Bar Preparation / Law School Announcements / Office of the Dean

ALL STUDENTS READ THIS! | Bar Exam Information (all classes)

by Cheryl Edwards · October 24, 2025

Dear Students:

Over the next several years, the bar exam will change for most US states, territories, and the District of Columbia. In most jurisdictions, the current bar exam is known as the Uniform Bar Examination (aka the “legacy UBE”). The new bar exam is called the NextGen UBE.

This post provides information about the legacy-NextGen transition for students who intend to sit for the bar exam between July 2026 and February 2028. Regardless of which exam you will take, we encourage you to meet with the Director of Bar Preparation, Professor DeShun Harris for additional information and guidance.

Tennessee:

Final administration of the legacy UBE: February 2027

First administration of the NextGen UBE: July 2027

Both the UBE and the NextGen provide portable bar exam scores, meaning that a qualifying UBE score earned in one UBE jurisdiction may be used to apply for admission to other UBE jurisdictions. To find out if the jurisdiction in which you wish to be licensed administers and/or accepts scores earned through the UBE, visit https://www.ncbex.org/jurisdictions.

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:

o Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)

o Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

o 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.

Scroll down for helpful links and resources.

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.

Scroll down for helpful links and resources.

Legacy UBE Links:

· About the legacy UBE

· Legacy UBE Content, Content Outlines, and Sample Questions: Multistate Essay Examination, Multistate Performance Test, Multistate Bar Examination

· Legacy UBE Portability & Score Services

· Legacy UBE Study Aids

· How Are Questions Written for NCBE’s Exams? Part One: Two Multiple-Choice Question Drafters Share the Process

· How Are Questions Written for NCBE’s Exams? Part Two: Two Written-Component Question Drafters Share the Process

· It’s All Relative—MEE and MPT Grading, That Is

· Transferring UBE Scores Between Jurisdictions

· Six Things I Wish Applicants Knew About Admission by Transferred UBE Score

· UBE Jurisdictions Testing Local Law Components