The bar exam is about to undergo the biggest change in its modern history. If you’re a law student, a recent graduate, or someone preparing to retake the exam, you’ve probably heard the term “NextGen bar exam” and felt a mix of curiosity and anxiety.

We understand. And we want to cut through the noise.

Marino Bar Review has been helping attorneys pass the bar exam since 1946 — through every format change, every state adoption, every shift in testing philosophy. Professor Joseph Marino, who founded this company, built his entire approach around a simple idea that was considered radical at the time: passing the bar exam isn’t about memorizing law. It’s about knowing what to do with it.

That idea is now the driving philosophy behind the NextGen bar exam. The National Conference of Bar Examiners is finally catching up to what we’ve been teaching for nearly 80 years.

Here’s what you need to know.

What Is the NextGen Bar Exam?

The NextGen Uniform Bar Examination is a redesigned version of the current UBE. It was developed by the NCBE after years of research involving over 14,000 attorneys nationwide, and it reflects a fundamental shift in how the bar exam measures competency.

The current UBE has three separate components — the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Each tests you in a different format, on different days, in a largely disconnected way.

The NextGen exam eliminates that structure. Instead, you’ll face an integrated exam with three types of questions — standalone multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks — all woven together across three sessions.

What’s Actually Changing

Here are the key differences that matter:

The number of tested subjects drops from 14 to 8. The NextGen exam will focus on Civil Procedure, Contract Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Evidence, Real Property, Torts, and Business Associations. Family Law will be added starting in July 2028. Subjects like Conflict of Laws, Trusts and Estates, the Uniform Commercial Code, and Secured Transactions are either being dropped or tested only within performance tasks where legal resources are provided.

The exam is shorter. You’ll spend 9 hours testing over a day and a half, compared to 12 hours over two full days on the current UBE.

It’s entirely computer-based. You’ll take the exam on your own laptop at a proctored testing location using a secure online platform — no more bubble sheets.

The exam tests skills, not just knowledge. The NextGen exam assesses seven foundational lawyering skills: legal research, legal writing, issue spotting and analysis, investigation and evaluation, client counseling and advising, negotiation and dispute resolution, and client relationship and management.

Perhaps most significantly, the exam will sometimes provide you with legal resources — statutes, case excerpts, or procedural rules — just as you would have access to in real practice. Not every question requires you to recall the law from memory. This is a major departure from the current format.

When Does This Affect You?

This depends entirely on where you’re taking the bar exam.

The first jurisdictions to administer the NextGen exam in July 2026 include Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Washington, along with several U.S. territories.

In July 2027, a second wave of states will transition, including Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The largest jurisdictions — including New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and many others — will adopt the NextGen exam in July 2028 or shortly before.

The current UBE will be administered for the final time in February 2028. After that, every jurisdiction must either adopt the NextGen exam or develop an alternative licensure path.

If you’re taking the bar exam before July 2026, nothing changes for you — you’ll take the current UBE. If you’re taking it in 2027 or 2028, the answer depends on your specific state.

What This Means If You’re a First-Time Taker

If you’re currently in law school and expect to take the bar exam in 2027 or 2028, you’re in a transition period. Your law school curriculum is still largely built around the current exam structure, but the test you’ll sit for may look quite different.

The good news: your core law school classes — Contracts, Torts, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Evidence, and Property — align well with the NextGen subject list. The subjects being dropped (Conflict of Laws, Secured Transactions) are ones many students found frustrating to study anyway.

The shift toward skills-based testing means that your legal writing courses, clinics, and experiential learning will matter more than they did under the old format. If you have room in your schedule, prioritize those.

The biggest adjustment will be the integrated question format. Instead of answering 200 standalone multiple-choice questions on one day and writing essays on another, you’ll face question sets that combine multiple-choice, short-answer, and medium-answer questions around a common fact pattern. This rewards the ability to analyze a problem from multiple angles — not just recall a rule.

What This Means If You’re a Retaker

If you’ve previously been unsuccessful on the bar exam, the NextGen transition raises understandable questions. Here’s our honest take.

In many ways, the NextGen format may actually work in your favor.

The current UBE places enormous weight on pure memorization — particularly on the MBE, where you need to recall hundreds of specific rules under time pressure. For many retakers, the problem was never a lack of intelligence or effort. It was the format itself. The sheer volume of material to memorize, combined with the rigid structure of the MBE, punishes students who understand the law but struggle with rapid-fire recall.

The NextGen exam’s shift toward skills-based testing, integrated questions, and provided legal resources means less reliance on brute memorization and more emphasis on legal analysis and application. If you’re someone who “knows the law but couldn’t show it on the exam,” this format change could be meaningful for you.

That said, the transition creates uncertainty. If you’re retaking in a state that switches to NextGen, you’ll need preparation materials designed for the new format, not recycled MBE questions. Make sure whatever course or tutor you work with is genuinely preparing you for the exam you’re actually taking.

This is something we take very seriously. Marino’s approach to bar preparation has always prioritized test-taking methodology and score improvement over rote memorization. Professor Marino developed that philosophy decades ago, and it has guided every course and tutoring engagement we’ve offered since. As the NextGen exam takes shape, we are actively preparing to ensure our programs reflect the new format, new question types, and new skills being tested — while maintaining the personalized, results-driven approach that has defined Marino since 1946.

What Hasn’t Changed

With all the focus on what’s new, it’s worth remembering what remains the same.

You still need to know the law. The NextGen exam tests fewer subjects, but it tests them deeply. The foundational legal principles in Contracts, Torts, Evidence, and the other core subjects aren’t going anywhere. Solid substantive knowledge remains essential.

You still need to manage your time under pressure. Nine hours is shorter than twelve, but it’s still a grueling exam. Time management and mental stamina still matter.

You still need a strategy. Knowing the law isn’t enough — you need to know how to apply it efficiently under exam conditions. That was true in 1946 when Professor Marino started this company, and it’s true today. The format is changing, but the fundamental challenge is not.

Our Advice

Don’t panic. The NextGen exam is a significant change, but it’s not an unknown. The NCBE has published content scope outlines, sample questions, and detailed information about the format. The transition is happening in stages, giving students and preparation companies time to adapt.

If you’re taking the current UBE in the near term, focus on that exam. Don’t let NextGen anxiety distract you from the test you’re actually sitting for.

If you’re further out, start familiarizing yourself with the new format — but don’t overhaul your study approach yet. The core legal knowledge you’re building now will serve you regardless of format.

And if you’ve previously been unsuccessful on the bar exam and are wondering how the NextGen transition affects your next attempt, we’re here to help. We offer a free, no-obligation score report evaluation where our team will review your previous results and help you understand exactly what went wrong and what needs to change — whether you’re preparing for the current UBE or the NextGen exam.

Contact us at info@marinolegal.com or call (866) 788-8589.

We’ve been helping attorneys pass the bar exam through every change in its history. This one is no different.