Ohio to Administer NextGen Bar Exam Beginning July 2028

The Ohio Supreme Court has announced its intention to administer the NextGen Bar Exam starting in July 2028. With this decision, Ohio joins 33 jurisdictions that have committed to adopting this new attorney licensure exam, developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).

The NextGen Bar Exam is designed to align closely with the real-world responsibilities of newly licensed attorneys, focusing on nine areas of legal doctrine and seven foundational lawyering skills. These include key subjects such as civil procedure, evidence, and criminal law, along with skills such as legal research, client counseling, negotiation, and issue analysis. Ethical considerations are woven into the exam underscoring the importance of professional integrity.

Unlike the current bar exam, which spans two days and involves 12 hours of testing, the NextGen Bar Exam occurs over one and a half days—six hours on the first day and three hours on the second. This updated structure underscores the exam's focus on efficiency and relevance, aligning with the advancements in modern legal education and practice.

"The skills required of our new lawyers have changed over time, and an exam that better tests those skills is needed. The NextGen Bar Exam is designed to meet that need," noted Michel Jendretzky, Attorney Services Director at the Supreme Court of Ohio. "By testing foundational skills together with legal concepts, the NextGen Bar Exam attempts to achieve a practice-ready assessment. This aligns with our goals of advancing professionalism and public trust in the judiciary."

Further aligning with that goal, and to ensure a competent Ohio bar, the Court has also instructed its Board of Bar Examiners to re-evaluate the current Ohio Law Component examination to ensure it sufficiently supplements any skills and concepts lacking in the NextGen Bar Exam, such as IRAC-style writing and estates and trusts.

Developed through a multi-year nationwide legal practice analysis, the NextGen Bar Exam integrates feedback from stakeholders and reflects changes in law schools' curricula, such as the integration of clinical legal education and dispute resolution programs. Like its predecessor, the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), the NextGen Bar Exam supports score portability, allowing attorneys to transfer their scores between participating jurisdictions.  Portability of scores is crucial to attracting legal talent to and retaining legal talent in Ohio, and was a key factor in the recommendation to adopt the NextGen Bar Exam in Ohio.

Learn more at supremecourt.ohio.gov and for details about the NextGen Bar Exam, visit the NCBE website at www.ncbex.org.