NextGen UBE Beta Test Demonstrates Strong Performance Across Full NextGen Ecosystem

Media contact: communications@ncbex.org 

MADISON, WISCONSIN, March 11, 2026—The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has published the first set of findings from the January 2026 NextGen Uniform Bar Exam (NextGen UBE) beta test. The NextGen UBE Beta Test: Report on End-to-End Ecosystem Performance shares findings related to system performance, exam delivery under live conditions, and the experiences of examinees and jurisdiction volunteers.

The beta test was held January 8–10 in Boston, Dallas, New York City, and Miami. A total of 1,500 examinees completed the full beta test, which was administered under conditions representative of a full-length NextGen UBE administration. The NextGen exam will first be administered by 10 jurisdictions this July; a total of 48 jurisdictions have announced plans to begin administering the exam between July 2026 and July 2028.

The beta administration tested the full NextGen ecosystem, including candidate registration and readiness workflows, secure digital exam delivery, jurisdiction monitoring tools, constructed-response grading procedures, and data reporting systems.

Key findings include the following:

• All NextGen UBE systems and processes performed well under conditions representative of a live exam administration. 
• Examinees described exam content as practical, professionally relevant, and aligned with entry-level lawyering tasks.
• More than 92% of examinees reported that the digital testing platform was intuitive and easy to use.
• Jurisdiction observers reported that administration workflows were clear, monitoring systems provided effective real-time visibility, and escalation protocols were structured and implementable under live conditions.
• Grading of written responses worked successfully at the scale of a live exam administration, with more than 64,000 responses scored under structured double-grading procedures.

“The beta administration provided an opportunity to test the NextGen UBE under real operational conditions, including exam delivery, jurisdiction workflows, and candidate experience,” said Kara Smith, Chief Product Officer at NCBE. “With this administration, more than 10,000 examinees have now participated in testing the exam and its systems across multiple administrations. The beta results demonstrate that the exam content, delivery platform, and administration processes are performing as designed and are ready to support jurisdictions and candidates when the exam launches in July.”

A separate technical report, scheduled for release in May, will present detailed psychometric findings from the beta 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. Starting with the July 2026 administration of the bar exam, jurisdictions will begin replacing the legacy Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) with the NextGen UBE, which will, like the legacy UBE, serve as the basis for score portability between participating jurisdictions. The final administration of the legacy UBE will be in February 2028.

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. Grading for the NextGen UBE will be enhanced by the use of a centralized grading platform and a structured, criterion-based grading model that includes double grading and reconciliation processes. 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. 

# # # 

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.