A redesigned bar examination is rolling out across the United States beginning this week, marking the first major overhaul of the licensing test in decades. The NextGen Uniform Bar Exam will launch initially in 10 smaller jurisdictions including Maryland, Missouri, and Oregon, with an additional 13 states adopting it next summer. By July 2028, nearly all states are expected to have transitioned from the current exam to the new format.
The new examination represents a substantial departure from its predecessor, which has remained largely unchanged since its creation in the early 1970s. Rather than paper-based testing, the NextGen exam is entirely digital and reduces the total duration from 12 hours over two days to nine hours spread across a day and a half. The core philosophical shift involves prioritizing assessment of practical lawyering skills and problem-solving abilities over the memorization of extensive legal doctrine. Test takers will encounter a mix of multiple-choice and written response questions, with access to embedded resources for certain topics, and a new section dedicated to evaluating legal research capabilities.
The redesign process began in 2018 when the National Conference of Bar Examiners conducted extensive consultations with legal educators, judges, bar examiners, and other stakeholders to identify shortcomings in the existing exam. Participants consistently noted that the current test covers legal doctrine too broadly and deeply while not adequately measuring lawyering competencies. Over 10,000 students and recent graduates have participated in testing phases, with feedback indicating that the new exam more closely mirrors actual legal practice.
The legal community has largely embraced the changes, with law schools and academics viewing them as consistent with broader educational trends toward experiential learning and skills-based instruction. However, some observers question whether the reduced emphasis on memorization will make the exam easier or harder, and concerns persist about the technological infrastructure needed to scale the digital test nationwide. California and other large states have two years before implementation, allowing time to address potential logistical issues and ensure the examination functions reliably across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
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