California Announces Plans to Administer the NextGen UBE in July 2028
by Sabrina Dubbert
On July 15, 2026, the Supreme Court of California adopted the State Bar of California’s recommendation to administer the NextGen UBE beginning with the July 2028 administration.[1] The court also directed that the NextGen UBE passing score be set at a level that reflects the same minimum competency required to pass California's current General Bar Examination.
California’s decision to adopt the NextGen UBE comes shortly after Montana’s Supreme Court announced its adoption of the new exam on July 2, 2026, with the first administration set for February 2028.[2] With these two announcements, a total of 52 US jurisdictions have now adopted the NextGen UBE. Ten jurisdictions will participate in the inaugural administration later this month.
California Adds to Broad NextGen Adoption
California has one of the largest examinee populations in the country. Bar examination data from 2022 through 2025 shows that the number of candidates who took the July exam in California ranged from 7,000 to over 8,000—second only to New York’s examinee counts.[3] Once California begins administering the NextGen UBE, the nationwide cohort taking the exam will grow significantly. A larger examinee population will strengthen the evidence available through ongoing psychometric analyses and support NCBE's continued commitment to a fair, valid, and reliable licensure examination.
NextGen adoption also gives NCBE and California the opportunity to strengthen their existing partnership beyond offering the Multistate Bar Examination and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. As California prepares for implementation, the jurisdiction will continue evaluating jurisdiction-specific exam components as part of its admissions process, including those under consideration for the July 2029 administration.
"We appreciate the thoughtful process California undertook in evaluating the NextGen UBE," said Kara Smith, Chief Product Officer at NCBE. "We're excited to welcome California to the NextGen community. As implementation begins, we'll continue working alongside the State Bar and the Supreme Court to support a successful transition for California's candidates."
Autonomy Remains Central to NextGen UBE Policy Decisions
As more jurisdictions adopt the NextGen UBE, it is worth noting that every US jurisdiction retains autonomy over its bar admission process. The highest court in each jurisdiction decides whether to adopt the NextGen UBE and to implement other requirements. Each court makes such policy decisions in consultation with its bar admission agency.
It is no coincidence that 52 jurisdictions have chosen to adopt the NextGen UBE. Combined together, these adoptions demonstrate a shared confidence in the fairness, rigor, and integrity of the new exam. That confidence has developed over years of information-sharing initiatives and open, transparent conversations between NCBE and jurisdictional leaders—a partnership that upholds jurisdictional autonomy while working toward a shared mission to protect the public and serve candidates’ needs.
Conclusion
NCBE recognizes and respects that every jurisdiction has a unique decision-making timeline. As jurisdictions make policy choices regarding the new exam, NCBE will remain a strong partner every step of the way. Our organization looks forward to supporting jurisdictions and their examinees during the inaugural launch and beyond.
Sabrina Dubbert is Editorial Assistant for the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Notes
[1] The full order is available at https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/california-supreme-court-approves-adoption-nextgen-uniform-bar-exam.
[2] The full order is available at https://www.montanabar.org/News/View/ArticleId/12130/The-Montana-Supreme-Court-has-approved-the-adoption-of-the%C2%A0NextGen-Uniform-Bar-Examination.
[3] See “2022 Statistics,” 92(1) The Bar Examiner 6–45 (Spring 2023); “2023 Statistics,” 93(1) The Bar Examiner 7–48 (Spring 2024); “2024 Statistics,” 94(1) The Bar Examiner 7–49 (Spring 2025); “2025 Statistics,” 95(1) The Bar Examiner 8–50 (Spring 2026).