NOTICE TO THE BAR - SUPREME COURT AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE “NEXTGEN” BAR EXAMINATION - REQUEST FOR COMMENT

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

New Jersey’s Supreme Court created the Ad Hoc Committee on the “NextGen” Bar Examination to solicit public and stakeholder input on whether the state should replace its current bar exam format. The notice explains the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) administered since February 2017, including its portability and standardized components, and describes the NCBE’s plan to transition to the refined NextGen exam, ending UBE production after February 2028. The committee requests written comments by March 19, with submission instructions and non-anonymous requirement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Request for Comment

Background: UBE and its benefits

Transition to NextGen and key differences

How to submit comments

NOTICE TO THE BAR SUPREME COURT AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE“NEXTGEN” BAR EXAMINATION – REQUEST FOR COMMENT The New Jersey Supreme Court created the Ad Hoc Committee on the“NextGen” Bar Examination to review and recommend to the Court whether New Jersey should adopt the NextGen exam as a replacement for the state’s existing bar examination format. The Court has administered the current exam--the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) --since February 2017. The UBE is created by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (the NCBE) and contains several professionally developed testing components. Beyond assessing competency to practice law, the UBE provides the additional benefit of portable scores that can be used in applications for admission in the forty plus jurisdictions that administer the UBE. Following a three-year study to ensure that the bar exam continues to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for competent entry-level legal practice, the NCBE has announced that it will be providing a newly refined bar exam. The NCBE will stop producing all components of the UBE after the February 2028 bar exam administration and thereafter will offer only the NextGen exam. Also, distinct parts of the NextGen exam will not be available for separate use; the test must be used as a whole. Thus, there will no longer be available a multi-state examination component that may be combined with a locally developed bar exam. The Supreme Court has charged the Ad Hoc Committee with studying the NextGen exam, elevating public awareness of the issue and decision-point faced by the Court, soliciting input from stakeholders and the public, and, ultimately, submitting a report setting forth their views and a recommendation on whether New Jersey should adopt for use the NextGen exam. With that as its charge, the Ad Hoc Committee hereby requests written comments from the legal community and interested members of the public. Comments may be sent by March 19 , to the Ad Hoc Committee on the NextGen Bar Examination, Attention: Committee Staff Karen June, Supreme Court Clerk’s Office, Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 973, Trenton, New Jersey, 08625-0973. Comments may also be submitted via e-mail to the following [address: ](address: Comments.Mailbox@judiciary.state.nj.us)[Comments.Mailbox@judiciary.state.nj.us](address: Comments.Mailbox@judiciary.state.nj.us). Those submitting comments by mail should include their name and address, and those submitting comments by e-mail should include their name and e-mail address. The Ad Hoc Committee will not consider comments submitted anonymously. Comments are subject to public disclosure. Justice Jaynee LaVecchia (retired), Chair Ad Hoc Committee on the NextGen Bar Examination Dated: February 19 , 2025 SUPREME COURT AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE NEXTGEN BAR EXAMINATION TO THE LEGAL COMMUNITY AND INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC – REQUEST FOR COMMENT: The Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on the NextGen Bar Examination requests comments to inform its recommendation as to whether New Jersey should adopt the NextGen bar exam. By way of background, in 2016, following careful study by an Ad Hoc Committee, the Court adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) as a replacement for the state’s then-existing bar examination format. The UBE is a standardized test drafted by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), and is uniformly administered, graded, and scored in forty-one participating jurisdictions. The adoption of the UBE brought with it considerable benefits for applicants while continuing to protect the public by ensuring the applicants’minimum competency to practice law. The test is professionally developed and tested for reliability, fairness, and consistency in scoring to broadly enable its usefulness to licensing authorities. Unlike the prior test format that contained essays drafted by the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners and 200 multiple-choice questions produced by the NCBE,

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Ad Hoc Committee on the “NextGen” Bar Examination?

The committee studies the NextGen exam and seeks input to recommend whether New Jersey should adopt it as a replacement for the current bar exam format.

What is the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) and why is it important?

The UBE is a standardized exam administered in participating jurisdictions and includes professionally developed testing components. It is designed to support minimum competency while providing portable scores for admissions in other jurisdictions.

When will New Jersey potentially transition to the NextGen exam, and what happens to the UBE?

NCBE will stop producing UBE components after the February 2028 administration, after which only NextGen will be offered. Jurisdictions may administer NextGen as early as July 2026 or continue with UBE until February 2028.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret