Majority of U.S. Jurisdictions Approve Revamped Bar Exam
A redesigned bar examination has now been approved by a majority of U.S. jurisdictions, marking a major shift in attorney licensing nationwide. On Thursday, Virginia and South Dakota announced plans to adopt the new bar exam, which is scheduled to launch in July 2026. Their decisions bring the total number of participating jurisdictions to more than half of the 56 states and U.S. territories that require a bar exam for legal licensure.
Virginia plans to begin administering the NextGen bar exam in July 2028 and will continue to include a state-specific component focused on Virginia law, according to the state’s board of examiners. South Dakota’s Supreme Court has confirmed it will transition to the new exam in July 2027.
With the addition of these two states, 29 jurisdictions have now committed to moving to the NextGen exam.
The NextGen bar exam represents the most significant overhaul of the national lawyer licensing test in 25 years. Developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners beginning in 2021, the new exam is designed to prioritize practical legal skills while reducing reliance on rote memorization.
So far, California and Nevada are the only states that have declined to adopt the NextGen exam. California is instead creating its own version of the bar exam based on the existing format, which is expected to launch in February and be available for remote administration. Nevada, meanwhile, is pursuing an alternative licensing pathway that combines traditional testing elements with a supervised legal practice requirement.
The NextGen exam eliminates the three separate components of the current bar exam—the Multistate Bar Examination, the Multistate Essay Exam, and the Multistate Performance Test. It will be fully computer-based and shorter in duration, lasting nine hours instead of the current 12.
Several states, including Florida, Illinois, and Colorado, plan to adopt the new exam between July 2026 and July 2028, after which the National Conference of Bar Examiners will discontinue the existing bar exam. New York, which has the largest number of bar examinees each year, has yet to announce its plans regarding the new testing format.
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