New U.S. bar exam faces full practice run before July rollout

More than 1,600 law graduates are taking a beta version of the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam this week in the exam's first full practice run ahead of a planned July rollout; preliminary feedback is expected in March and a full report in May.

More than 1,600 U.S. law school graduates are taking a beta version of the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam this week in the exam's first and only full practice run before its national debut in July. The test is the first major redesign since 2000 and is shorter, administered over a day-and-a-half instead of the current two days. Organizers say it is designed to evaluate practical lawyering skills rather than the memorization of laws. The mock exam took place Thursday through Saturday at five law schools, and participants were paid $1,500 each. Key facts: - More than 1,600 graduates are participating in the beta test, and each had previously sat for the current bar exam in July. - The NextGen UBE is administered over a day-and-a-half, reduced from the existing two-day format. - The redesign follows a three-year study and focuses on practical skills such as legal research and client counseling. - The National Conference of Bar Examiners organized the beta; its president, Judith Gundersen, called the mock exam "the ultimate readiness test." - The organization paid participants $1,500 each, costing the national conference more than $2.4 million. - Preliminary findings are expected in March, a comprehensive report is slated for May, and Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon and Washington will administer the NextGen UBE on July 28–29, with 39 other jurisdictions saying they will start using it by July 2028. Summary: Organizers will use the beta to evaluate logistics, test delivery, and the reliability and fairness of questions and scoring, with preliminary metrics due in March and a fuller report in May. Several states plan to begin using the NextGen UBE on July 28–29, and wider adoption is scheduled through July 2028.