When Is Your State Switching to the NextGen Bar Exam?

Between July 2026 and July 2028, essentially every US jurisdiction either switches to the NextGen bar exam or commits to something else. Which side of a wave your state lands on decides which exam you study for, which passing score applies to you, and — if your timeline straddles the switch — whether a retake means learning a new format.

This is the complete state-by-state timeline: every jurisdiction, its first NextGen administration, its passing score (announced or TBA), and what it attaches on top. Everything below is checked against NCBE's decisions-by-jurisdiction table (which NCBE last updated July 16, 2026) as of July 17, 2026. For the live version with each state's own page, use the jurisdictions hub.

What changed in July 2026

Three boards moved in the last two weeks — worth knowing even if your state isn't one of them, because each one shrinks the "undecided" map:

• California is in. On July 15, 2026, the California Supreme Court approved NextGen adoption starting July 2028. California keeps its own two-day exam until then; the court set the passing standard as equivalent to its current 1390/2000 line (no 500–750-scale number yet) and ordered a proposal for a California-law component by early 2027. The largest bar-candidate population in the country now has a switch date.
• Montana is in. Its adoption was announced in mid-July: NCBE now lists Montana for February 2028 — the first new addition to that small wave since it formed.
• Massachusetts named its number. The only fresh passing-score announcement of the month: 620, matching its legacy 270 cut. (Full score map in passing scores by state.)

By NCBE's own count, 52 of the 56 US jurisdictions have now announced NextGen plans. That leaves Arkansas as the last state with no adoption decision, and Mississippi as the only adopter without a date.

The forcing function: the legacy UBE ends in February 2028

The single most important date in this post isn't an adoption date at all. NCBE administers the legacy UBE for the last time in February 2028. After that, a UBE jurisdiction that hasn't adopted NextGen has nothing left to administer — which is why the July 2028 wave is by far the largest, and why even Arkansas will resolve its status before then.

July 2026 — the first wave (10 jurisdictions)

On July 28–29, 2026, these ten administer the first NextGen bar exam in history:

Notice the pattern in the right-hand column: several first-wave jurisdictions pair the uniform exam with a small state-specific component. The NextGen score travels; the local requirement doesn't. And note Oregon's escalator — the only passing score announced with a built-in increase.

February 2027 is these same ten. No jurisdiction joins between the first administration and the second — the next expansion is July 2027.

July 2027 — the second wave (13 jurisdictions)

Candidates in these states face the classic transition question: February 2027 on the legacy UBE, or July 2027 on NextGen? The full July 2027 wave guide walks this fork in depth; two honest considerations here:

1. Prep materials. Legacy UBE prep is mature; NextGen prep is younger but purpose-built. What matters is matching your materials to your exam — not guessing which exam is "easier."
2. The retake tail. A February 2027 attempt that doesn't pass leads to a July retake on a different exam in these states. If you're not confident of a first-time pass, jumping straight to the format you'd retake under removes the double-preparation risk. The arithmetic is in retaking across the switch.

February 2028 — the small wave (now 4 jurisdictions)

This wave runs alongside the very last legacy UBE administration — the two exams coexist for exactly one final cycle.

July 2028 — the big wave (24 jurisdictions)

The bar exam's center of gravity moves here. With California's July 15 approval, this wave is no longer carrying an asterisk:

Three things stand out in this wave:

• The giants are all here — for real now. New York, California, Texas, and Florida together account for a huge share of all US bar candidates, and as of this month every one of them has a firm date. The law-school classes of 2028 in those states are NextGen's first mass cohort.
• Transfer restrictions bite before then. New York and Florida won't accept transferred NextGen scores from administrations before July 2028, and Hawaii isn't accepting transfers at all. If your plan is "test in a 2026 state, waive into New York," that route doesn't open until July 2028 — check New York's page before building around it.
• Some states add components. Texas, Alabama, Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina all attach state-law components; California's is still being designed. A transferred score never satisfies these.

Adopted, but no date: Mississippi

Mississippi adopted the NextGen exam in July 2025 but still hasn't set its first administration — the only jurisdiction in that position. Until it does, candidates keep taking the current exam. (Despite what you may see repeated elsewhere, NCBE lists no date and no passing score for Mississippi as of July 17, 2026 — be wary of unsourced numbers.)

The last undecided state: Arkansas

Arkansas hasn't adopted — but it isn't ignoring the question either. Its Board of Law Examiners recommended adopting NextGen for July 2028; the Arkansas Supreme Court instead ordered a study (covering the 2026 jurisdictions' outcomes, alternative exams, a possible Arkansas-specific component, and passing scores) with recommendations due December 31, 2026. Meanwhile its legacy UBE simply sunsets in February 2028 — so anyone targeting July 2028 or later there should expect NextGen or a successor by necessity, and the study's deadline means clarity is coming within months.

The different paths: Nevada, Louisiana, Puerto Rico

• Nevada opted out entirely. From 2027 it runs the "Nevada Plan": a Foundational Law Exam of 100 MCQs, a performance exam, and supervised practice — the MBE is gone.
• Louisiana remains the civil-law outlier it has always been, with its own three-day exam. It never used the MBE, so there is nothing to switch from.
• Puerto Rico administers its Spanish-language reválida; no MBE, no UBE, no MPRE.

Testing early and transferring in

A quirk of the transition worth knowing: many states accept transferred NextGen scores years before they administer the exam themselves. Per NCBE's table, Utah has accepted 610+ transfers since July 2026; Arizona, Minnesota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming accept 620+; Ohio opens to 620+ transfers in November 2026 — all ahead of their own first administrations. The transfer minimum is not always the same number as the passing score, and the exceptions (New York, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia's 2028 start) are exactly where careless plans die. The full portability picture is in passing scores by state.

How to use this timeline

1. Find your state's page on the jurisdictions hub — first date, passing score, UBE cut during the transition, MPRE rule, and any state component.
2. Work backward from your realistic date. Bar prep calendars are built in weeks; our free study plan generates one keyed to the exact administrations your state offers.
3. If you're in a 2027–2028 wave state and might retake, read NextGen vs. the legacy UBE before choosing which side of the switch to sit.
4. If you're already in a NextGen state, skip the timeline anxiety and start on the format: the complete exam guide and a 10-question diagnostic are the fastest orientation.
5. If you trained abroad, settle eligibility before format — the credential-evaluation deadline runs months ahead of the application, and New York and California don't reach NextGen until July 2028: the LL.M. and foreign-lawyer guide.

Adoption data on this site is sourced from NCBE's published decisions table and refreshed as boards announce — this post was last verified against it on July 17, 2026. When your state's board says something new, the state page says it too.