Sourcebooks will be published in collaboration with West Academic, the leading U.S. publisher of legal education materials and digital learning tools for law schools, and will provide law faculty and students with seamless digital access to official NCBE Sourcebook content via the user-friendly VitalSource™ eReader. Fully integrated within the West Academic Study Aids & Reference Collection, this digital experience offers easy navigation, advanced search and filtering tools, and streamlined access, eliminating the need for additional logins or platforms. Law schools already subscribed to the West Academic Study Aids & Reference Collection will be eligible for discounted pricing. Individuals who do not have access to the Sourcebooks through their law schools will be able to purchase single subjects or the entire series through the NCBE Study Aids store.
“West Academic is proud to partner with NCBE to publish the new Sourcebooks for the NextGen UBE as part of our Study Aids & Reference Collection. These thoughtfully crafted references represent a significant step forward in legal education, and we’re thrilled to support law schools, faculty, and students with resources that reflect the future of legal licensure.” said Pamela Siege Chandler, Chief Content and Learning Officer at BARBRI and Publisher of West Academic.
The NextGen UBE will be administered by ten jurisdictions in July 2026. A total of 45 jurisdictions have announced plans to begin administering the NextGen exam between July 2026 and July 2028.
The NextGen UBE is being developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (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. The NextGen UBE will replace the current Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) and, like the current UBE, will serve as the basis for score portability between participating jurisdictions.
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 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). NCBE recently convened a nationwide standard-setting study; data from that study will help inform jurisdictions’ independent policy decisions surrounding required passing scores.
Like the current bar exam, the NextGen UBE will be administered, and the written portions graded, by the individual US jurisdictions. 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 West Academic, a BARBRI Company
West Academic is the leading U.S. publisher of legal education materials and digital learning tools for law schools. Rooted in a rich history of legal expertise and innovation, West Academic delivers trusted resources that support faculty instruction and enhance student learning. In 2021, West Academic was acquired by BARBRI. For more information on West Academic, visit westacademic.com. For more Information on BARBRI, visit www.barbri.com.
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.
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NCBE Media Contact National Conference of Bar Examiners communications@ncbex.org
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