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The Oklahoma Supreme Court has issued an order establishing that it will administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2027; 20 jurisdictions in total have now announced plans to adopt the new exam.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has published its first analysis of NextGen bar exam performance data, focused on the pilot testing phase, one of three stages of implementation research being conducted in preparation for the launch of the NextGen bar exam. Insights gained through pilot testing have already been used to inform the development of the new exam, which will be administered for the first time in July 2026.

Illinois has announced that it will administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in 2028; 19 jurisdictions in total have now announced plans to adopt the new exam. Illinois has not yet finalized whether its first administration will be in February or July of 2028.

The national mean scaled score for the March 2024 MPRE was 97.1, 2.2 points higher than the March 2023 mean of 94.9. The March 2024 mean reflects the performance of 21,029 examinees, 845 more than the March 2023 examinee count of 20,184.

Tennessee has announced that it will administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2027, bringing the total number of jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam to eighteen.

Hon. Phyllis D. Thompson will be honored by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) with a CLEO EDGE award at a reception and awards program next week in Washington, DC.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today that the national mean scaled score for the February 2024 Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) was 131.8, an increase of more than 0.6 points compared to the February 2023 mean of 131.1. The MBE, one of three sections that make up the bar exam in most US jurisdictions, consists of 200 multiple-choice questions answered over six hours.

The Supreme Court of Washington announced plans to adopt the NextGen bar exam, bringing the total number of jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam to seventeen.

Two states announced plans this week to adopt the NextGen bar exam, bringing the total number of jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam to sixteen. Minnesota intends to first administer the exam in July 2027, and Colorado will hold its first administration in July 2028.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has published its 2023 Year in Review, now available on the NCBE website.

Kansas has announced that it will administer the NextGen bar exam, joining thirteen other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam. Kansas will first administer the NextGen exam in July 2028.

4,124 participants from 88 law schools in 41 jurisdictions recently participated in a nationwide field test for the NextGen bar exam, providing exam developers and psychometric experts at the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) with key data and feedback on new question types that will appear on the exam.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has announced the formation of the Family Law Content Scope Panel, which will develop the content outline specifying the breadth and depth of family law material that will be tested on the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2028. The panel held its inaugural meeting last week.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has announced the 2024 recipients of two awards that provide funding for research related to testing and measurement, with a particular focus on research related to high-stakes licensure testing such as the bar exam.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has announced that it will administer the NextGen bar exam, joining twelve other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam. New Mexico will first administer the NextGen exam in July 2027.

Guam has announced that it plans to administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2026. It joins 11 other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam, which is set to launch in July 2026.

Utah has announced that it plans to administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2028. It joins ten other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam, which is set to launch in July 2026. Three jurisdictions plan to begin administering the NextGen exam in July 2026, six jurisdictions will first administer the exam in July 2027, and one jurisdiction has not yet announced the date of its first administration.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has announced that Surpass Assessment (https://surpass.com/) will provide the testing software for the NextGen bar exam, set to launch in July 2026. The new bar exam will be delivered via examinees’ laptops through a secure, computer-based system already in use by testing organizations around the world.

Vermont is the tenth jurisdiction to announce that it will administer the NextGen bar exam, joining nine other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam. Vermont will first administer the NextGen exam in July 2027.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and AccessLex Institute announced today that the two organizations will collaborate in study aid development for the NextGen bar exam, set to launch in July 2026.