West Virginia and North Dakota will begin administering the NextGen bar exam in July 2027, joining 25 other jurisdictions that plan to adopt the new exam, the National Conference of Bar Examiners announced Tuesday.
The organization developed the exam and currently provides bar exam content for 54 of 56 U.S. jurisdictions. In the U.S., the highest court in each jurisdiction has authority over the admission of attorneys to practice in its courts, aided by its own bar admissions agency. The NextGen bar exam will replace the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) that West Virginia and North Dakota currently use and will serve as the basis for score portability between participating jurisdictions.