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Kentucky is among the first jurisdictions to announce that it will administer the NextGen bar exam, which will replace the exam currently used to license attorneys across the US. The Bluegrass State will join seven other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam: Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Wyoming. Kentucky will first administer the NextGen exam in July 2027.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) have announced that the two organizations are extending their partnership for an additional three years.

Arizona is among the first jurisdictions to announce that it will administer the NextGen bar exam, which will replace the exam currently used to license attorneys across the US. The Grand Canyon State will join six other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam: Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Wyoming. Arizona will first administer the NextGen exam in July 2027.

Iowa is among the first jurisdictions to announce that it will administer the NextGen bar exam, which will replace the exam currently used to license attorneys across the US. Iowa will join five other jurisdictions that recently announced their intent to adopt the new exam: Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Wyoming. Iowa will first administer the NextGen exam in July 2027.

Candidates preparing for the bar exam can now purchase MEEs with analyses and MPTs with point sheets from the July 2023 exam in the NCBE Study Aids Store. Each purchase comes with one year of access to the materials.

Five jurisdictions are the first to announce that they intend to administer a new bar exam, which will replace the licensure test currently given to aspiring attorneys across the US. Bar admission agencies in Maryland, Missouri, and Oregon intend to first administer the NextGen bar exam in July 2026. Wyoming intends to first administer the exam in July 2027. Connecticut has not yet finalized its first administration date.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today two important changes to plans for the NextGen bar exam, which is currently under development and will launch in July 2026.

Hon. Mary R. Russell 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.

John McAlary 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 mean scaled score for the August 2023 MPRE was 96.9, 0.9 points higher than the August 2022 mean of 96.0. The August 2023 mean reflects the performance of 19,005 examinees, 786 more than the August 2022 examinee count of 18,219.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today that the national mean scaled score for the July 2023 Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) was 140.5, an increase of about 0.2 points compared to the July 2022 mean of 140.3.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today the planned duration and structure of the NextGen bar exam and the date by which the current bar exam will officially sunset. The NextGen exam is currently under development and will launch in July 2026.

Andreas Oranje joined the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) on March 31 as Managing Director of Assessment Programs. Oranje leads NCBE’s development and implementation of the next generation of the bar exam.

Effective with the July 2026 bar exam, the following subjects will no longer be tested on the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE): Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and Secured Transactions.

Marilyn Wellington, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer for the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from New England Law | Boston during its May 19, 2023, commencement ceremony.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which develops bar exam content for 54 US jurisdictions, has published the content scope for the NextGen bar exam, which is set to launch in 2026.

The national mean scaled score for the March 2023 MPRE was 94.9, 0.7 points lower than the March 2022 mean of 95.6. The March 2023 mean reflects the performance of 20,184 examinees, 978 more than the March 2022 examinee count of 19,206.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today that the national mean scaled score for the February 2023 Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) was 131.1, a decrease of 1.5 points compared to the February 2022 mean of 132.6.

The Year in Review highlights the work of NCBE’s volunteers and staff in fulfilling its mission and provides a data-filled snapshot of the work NCBE undertakes in its commitment to serving the bar admissions community.