Bar Examination
California Supreme Courtroom approves adoption of NextGen Uniform Bar Examination
The California Supreme Courtroom has authorised adoption of the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination.(Picture from Shutterstock)
The California Supreme Courtroom on Wednesday approved a State Bar of California suggestion changing the present Normal Bar Examination with the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination starting in July 2028. The choice follows a messy rollout of the state’s try and create its personal examination.
The court docket additionally directed the State Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners to submit a proposal for a California-specific take a look at element to accompany the Nationwide Convention of Bar Examiners’ NextGen examination. The Committee of Bar Examiners was given a Feb. 26, 2027 deadline. The California-specific take a look at is slated to start in July 2029. Due to this fact for one yr, people sitting for the state bar examination is not going to should take a California-specific take a look at element.
If adopted by the court docket, the California-specific element would take a look at areas of California legislation and should embrace topics at present lined, in addition to state employment legislation and household legislation.
The California Supreme Courtroom laid out in its order that the bar examination will proceed to be administered in-person on the final Tuesdays in February and July annually. The size of every session, the order of testing and the general size of the examination could also be modified for candidates who’ve been granted sure testing lodging, the court docket mentioned in its order.
In Could, the State Bar of California’s board of trustees unanimously voted to suggest to the California Supreme Courtroom that the Nationwide Convention of Bar Examiners’ NextGen examination be administered beginning in July 2028.
The push to make modifications to California’s bar examination course of will be traced to the state’s failed February 2025 administration of a brand new, proprietary examination written by take a look at prep firm Kaplan and administered by Meazure Studying that skilled a number of troubles.
After that, the California Supreme Courtroom ordered a return to the NCBE’s Multistate Bar Examination till the group sunsets the UBE in 2028. Below California legislation, there have to be a minimum of a discover of two years earlier than the state could make substantial modifications to how the examination is run.
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