On July 28–29, 2026, ten jurisdictions administer the first NextGen bar exam. Sometime this fall, they release the first NextGen results — and the first NextGen pass rates — in history.
This post tracks both: when each first-wave jurisdiction is likely to release, how the score actually reaches you, and what the inaugural pass rates should look like based on how NCBE built the exam. As of July 11, 2026, no first-wave jurisdiction has announced an exact results date. We'll update this page as announcements land, and again the day the numbers publish.
When results come out, state by state
Jurisdictions — not NCBE — announce results. The best predictor of a board's pace is its own history, so here is each first-wave state's actual July 2025 release date alongside what that pattern implies for the first NextGen cycle:
| Jurisdiction | July 2025 results (legacy exam) | Typical pace | First NextGen results — realistic window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | September 10 | ~6 weeks | Mid-September 2026 |
| Washington | September 12 | ~6 weeks | Mid-September 2026 |
| Missouri | September 24 | ~6.5 weeks | Late September 2026 |
| Oregon | September 25 | ~7 weeks | Late September–early October 2026 |
| Connecticut | October 3 | ~9–10 weeks | Early–mid October 2026 |
| Maryland | October 17 | ~10 weeks | Mid–late October 2026 |
| Guam, US Virgin Islands, N. Mariana Islands, Palau | — | Variable | Later in the fall; small candidate pools, watch each board's site |
Two honest caveats on that table:
- The legacy pattern is the optimistic bound. General guidance for the NextGen UBE is that scores are released roughly 8–12 weeks after the exam — that's September 22 through October 20 for this administration. A first-of-its-kind cycle has extra steps: 51% of the score comes from written items graded by jurisdiction graders on new rubrics, and NCBE is scaling and equating a brand-new exam form. If your state runs a week or two behind its usual pace this one time, nothing is wrong.
- Plan around the slow end, not the fast end. If you're making job-start, moving, or retake decisions, use the right-hand column plus two weeks — not the day your fastest classmate predicts on Reddit.
How the result actually reaches you
The pipeline has three stages, and knowing them stops a lot of refresh-anxiety:
- NCBE scores the exam. Multiple-choice items are machine-scored; written items are graded in your jurisdiction under NCBE calibration; then NCBE scales and equates everything into one 500–750 score and reports it to your jurisdiction.
- Your jurisdiction announces. Each board publishes results its own way — a posted pass list, an email, a portal update — on its own date. This is the moment that counts legally, and it's why neighbors in different states hear on different days.
- Your NCBE account catches up. After your jurisdiction releases results and authorizes it, your numeric score appears under Score Services in your NCBE account. If a friend can see their score and you can't, the difference is almost always jurisdiction authorization timing, not your outcome.
One transition-era wrinkle worth knowing before you plan around a transfer: NextGen scores move between NextGen jurisdictions the way UBE scores moved between UBE states, and a few boards already accept them — but New York will not accept transferred NextGen scores from exams taken before July 2028. If your plan involves waiving into another state, check that state's jurisdiction page before assuming your score travels.
The first NextGen pass rates: what to expect
There is no NextGen pass rate yet — the first one gets made this fall. But NCBE didn't leave the outcome to chance, and the design work tells you roughly what to expect:
- The passing band was engineered for continuity. NCBE's recommended 610–620 range came out of standard-setting studies with more than 80 panelists nominated from 43 jurisdictions, concordance analyses linking performance on the legacy UBE and the NextGen exam, and outcome modeling that explicitly examined how different cut scores would move jurisdictional pass rates. NCBE describes 610–620 as corresponding to the familiar 260–270 band on the legacy scale — and the first-wave states' announced scores map onto their old cuts with striking neatness.
- So the base case is continuity, not a cliff. A state that passed roughly 70–80% of July first-timers on the legacy exam should expect the same neighborhood on NextGen. The exam was explicitly calibrated so that switching formats doesn't silently raise or lower the bar.
- Expect noise, and don't panic-read it. The first wave is ten smaller jurisdictions, some with tiny candidate pools — a territory with a few dozen examinees can swing double digits year to year out of pure sample size. A first-wave state printing 62% or 84% is a data point, not a verdict on the exam.
- The clean national read arrives later. NCBE publishes aggregate statistics after jurisdictions report; the definitive first-administration picture — and any honest comparison to legacy July rates — firms up over the winter. We'll add every confirmed number to this post as it publishes.
If the news is bad: the map for February 2027
The next NextGen administration is February 23–24, 2027, and here's the fact most people miss: no new jurisdictions join in February — the same first ten administer it. If you took NextGen in July, your retake is the same exam, in the same state, about four months after results day. (Weighing a format switch, or failed the legacy UBE in a state that's changing over? The full retake decision guide walks the whole map.)
Three things to do in the week you get results, not later:
- Check your board's February registration deadline immediately. Winter deadlines are state-set and often land in late fall — uncomfortably close to a late-October results release. Your jurisdiction's page links the board site with the current dates; our dates and registration guide covers the cycle.
- Get your score's shape, not just the number. The 500–750 score comes with performance information — where you stood on multiple choice versus written work decides whether February prep means more doctrine or more performance-task reps.
- Rebuild the plan around reps, not re-reading. Four months is a real runway. A free 10-question diagnostic re-baselines you in ten minutes, and every question in our bank carries a full explanation — the fastest way to turn a near-miss into a February pass.
The tracker promise
This page reflects what's published as of July 11, 2026: no announced results dates, no pass rates in existence. As each first-wave board announces — and the day each releases — we update the table above with the confirmed dates and numbers. Sources worth watching yourself: NCBE's NextGen score portability page, NCBE's passing-score guidance, and your own board's announcements page.
Waiting on results — or already prepping for February or July 2027? The wait is exactly when a 10-minute diagnostic is worth the most: it tells you whether to relax or to start, before the stakes come back.