The current version of the bar exam won’t disappear in July 2027 after all.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which designs the national components of the test, has now stated that it will continue to offer the existing Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) through at least February 2028 while also offering the new Next Gen Bar Exam. The NCBE had originally said in September that the test in its current form would retire after the July 2027 exam.

The change means that states will have the option to use either bar exam for at least two overlapping years, after which the UBE will be retired, making the Next Gen version the only one available. The decision of which bar exam each state uses lies with individual state courts, bar associations or law examiners.

An NCBE spokesperson said that the organization had recently received feedback from some courts that more time was needed to adopt the new exam and to give law schools ample notice of which test their graduates would be taking.

The NCBE has spent the past few years trying to educate states about its revamped exam, which is intended to emphasize legal skills and rely less on the memorization of laws.

No jurisdiction has thus far committed to using the Next Gen Bar Exam when it is set to debut in July 2026, though the NCBE said it expects several states to do so soon.

Early sample questions from the new test drew a lukewarm reaction in July, with some saying the questions are too easy and others complaining that the revamped test is not significantly different from the current one.

The NCBE’s announcement also stated that it will restore the family law section as a result of feedback it has  received. Family law is one of four subjects the NCBE had planned to eliminate from the new exam.

You can read more about this news here.

Results from the July bar exam are now being released in many states. If you received your results and were unsuccessful, get a completely free score evaluation from our bar exam experts to show you what went wrong and exactly what you need to do to pass on the next try. We at Marino Legal are dedicated to helping retaker students pass and urge you to contact us right away, as the sooner we speak to you, the sooner we can help you set up a game plan for success on the upcoming exam. Just submit your score report to us here or email us at [email protected].