NCBE Publishes Official Examinees’ Guide and Updated Content Scope for NextGen UBE
Exam Software Preview Now Available; Additional Examinee and Legal Educator Resources to Come
MADISON, WISCONSIN, Aug. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the first administration of the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam (NextGen UBE) just a year away, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is sharing a number of new resources to help examinees prepare for the exam.
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 following NextGen resources are available now on the NCBE website:
- Official Examinees’ Guide to the NextGen UBE, July 2026–February 2027: The Guide is designed as a companion for examinees who are preparing to take the NextGen UBE in July 2026 or February 2027. It provides an overview of the exam’s structure, timing, content, and grading; details about the exam registration process, pre-exam requirements, and what to expect on exam day; and an attorney admissions road map that highlights key steps for law students and graduates to take each year.
- NextGen UBE Content Scope, July 2026–February 2027: The July 2026–February 2027 Content Scope describes the topics and skills that will be tested, as well as the depth at which each topic will be tested, during the first two administrations of the NextGen UBE. Some topics that were unstarred in previous versions of the Content Scope are now starred (starred topics require examinees to rely solely on recalled knowledge and understanding), and the new document also includes updated language and additional details for some topics.
- NextGen UBE exam software preview: This online preview simulates the experience of using the secure delivery platform that will be used to administer the NextGen UBE, allowing examinees to explore the platform’s features and layout. (Note that examinees will be required to install a secure testing browser on their laptops and complete an exam tutorial before exam day.)
- NextGen UBE examinee videos: This series of short videos will help examinees learn what to expect before and during the NextGen exam. The first two videos in the series are available now, with more to come in the months ahead. They are: What is the NextGen UBE? and What to Expect on Exam Day.
In recent months, NCBE has also issued:
- NextGen UBE Blueprint: July 2026–February 2027: The Blueprint provides exam specifications for the July 2026 and February 2027 administrations of the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam.
- A sample legal research performance task, made up of four multiple-choice questions, one short-answer question, and one medium-answer writing assignment. This performance task joins already released multiple-choice questions, integrated questions sets, and standard performance task. All are available for free on the NCBE website.
Additional resources are coming soon:
- Countdown to the NextGen UBE monthly emails: Examinees preparing to take the NextGen UBE will be able to sign up for this monthly email series from NCBE, with tips, timelines, and reminders delivered directly to their inboxes.
- Sourcebooks of Law: NCBE’s July 2026–February 2027 Sourcebook series is intended to serve 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 in the July 2026 and February 2027 administrations of the NextGen UBE. Each sourcebook in the series relies on a small number of sources that should be readily available to educators interested in bar exam coverage. Sourcebooks will be available to most examinees through their law school libraries and will also be available through NCBE. An excerpt of the Contracts Sourcebook is available on the NCBE website.
- New NextGen study aids: NCBE will release new study aids equivalent to an additional six hours of exam content (six hours have already been released). All twelve hours of NextGen study aids will simulate the experience of taking the NextGen UBE on the exam delivery platform. Free NextGen sample questions are also available on the NCBE website.
- NextGen Prototype Exam Research and Development Report, which joins the previously released reports documenting the over seven years of research and development for the NextGen UBE. These prior reports include the Final Report of the Testing Task Force (2021), NextGen Research Brief: Pilot Testing (2024), and NextGen Research Brief: Field Test (2024).
“In sharing these new materials, NCBE is providing a comprehensive toolbox for examinees preparing to take the NextGen UBE,” said Judith Gundersen, NCBE President and CEO. “With detailed information about what will be tested and extensive tools to help examinees prepare for exam day, this suite of resources will be an invaluable help to examinees and those who work with them as they prepare for the first administrations of the NextGen UBE.”
During the transition to the NextGen UBE (between July 2026 and February 2028), some jurisdictions will continue to administer the current (legacy) bar exam. For examinees taking the legacy bar exam in July 2026 or later, an updated Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) subject matter outline has been posted on the Preparing for the MEE page of the NCBE website. The new outline reflects the fact that effective with the July 2026 bar exam, the following areas will no longer be tested on the MEE: Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and Secured Transactions. (From July 2026 through February 2028, both Family Law and Trusts and Estates will be tested regularly through the Multistate Performance Test.)
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 detailed 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 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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