News/Resources

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has published the family law subject matter outline for the NextGen bar exam. The outline is intended to inform stakeholders of the specific topics within family law to be assessed on the new exam starting in July 2028. These topics have been identified as those that are most essential for newly licensed lawyers.

The Alaska Supreme Court has announced that it intends to administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2028. Twenty-seven jurisdictions have now announced plans to adopt the NextGen exam.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has announced a new annual award to honor a bar examiner who demonstrates leadership, integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to serving the legal profession through bar admissions in their own jurisdiction and beyond to help ensure a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession.

The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has announced that it will administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2026. The Court will continue to administer local content essays alongside the new exam. Twenty-six jurisdictions in total have now announced plans to adopt the NextGen exam.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kara McWilliams, PhD, as its Chief Product Officer. In this role, McWilliams will lead the development and execution of NCBE’s current product strategy, guide the delivery of the NextGen bar exam, and oversee the introduction of new business models and innovative products and services.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jake Vizner as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO). Vizner will lead NCBE's technology strategy as the organization prepares to launch the NextGen bar exam in 2026.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has published a research brief summarizing the results of field testing conducted in January 2024, part of ongoing implementation research for the NextGen bar exam. The new exam will have its first administration in July 2026. Results of the first stage of NextGen implementation research, pilot testing, were published earlier this year.

The national mean scaled score for the August 2024 MPRE was 97.0, 0.1 points higher than the August 2023 mean of 96.9. The August 2024 mean reflects the performance of 18,094 examinees, 911 fewer than the August 2023 examinee count of 19,005.

West Virginia and North Dakota have announced that they will administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2027. Twenty-five jurisdictions in total have now announced plans to adopt the new exam.

Hon. Shellie K. Park-Hoapili has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). NCBE develops the licensing tests used by most states for admission to the bar.

Darin Scheer has been elected Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). NCBE develops the licensing tests used by most states for admission to the bar.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today that the national mean scaled score for the July 2024 Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) was 141.8, an increase of about 1.3 points compared to the July 2023 mean of 140.5 and the highest July MBE mean since 2013, excluding the summer and fall 2020 administrations.

The Indiana Supreme Court will implement the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2028. 23 jurisdictions in total have now announced plans to adopt the new exam.

Georgia law school graduates are busy taking the Multistate Bar Exam today, but four years from now, candidates for admission to the bar in Georgia will sit for a new exam: Georgia has announced that it will administer the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2028. A total of 22 jurisdictions have now announced plans to adopt the new exam.

The Florida Supreme Court has approved a recommendation from the Florida Board of Bar Examiners to adopt the NextGen bar exam starting in July 2028. With Florida’s news, 21 jurisdictions in total have now announced plans to adopt the new exam.

The deadline for public comments on the preliminary NextGen bar exam family law subject matter outline has been extended to August 8, 2024.

NCBE is pleased to share the preliminary NextGen bar exam family law subject matter outline.

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.