Last week, the legal community received a preview of the upcoming Next Gen Bar Exam scheduled to debut in July 2026, with the release of a selection of sample questions from the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The reaction has been diverse, with many expressing concerns about the exam’s perceived simplicity, while others contending it was a step in the right direction towards a more practical assessment of legal knowledge.

Among the eight multiple-choice questions and six “integrated” questions included in the Next Gen preview, legal educators were quick to point out their initial reservations. Some raised concerns that the questions appeared too straightforward, leading to doubts about the exam’s ability to truly assess a candidate’s legal acumen. These criticisms further raised worries that the revamped test might not be substantially different from the current one.

This sentiment left some educators disappointed, as they were hoping for a more radical departure from the traditional format.

However, Joan Howarth, a former Dean of Michigan State University College of Law, offered a different perspective. She praised the sample questions for taking a step in the right direction by emphasizing practical application and discouraging excessive reliance on memorization. Although she acknowledged that the format might not be ideal, she believed that the Next Gen Exam encouraged candidates to think more deeply about legal issues.

The Next Gen Bar Exam is set to include nearly half standalone multiple-choice questions, while the rest will consist of integrated questions and longer writing tasks similar to the current Multistate Performance Test.

According to Andreas Oranje, the National Conference’s Managing Director of Assessment Programs, the retention of multiple-choice questions is essential to ensure consistent and reliable test scores over time. He assured that the exam would feature more extensive multiple-choice questions than the limited sample provided.

Despite Oranje’s explanation, some educators, like Marsha Griggs from Saint Louis University School of Law, expressed disappointment that the Next Gen Bar Exam retained a significant number of multiple-choice questions. Griggs believed that this decision represented a missed opportunity to transform the test into a more comprehensive evaluation of candidates’ legal knowledge and skills.

Another concern legal scholar Josh Blackman, Professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, raised was the sample questions’ perceived ease. Blackman argued that the questions merely required test takers to identify issues without applying legal rules, making them considerably easier than anticipated. He suggested that states adopting the Next Gen Bar Exam should consider raising the passing score to ensure a higher level of proficiency.

For now, we will have to wait for further developments and question releases to determine the full implications of this new bar exam.

You can read more about the new exam here.

We want to wish good luck to all the students who just sat for the bar exam this week! If you are planning to sit for the next bar exam in February 2024  and want to get a head start (which is always a good idea), just email or call us to discuss our Early Start bar review program.