EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

THE NEXTGEN
BAR EXAM
EXPLAINED

POWERED BY BARPREPPLAY.COM

The biggest change to legal licensure in 50 years. Here's what's different, what it means for you, and how to prepare.

NEXTGEN LAUNCHES IN
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JULY 28, 2026 · FIRST ADMINISTRATION
▼ SCROLL TO BEGIN ▼
LEVEL 01 — THE SHIFT

A Completely Redesigned Exam

The NCBE is replacing the legacy UBE — the MBE + MEE + MPT you've heard about — with an integrated, skills-focused assessment. Shorter. Digital. Built for how lawyers actually practice.

0 Total exam time
0 Exam duration
0 Core subjects
0 Computer-based

Down from 12 hours, 2 days, and up to 14 tested subjects. The separate MBE, MEE, and MPT components are gone — replaced by integrated sessions blending MCQ, short-answer, and performance tasks.

LEVEL 02 — THE WEIGHT SHIFT

How Your Score Breaks Down

Performance tasks jump from 20% to 30%. Essays drop. MCQ stays roughly the same. This is the signal: applied skills matter more than ever.

LEGACY UBE NEXTGEN UBE
MULTIPLE CHOICE 50% → 49%
ESSAY / INTEGRATED 30% → 21%
PERFORMANCE TASKS 20% → 30%
LEVEL 03 — THE SUBJECTS

What's In, What's Out

Up to fourteen legacy subjects condensed to eight foundational areas. Family Law appears from day one with provided resources, then becomes a full foundational subject in July 2028. Secured Transactions and Conflict of Laws are gone.

Civil Procedure ★ Contracts ★ Constitutional Law ★ Criminal Law ★ Evidence ★ Real Property ★ Torts ★ Business Assoc. ★ Family Law (full subject 2028) Trusts & Estates (with resources) Secured Transactions Conflict of Laws

Rule Against Perpetuities? Gone. Business Associations is now a full foundational subject tested across all question types from day one.

LEVEL 04 — THE KEY MECHANIC

Starred vs. Unstarred Topics

This is the most important structural concept in the NextGen. It determines how you should study every single topic.

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STARRED TOPICS

Pure recall. You must reason to the answer with no provided resources. Know the rule, elements, and application cold. This is your boss fight.

📄

UNSTARRED TOPICS

The exam provides you the law — a statute, case, or resource. Your job: read it fast, spot the issue, apply it correctly. Skill over memory.

LEVEL 05 — THE ROLLOUT

When Does Your State Switch?

Phased between July 2026 and July 2028. After February 2028, the legacy exam is discontinued entirely.

JULY 2026 — DEBUT
Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Washington + territories
JULY 2027 — WAVE 2
Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont + more
FEB 2028 — WAVE 3
Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois. Legacy exam ends.
JULY 2028 — FULL ADOPTION
Florida, New York, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts + 15 more states
LEVEL 05b — YOUR STATE

When Does Your State Switch?

Hover or tap any state to see its adoption wave. Color-coded by rollout phase. California and Nevada have opted out of the NextGen.

July 2026 July 2027 Feb 2028 July 2028 Not adopting TBD

Territories (Guam, CNMI, Palau, USVI) adopt July 2026. Data from NCBE as of Feb 2026.

LEVEL 06 — THE SCORE

New Scale: 500–750

The legacy 200–400 scale is gone. The NCBE recommends passing scores between 610–620 on the new 500–750 scale. A legacy 266 maps to roughly 615. Grading shifts toward task-based rubrics — more objective, more uniform.

260→ 610
265→ 615
270→ 620
READY?

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THE RIGHT WAY

BarPrepPlay is built for the NextGen shift — gamified drills, adaptive flashcards, daily XP, and the only bar prep that podcasts your weak spots back to you.

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NextGen Bar Exam: Complete Prep Guide for July 2026

The NextGen Bar Exam (NextGen UBE) is the most significant overhaul of legal licensure in the United States since the 1970s. Developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) after a three-year practice analysis, the NextGen replaces the legacy Uniform Bar Examination — the MBE, MEE, and MPT — with a shorter, integrated, skills-focused assessment delivered entirely on computer.

NextGen Bar Exam Format and Structure

The NextGen Bar Exam is a 9-hour examination administered over 1.5 days, down from the legacy UBE's 12 hours across 2 full days. It consists of three integrated 3-hour sessions, each containing a blend of standalone multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks. The separate MBE, MEE, and MPT components are eliminated.

NextGen Bar Exam Subjects

The NextGen tests 8 foundational subjects for its initial administrations (July 2026 through February 2028): Business Associations and Relationships, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Constitutional Protections of Accused Persons, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. Family Law and Trusts and Estates concepts appear from day one in performance tasks and integrated question sets with provided legal resources. Family Law becomes a ninth foundational subject requiring recalled knowledge in July 2028. Secured Transactions and Conflict of Laws have been removed entirely. The Rule Against Perpetuities is no longer explicitly tested in Real Property.

Starred vs. Unstarred Topics on the NextGen Bar Exam

The NextGen introduces a starred topic system that determines how each topic is assessed. Starred topics require examinees to recall the law from memory and reason to the correct answer without any provided legal resources. Unstarred topics are tested with provided authorities — the exam supplies a relevant statute, case, or legal resource, and the examinee must read and apply it correctly. This system fundamentally changes how candidates should study: deep memorization for starred topics, issue-spotting and legal reading skills for unstarred topics.

NextGen Bar Exam Question Types

The NextGen UBE features three question types. Standalone multiple-choice questions account for 40% of exam time and 49% of the total score, and may feature 4 or 6 answer options with some requiring multiple correct selections. Integrated question sets (IQS) account for 27% of time and 21% of the score, presenting common fact scenarios with a mix of MCQ, medium-answer, and short-answer questions. Performance tasks account for 33% of time and 30% of the score — an increase from 20% on the legacy exam — with three 60-minute tasks replacing the legacy format of two 90-minute MPTs.

NextGen Bar Exam Scoring

NextGen UBE scores are reported on a 500-750 scale, replacing the legacy 200-400 scale. The NCBE recommends passing scores between 610 and 620. Concordance guidance maps a legacy score of 260 to 610, 265 to 615, and 270 to 620 on the NextGen scale. Multiple-choice questions are scored centrally by the NCBE. Written components are dual-graded by jurisdiction-appointed graders using uniform rubrics and benchmark answers.

NextGen Bar Exam Rollout Timeline by State

July 2026 debut jurisdictions: Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Palau, Virgin Islands, and Washington. July 2027 wave: Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. February 2028: Delaware, District of Columbia, and Illinois. The legacy MBE, MEE, and MPT are discontinued after February 2028. July 2028 full adoption: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. California and Nevada have opted out and will not adopt the NextGen Bar Exam.

How to Study for the NextGen Bar Exam

Bar prep strategy must adapt to the NextGen's two-tier system. For starred topics, traditional methods remain essential: flashcards, spaced repetition, condensed outlines, and daily MBE drills to build pattern recognition. For unstarred topics, focus on issue-spotting and the ability to quickly parse provided legal authorities under time pressure. Performance tasks now worth 30% of the total score demand weekly timed writing practice. All preparation should be conducted on a screen, as the exam is fully computer-based with no paper materials. The NCBE provides official practice sets and an exam software preview in the digital testing environment.

Bar Prep with BarPrepPlay

BarPrepPlay is a gamified bar exam prep platform offering MBE drills, adaptive flashcards with spaced repetition, daily XP and achievement badges, a podcast generator that turns weak areas into audio review content, and cold call Q&A that simulates on-the-spot recall pressure. The platform is 100% digital and screen-first, matching the NextGen bar exam's computer-based format. BarPrepPlay covers all foundational subjects tested on both the legacy UBE and the NextGen bar exam.