Search "bar exam study guide PDF" and the results are mostly one of three things: scanned outlines for an exam that no longer exists in most states, course books someone shouldn't be sharing, or a signup form for a "free guide" that turns out to be a brochure. For the NextGen exam the problem is sharper, because a study guide written before July 2026 has no select-two questions, no integrated question sets, no performance tasks with rubrics, and no idea that Family Law becomes a ninth subject in July 2028.
So here is what is actually free and current, what a NextGen study guide has to contain, and the free first chapters of all ten of ours — as PDF and EPUB, no purchase required — with the numbers on what the full volumes hold and cost as of September 20, 2026.
What's free and worth having
Two sources, and they do different jobs.
NCBE, free. The Content Scope outlines for every subject, with the starred topics that must be known from memory, plus sample questions in every format and a free preview of the exam software. This is the syllabus, not a study guide: it tells you what will be tested, not the rules themselves. NCBE also sells Sourcebooks — its own subject texts — at $45 each.
Our sample chapters, free. Each of the ten BARGO study guides has a free sample: the volume's front matter and its first chapter exactly as it appears in the book, with five exam-format practice questions and their explanations for the subject volumes. The samples run 21 to 33 pages, arrive by email as PDF and EPUB, and are meant to answer the only question that matters before buying a book — whether the writing teaches you.
What a NextGen study guide has to contain
A study guide for this exam has four jobs a legacy outline never had. It has to be mapped to NCBE's Content Scope, chapter by chapter, with the starred topics marked so you know what to memorize and what to recognize. It has to practice both multiple-choice formats — select one of four and select two of six — because the second format doesn't exist in MBE-era books and rewards a different elimination method. It has to include integrated question sets and performance tasks with model answers and rubrics, since written and applied work is 51% of the score and is graded against fixed scoring guides. And it has to carry a date: the first administration was July 28–29, 2026, the pass band is 610–620 on a 500–750 scale, and the subject list changes in July 2028.
Our buyer's guide to NextGen books and outlines guide apply those tests to what's on the market, ours included. The rest of this post is the free-sample inventory.
The ten free sample chapters
Every volume follows the same chapter shape: an opener stating what you'll be able to explain by the end, with study time and NCBE's star marker; plain-English notes with rule text, tips and traps in place; then single-answer and select-two questions in the NextGen format with separate-page answers that explain why the best option wins and why each distractor fails; and a flashcard appendix. The sample is chapter one of each.
| Vol. | Study guide | Chapters | Questions | Flashcards | Pages | Free sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business Associations | 9 | 297 | 400 | 623 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 2 | Civil Procedure | 11 | 365 | 490 | 754 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 3 | Constitutional Law | 11 | 380 | 496 | 778 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 4 | Contracts | 11 | 368 | 498 | 773 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 5 | Criminal Law & Constitutional Protections | 11 | 377 | 509 | 763 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 6 | Evidence | 10 | 330 | 451 | 683 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 7 | Real Property | 10 | 311 | 454 | 657 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 8 | Torts | 12 | 386 | 521 | 788 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 9 | Family Law & Trusts and Estates Practice | 6 | 178 | 230 | 389 | First chapter + 5 questions |
| 10 | Integrated Question Sets & Performance Tasks | 6 | 30 sets, 15 tasks | — | 680 | Method chapter |
Across the set: 97 chapters, 2,992 practice questions and 4,049 flashcards. Each volume is $9.99; all ten are $44.99, which is about 55% off buying them separately. Each purchase is an instant PDF and EPUB download you own outright — and because it's a download, sales are final, which is the reason the samples exist.
Two volumes deserve a note. Volume 9 covers the two subjects the exam tests with provided law through February 2028 and, for family law, as full doctrine from July 2028 — the chapters are written for both eras, and the provided-resource guide explains the difference. Volume 10 is the written half of the exam: all 30 integrated question sets and 15 performance tasks with model answers, grading notes and rubrics on NCBE's scales; its sample is the method chapter, so it has no practice items but shows how the sets and tasks are taught.
How to get a sample
Open any volume's page from the books page, enter an email address in the sample box, and the first chapter arrives as PDF and EPUB links — the PDF for printing and working questions on paper, the EPUB for a Kindle, Apple Books or Kobo. Read the notes, do the five questions against the clock (1.8 minutes each is the exam's pace), and check the answer explanations against how you reasoned. If the chapter teaches, the book will; if it doesn't, you've spent nothing.
Using a study guide alongside practice
A study guide is the reading layer. The exam is passed on reps: multiple-choice at pace, question sets and tasks graded against rubrics, full timed sections in the last month. The books carry the same chapters and questions as the BARGO platform, which adds the timers, spaced-repetition flashcards, analytics and the set and task players — they're separate products, and neither includes the other. The seven-step study plan shows where the reading fits and where the reps take over; the free planner puts both on a calendar.
Start with a sample chapter in your weakest subject — the free diagnostic will tell you which — and judge the writing before you judge the price.
