Short answer: The best bar prep for a repeat taker is the one that fixes what cost you points, and it may be free. If you used Themis, Barbri, Kaplan or Helix the first time and met its conditions, your repeat course costs nothing in tuition. Then add one targeted tool for your weak spot. The numbers say the retake needs a different method, not just more hours: on the July 2026 NextGen exam, repeat examinees passed at 41.0% against 85.2% for first-time examinees (NCBE).
Every price and policy below was read on the provider's own site on October 22, 2026. Pass rates are NCBE's. If you're still waiting for your result, the July 2026 results by state list every release date.
First: check whether your course gives you a free repeat
All four big full-service courses offer one free repeat, on different conditions. Claim it before you spend anything else.
| Course | Who qualifies | What you have to do | What isn't included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Themis | First-time Themis users in that jurisdiction | Send proof you failed (or withdrew or didn't sit, within 30 days of the exam). Use it for the next administration of the same exam, or the next UBE in another jurisdiction. One free repeat per enrollment. | New textbooks ($295 plus $40 shipping) |
| Barbri | Premium and Elite students: one free Premium retake in the same jurisdiction. Essentials users from July 2026: a free Premium retake for February 2027 if they completed 75% of the course and can show they sat | Retake the next time the course is offered | Supplements such as AdaptiBar, CriticalPass and Quimbee SideBar. New hard-copy books need a $250 refundable deposit plus shipping |
| Kaplan | First-time bar takers (never sat a bar exam anywhere) with a JD from an ABA-approved school, enrolled on or after August 15, 2023 | Complete the basic study requirements before the exam and sit the exam straight after the course. Claim by phone within 30 days of your results, with your official score report, course materials and student ID. One repeat only | — |
| Helix | First-time Helix users who bought the course at least six weeks before the exam | Complete 75%+ of the course, including the benchmark work (for NextGen: Simulated Exam #1, three of six Additional Practice sets, and a score above zero on three graded assignments). Claim through Helix's support form within 30 days of the failure notice, with your score report | New books and other program materials |
Two details matter for retakers:
- Not eligible? Themis lets former students return for the same jurisdiction for an $895 administrative fee (bar review course), valid for up to two years.
- Switching to NextGen: Helix's terms let you switch courses if your jurisdiction moves from the UBE to the NextGen UBE for the next administration.
Your enrollment agreement is the final word, so check it before you rely on any of this.
Then: find out what actually cost you points
Before you repeat anything, find out where the points went. The two exams report scores differently.
- Legacy UBE. The exam produces separate multiple-choice (MBE) and written component scores. A weak MBE points to volume and timing on multiple choice. A weak written score points to essay and MPT structure, which is where graded feedback earns its price.
- NextGen UBE. You get one overall score on the 500–750 scale, plus a National and a Jurisdiction Percent Below: the share of examinees who scored lower than you. NCBE says plainly that NextGen "does not produce separate multiple-choice and written scores", and it is not releasing the July 2026 written questions. So you have to find your weak spot yourself: sit a timed section in each format (standalone questions, an integrated question set, a performance task) and see where the points leak.
The NextGen score is scaled and equated, not curved. Other people's results don't move yours, and the Percent Below figures can't be compared across administrations. The scoring guide explains the scale.
The repeat gap, in numbers
| July 2026 | First-time | Repeat |
|---|---|---|
| NextGen UBE, all ten jurisdictions (NCBE national figures) | 85.2% | 41.0% |
| Oregon (NextGen) | 90% | 44% |
| Missouri (NextGen) | 85% | 34% |
| Pennsylvania | 81% | 26% |
| New York | 76% | 25% |
| Ohio | 82% | 24% |
| Texas | 79% | 23% |
| Illinois | 80% | 20% |
| Georgia | 75% | 17% |
| Florida | 75% | 15% |
State figures are from NCBE's pass-rate table, last updated October 23, 2026. Each jurisdiction defines first-time and repeat takers its own way. For NextGen, NCBE counts as first-time only someone who had never taken a bar exam anywhere. The gap is the case for changing how you prepare, not only how long.
Your options, matched to what went wrong
| Option | Price (October 22, 2026) | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|
| Your course's free repeat | $0 tuition (books extra) | You didn't finish the course, or its structure worked and you simply ran short |
| Themis, new enrollment | $1,895 paid in full or $2,095 with $25 down (list $2,995). Four months of access, November–February for the February exam | You need a full structured course. Every Themis course includes UWorld's MBE QBank |
| Barbri Premium | $2,399 sale (list $2,999). Elite is $3,399 (list $3,999) | You want lectures plus personalized feedback on NextGen written assignments, or unlimited essay feedback on the legacy exam |
| Kaplan Complete | $1,549 (list $1,999). Ultimate is $2,249 | You want a full course at a lower price |
| Helix NextGen | $1,199 plus shipping | You want the lowest-priced of the four full courses, from a nonprofit |
| JD Advising Repeat Taker Course | $3,499.99 | You're on the legacy UBE or California and writing is the gap: 20 graded essays, 11 live Q&A sessions and two one-on-one sessions |
| AdaptiBar MCQ Simulator for Retakers | $495 ($100 off for returning users) | The MBE is your gap. It adds custom diagnostics and coaching videos; the standard MCQ Simulator ($495) covers the MBE or NextGen |
| AdaptiBar Writing Guide for Retakers | $395 | Legacy UBE or California essays and performance tests |
| UWorld MBE QBank | $449 for February 2027 | You need MBE volume: 1,900+ questions, 1,150+ of them NCBE-licensed |
| BARGO | $29 for one month, $99 for lifetime access | You're retaking NextGen and need its formats: 2,900+ exam-format questions, 30 integrated question sets and 15 performance tasks, and nothing to buy again if you need another sitting |
Courses sell structure; supplements sell one skill. Buy the one that matches your gap.
If structure failed (you fell behind, skipped the written practice, or never sat a full timed section), use the free repeat if you have it, or pick one course and follow its calendar.
If one format failed (multiple choice, or writing), don't pay for the whole course again. Spend on the gap: a question bank for multiple choice, graded writing for essays and tasks.
For more on how the four big courses differ, see Barbri vs Themis vs Kaplan vs Helix.
If your February exam is NextGen
February 23–24, 2027 is a NextGen exam only where NextGen has already started: Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon and Washington, plus Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and the US Virgin Islands. NCBE's decisions table lists no jurisdiction giving its first NextGen exam in February 2027. In Oregon the passing score rises from 615 to 620.
Three things change for a NextGen retake:
- Practise the formats, not just the law. Integrated question sets (21%) and performance tasks (30%) carry just over half the score, so a plan built only on multiple choice skips just over half the points. The practice test guide lists NCBE's official practice and how to score it.
- Time is the trap. July 2026 takers reported running short of time, so practise under the clock, section by section.
- Diagnose before you rebuild. Use a free 10-question diagnostic, then a full timed section in each format.
A 17-week runway to February 23
From late October there are about 17 weeks to the exam.
- Weeks 1–2: diagnose and re-learn the rules you missed, using your free repeat's outlines or your own.
- Weeks 3–12: practise by format under time, aimed at your weak spot.
- Weeks 13–16: full timed sections or simulations.
- The last week: light review.
The February comeback plan lays this out week by week. The retake guide covers what to do if your February exam is a different exam from July's. File for February first: some boards close within days of results (see the deadlines by state). And check your state's attempt limit before you count on more tries.
Sources
- NCBE, Inaugural NextGen UBE Results, September 25, 2026
- NCBE, bar exam pass rates by jurisdiction, July 2026 table, last updated October 23, 2026
- NCBE, NextGen UBE scores and score portability
- NCBE, NextGen UBE decisions by jurisdiction
- Themis, enrollment policies and pricing
- Barbri, Bar Review Guarantee and 2027 pricing
- Kaplan, pass guarantee eligibility and bar review courses
- Helix Bar Review, pass guarantee and Helix NextGen
- JD Advising, repeat taker course options
- AdaptiBar, pricing
- UWorld Legal, MBE QBank
