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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.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today that Professor Jon J. Lee has been appointed Distinguished Scholar in Residence at NCBE. Professor Lee will contribute his expertise to a wide variety of initiatives at NCBE, including the development of the NextGen bar exam, drawing on his many years of experience as a legal educator and scholar. Professor Lee was a member of the Content Scope Committee that developed the NextGen test content specifications, and he currently serves as a member of the Item Set Drafting Committee and Tasks and Rubrics Advisory Committee for the new exam.

Nebraska is among the first jurisdictions to announce that it will administer the NextGen bar exam, joining eight other jurisdictions that have announced their intent to adopt the new exam. Nebraska will first administer the NextGen exam in July 2027.

The national mean scaled score for the November 2023 MPRE was 98.0, 0.8 points higher than the November 2022 mean of 97.2. The November 2023 mean reflects the performance of 21,275 examinees, 1,691 more than the November 2022 examinee count of 19,584.

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.