Effective July 2026, select jurisdictions began administering the NextGen Uniform Bar ExaminationTM (NextGen UBE). To help candidates prepare, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) has outlined the exam’s format and subjects, summarized below:
| Test Duration | Nine hours broken up into three sessions of equal length |
| Topics | Eight Foundational Concepts and Principles |
| Skills | Seven Foundational Skills |
| Question Types |
|
| Format | Computer-based on your personal laptop at jurisdiction-managed and proctored testing sites |
| Focus | Greater emphasis on skills over memorization |
The NextGen UBE assesses a range of legal knowledge and foundational lawyering skills needed in today’s practice of law. Discover exactly what to expect as you prepare to pass.
What Is the NextGen Bar Exam Format?
The NextGen UBE is a nine-hour exam broken into three similar three-hour sessions. It is administered over one and one-half days on examinees’ own laptops in a fully secure online platform.
| Day 1 | Day 2 |
|---|---|
| Morning three-hour session | Morning three-hour session |
| Afternoon three-hour session | N/A |
While the exam software is designed to reduce the need for certain accommodations, each jurisdiction makes its own accommodations decisions. Scores are reported on a scale from 500 to 750, with each jurisdiction setting its own passing score. The NCBE grades multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and your jurisdiction grades written responses.
NextGen UBE Question Types
Each three-hour session of the NextGen UBE consists of 40 standalone MCQs, two integrated question sets, and one performance task. They are presented in the following order:
| Breakdown of Each Three-Hour Session | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question Type | Total Quantity | Estimated Time | Time per Question | Percent of Score |
| Standalone MCQs | 40 | 72 minutes | 1.8 minutes | 49% |
| Integrated Question Sets | 2 | 48 minutes | 24 minutes | 21% |
| Performance Tasks | 1 | 60 minutes | 60 minutes | 30% |
All questions feature a section countdown timer with a five-minute warning (you can toggle the timer off until the five-minute warning). The exam navigation tool displays which questions are answered, partially answered, unanswered, or marked for review. You can also highlight in four colors, adjust the exam’s color scheme for easier reading, and resize text as needed.
Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
NextGen UBE MCQs make up 49% of your exam score and come in two formats:
- Select one of four options
- Select two of six options
During the course of the exam, you will be presented with 120 total questions (40 MCQs in each section) covering eight Foundational Concepts and Principles tested in approximately equal numbers. Some questions may test multiple Foundational Concepts and Principles.
Each question is independent, meaning the answer for any MCQ does not rely on information from another question. Partial credit is available for the “select two” MCQs.
Integrated Question Sets
NextGen UBE question sets make up 21% of your exam score, are based on a common fact scenario, and appear in two formats:
- Drafting sets (containing medium-answer questions)
- Counseling sets (containing multiple-choice and short-answer questions)
You will be presented with six total sets (two per section) that require you to demonstrate your ability to use Foundational Skills in realistic situations and complete tasks that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish. They may feature areas of doctrinal law not included in the Foundational Concepts and Principles. Sets may test more than one Foundational Concept, Principle, or non-Foundational area of doctrinal law. The Foundational Concepts and Principles are not equally distributed.
Sets may include legal resources (e.g., judicial opinions or excerpts of statutes) and supplemental documents (e.g., a police report or excerpt from a deposition). Partial credit is available for short- and medium-answer responses, and for “select two” MCQs.
Performance Tasks
NextGen UBE performance tasks make up 30% of your exam score and are presented in two formats:
- Standard performance tasks (focusing on one longer writing assignment)
- Legal research performance tasks (featuring several multiple-choice and short-answer questions followed by a medium-answer writing assignment)
You will be asked to complete three total tasks (one per section) that require you to demonstrate your ability to use Foundational Skills in realistic situations and complete tasks that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish.
Legal resources (i.e., a case file and library) are provided within each task. Partial credit is available for short-, medium-, and longer-answer responses, and for “select two” MCQs.
Pretest Questions
The NextGen bar exam features experimental, unscored questions known as pretest questions. These questions help the NCBE gather data and refine questions for future exams. They are not marked, so make sure you try your best on every question.
- 20 of the 120 standalone MCQs are pretest questions
- One of the six integrated question sets is a pretest question
- All performance tasks are real and count toward your score
Tested Subjects and Skills
- Business associations and relationships
- Civil procedure
- Constitutional law
- Contract law
- Criminal law and constitutional protections of accused persons
- Evidence
- Real property
- Torts
- Legal research
- Legal writing
- Issue spotting and analysis
- Investigation and evaluation
- Client counseling and advising
- Negotiation and dispute resolution
- Client relationship and management
*For specifics related to each Foundational Concept and Principle, read the NCBE’s Bar Exam Content Scope.
You should expect to see other areas of legal knowledge on the exam that are intended to provide context for testing foundational lawyering skills. However, you will not be expected or required to develop a base of knowledge in those areas. When this occurs, you will be given the necessary legal resources (e.g., statutes, regulations, and case law) to demonstrate the skills being tested. From July 2026 through February 2028, family law, trusts, and estates will appear in these skills-focused questions on every exam.
Foundational Skills Groups and Tasks
The NextGen bar exam organizes the Foundational Skills you need to know into four groups. They are assessed in the context of one or more of the Foundational Concepts and Principles, or other areas of doctrinal law. The skills are measured through a set of defined tasks that can be found on pages three-five of the NCBE’s Bar Exam Content Scope. This document also indicates which skills group each task is most closely aligned with.
Issue Spotting and Analysis, Investigation and Evaluation
Group A assesses the extent to which you can apply fundamental legal principles and legal reasoning to analyze given fact patterns.
Client Counseling and Advising, Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, Client Relationship and Management
Group B assesses the extent to which you can identify lawyering strategies within the lawyer-client relationship, based on the relevant rules and standards and consistent with a client’s objectives, interests, and constraints.
Legal Research
Group C assesses the extent to which you can identify and implement legal research strategies, including preliminary issue-spotting, working with provided resources, developing and refining a theory of the case, and reaching closure on research questions.
Legal Writing and Drafting
Group D assesses the extent to which you can complete a legal writing or drafting task based on the relevant rules and standards and consistent with a client’s objectives, interests, and constraints.
Issue Spotting and Analysis, Investigation and Evaluation
Group A assesses the extent to which you can apply fundamental legal principles and legal reasoning to analyze given fact patterns.
Client Counseling and Advising, Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, Client Relationship and Management
Group B assesses the extent to which you can identify lawyering strategies within the lawyer-client relationship, based on the relevant rules and standards and consistent with a client’s objectives, interests, and constraints.
Legal Research
Group C assesses the extent to which you can identify and implement legal research strategies, including preliminary issue-spotting, working with provided resources, developing and refining a theory of the case, and reaching closure on research questions.
Legal Writing and Drafting
Group D assesses the extent to which you can complete a legal writing or drafting task based on the relevant rules and standards and consistent with a client’s objectives, interests, and constraints.
Practice the NextGen Bar Exam Format
Themis Bar Review + UWorld has adapted to the new NextGen UBE exam format and content scope to help you develop the knowledge and skills necessary to pass the first time.
- Practice exam-style MCQs and interactive QSets®.
- Access all available NCBE-licensed NextGen MCQs and integrated question sets.
- Learn from our UGrader™ AI essay grader and dedicated attorney graders.
- Build a personalized study plan based on your availability and needs.
- Track your progress with Skills Snapshots and other analytics.
By starting your bar prep early with realistic, data-driven learning tools, you’ll be ready to pass the NextGen UBE and get another step closer to licensure.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How is the NextGen UBE different from the current UBE?
How long is the NextGen bar exam?
What subjects are on the NextGen UBE?
The NextGen bar exam features eight Foundational Concepts and Principles: Business associations and relationships, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, criminal law and constitutional protections of accused persons, evidence, real property, and torts. For specifics related to each Foundational Concept and Principle, read the NCBE’s Bar Exam Content Scope.
You should also expect to see other areas of legal knowledge on the exam that are intended to provide context for testing foundational lawyering skills. However, you will not be expected or required to develop a base of knowledge in those areas.
What skills are tested on the NextGen UBE?
Are family law, trusts, and estates on the NextGen UBE?
How should candidates study for the NextGen UBE format and subjects?
Preparing for the NextGen bar exam involves building a core base of knowledge in the exam’s Foundational Concepts and Principles, and applying them in realistic scenarios through the exam’s Foundational Skills. The goal is to build both doctrinal knowledge and practical legal reasoning. We recommend using Themis Bar Review + UWorld to:
- Build a personalized study plan.
- Practice exam-style questions.
- Read detailed answer explanations.
- Practice NCBE-licensed questions.
- Track your progress and performance.
- Review digital flashcards and notes.
- Get support from Themis + UWorld attorneys.
