Legacy UBE vs. NextGen UBE: Similarities and Differences

As jurisdictions across the country transition from the legacy UBE to the NextGen UBE, understanding the differences — and the similarities — between the two exams is crucial.

Key Similarities:

• Purpose: Assess examinees’ readiness for legal practice, focusing on the legal knowledge and skills most necessary within the first three years after licensure.
• Subject Matter: Test the same general subject areas: business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, criminal law, evidence, real property, and torts (see About the Legacy UBE below for info on additional MEE subject areas). Family law will be added to the NextGen UBE in July 2028.
• Source: Developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and administered by individual jurisdictions. You’ll apply to take the exam in your preferred jurisdiction, and the jurisdiction will determine your eligibility to take the exam.
• Test Accommodations: Examinees seeking test accommodations apply through their jurisdiction, which makes all accommodations decisions.
• Dates: Administered twice yearly, on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July.
• Portability: Produce portable scores for transfer to participating jurisdictions.

Key Differences:

• Duration: Legacy UBE is 12 hours over two days; NextGen UBE is 9 hours over 1.5 days.
• Delivery: Legacy UBE uses printed materials, Scantrons, and examinees’ laptops; NextGen UBE is administered entirely on examinees’ laptops.
• Content Focus: Both cover core legal knowledge, but the NextGen UBE expands on the legal skills tested on the legacy UBE, emphasizing issue spotting, research, writing, client counseling, and negotiation.
• Question Structure: Legacy UBE includes multiple-choice questions, essays, and performance tests; NextGen UBE includes multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks.

About the Legacy Uniform Bar Exam

Exam Details:

• Administration:Twice annually (February and July). Final administration is February 2028.

• Format: 12 hours over two days. Administered In person at jurisdiction-managed sites.
• Question Types:
  • Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
  • Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
  • Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
• Delivery: Exam is administered using printed exam booklets. Examinees may choose to use their laptops to answer the MEE and MPT. For the MBE, answers are submitted on Scantron forms.
• Subjects Tested:Business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, criminal law, evidence, real property, and torts. Through February 2026 only, the legacy UBE will also test conflict of laws, family law, trusts and estates, and secured transactions.
• Skills Tested: Issue spotting, legal analysis and reasoning, factual analysis, communication, organization and management of a legal task, and recognizing and resolving legal dilemmas.
• Scoring: NCBE grades multiple-choice questions; jurisdictions grade written components.
• Portability: Scores earned on the legacy UBE are portable to other legacy UBE jurisdictions.

About the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam

The NextGen UBE will be administered by select jurisdictions starting in July 2026, with more to follow during each successive administration.

Exam Details:

• Administration: Twice annually (February and July). First administration is July 2026 (select jurisdictions).
• Format: 9 hours over 1.5 days.
• Delivery: Computer-based, using NCBE's secure testing browser on examinee laptops at jurisdiction-managed sites.
• Subjects Tested: Business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, criminal law, evidence, real property, and torts.
• Skills Assessed: Legal research, legal writing, issue spotting and analysis, investigation and evaluation, client counseling and advising, negotiation and dispute resolution, and client relationship and management.
• Question Formats: Multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets (simulating real-world legal tasks), and performance tasks.
• Scoring: NCBE scores multiple-choice; jurisdictions score written portions.
• Portability: NextGen UBE scores earned in any jurisdiction may be transferred for admission to any other jurisdiction that accepts portable scores.

For guidance as to which exam applies to your jurisdiction (or the jurisdiction in which you’re looking to practice), or for help with bar preparation resources, please contact our school’s Academic Success team for additional information and guidance.