In 2018, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) launched a nationwide study with the purpose of ensuring that the bar exam continued to test the knowledge and skills new lawyers needed to have early in their careers. They gathered insights from legal professionals across the board — judges, law professors, practicing attorneys, and bar administrators. It concluded in 2021 with a set of recommendations for developing a new bar exam. This was the beginning of the next generation of the Uniform Bar Examination, or NextGen UBE.
Think Like a Lawyer from Day One
The NextGen UBE that will begin rolling out in a few jurisdictions in July 2026 will test a broad range of core lawyering skills. It’s about more than just knowing the law; it's about using it effectively. The NextGen UBE will use clearly identified fundamental legal concepts and principles to assess how a candidate applies knowledge, makes decisions, and solves real-world legal problems.
Bar Exam Questions Built for Modern Legal Practice
Unlike the legacy UBE — with its segmented Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and Multistate Performance Test (MPT) — the NextGen UBE will integrate three broad categories of questions into one cohesive test experience:
- Standalone multiple-choice questions
- Integrated question sets
- Performance tasks
All three question types will appear together in each timed block on the bar exam. This integrated format will ensure that you are constantly shifting between different modes of legal analysis, just as you would during a typical workday.
Wondering how your lawyering capabilities will be put to the test? Let’s explore some sample NextGen UBE questions that could come straight out of a day in the life of a practicing attorney.
Sample NextGen UBE Multiple-Choice Question 1
Your client, a bank, purchased a mortgage and promissory note from a credit union that had lent a borrower money to help finance the purchase of a home. The borrower has stopped making the payments on that obligation, and the client has initiated a foreclosure action. Another lender has now come forward, claiming that they have a prior mortgage on the same land and should be paid before your client from any money collected via foreclosure.
Which of the following legal topics is the most likely to affect whether the client can collect what is owed on its mortgage and promissory note before the other lender? Select one.
A. Covenants of title.
B. Deficiency statutes.
C. Recording statutes.
D. Statute of frauds.
Did you answer correctly? Find out at NCBE.org.
Sample NextGen UBE Multiple-Choice Question 2
A landlord and a tenant orally agreed to a commercial tenancy for a term of six months beginning on July 1. Rent was to be paid by the first day of each month, and the tenant paid the first month’s rent at the time of the agreement.
When the tenant arrived at the leased premises on July 1, the tenant learned that the previous tenant had not vacated the premises at the end of her lease term on May 31 and did not intend to vacate. The tenant then successfully sued the previous tenant for possession. The tenant did not inform the landlord of the eviction action until after the tenant received possession.
The tenant then sued the landlord, claiming damages for that portion of the lease period during which the tenant was not in possession.
If the court finds for the landlord, what will be the most likely explanation? Select one.
A. By suing the previous tenant for possession, the tenant elected that remedy in lieu of a suit against the landlord.
B. The landlord had delivered the legal right of possession to the tenant.
C. The tenant failed to timely vacate as required to sue for constructive eviction.
D. The tenant had not notified the landlord before bringing the eviction action.
Did you answer correctly? Find out at NCBE.org.
For sample NextGen UBE Integrated Question Sets and Performance Tasks, visit the NCBE website.
Bar Prep That’s Evolving with the NextGen UBE
The above sample questions offer a taste of how the new bar exam format emphasizes core legal subjects and skills. To fully prepare you for the NextGen UBE, you need a bar prep partner that understands this new landscape and has built a curriculum specifically designed for it.
BARBRI NextGen UBE prep is ready to meet you where you are on your bar prep journey with cutting-edge tools, expert courses, and the right support to help you learn what's important to pass this skills-focused bar exam.
Immersive Skills Scenarios put you in real-world legal situations that promote:
- Hands-on learning through expert-led interactive formats that allow you to tackle unfolding legal problems with the skill and mindset of a lawyer.
- Exam familiarity through practice with integrated questions modeled directly after the NextGen UBE exam format.
Plus, our bar exam practice tests help you think critically, draw connections, and build the judgment that the exam requires:
- Strategic practice enables you to solve realistic problems that mirror the questions on the NextGen UBE — including short-answer, practical tasks, and multi-format issues.
- Critical thinking tasks and integrated questions help you learn the exam structure and how to synthesize information and apply it to complex scenarios, so you feel prepared on test day.
The NextGen UBE represents the creation of a licensing exam that is more relevant and a better measure of readiness for practice. To meet this new challenge, you need a new kind of preparation. When you are ready to pass the bar and launch your career, BARBRI is here to support you every step of the way.
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