NextGen Bar Exam Jurisdictions—Date of First Administration, Acceptance of Transferred Scores, and Jurisdiction-Specific Components – NCBE Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements

The NextGen bar exam is set to debut in a limited number of jurisdictions in July 2026. The last administration of the current bar exam will be the February 2028 administration. The NextGen bar exam will be administered over one and a half days, with two three-hour sessions on day one and one three-hour session on day two. Jurisdictions that administer their own local law components may elect to extend day two for that purpose.

Click anywhere in a row to see a summary of that jurisdiction’s answers.

Jurisdiction :

Date of first NextGen bar exam administration :

Date accepting transferred NextGen scores :

Will completion of a jurisdiction-specific component be required before admission? :

ID	Jurisdiction	Date of first NextGen bar exam administration	Date accepting transferred NextGen scores	Will completion of a jurisdiction-specific component be required before admission?
1	Alaska	July 2028	July 2026	No
2	Arizona	July 2027	July 2026	Yes
3	Colorado	July 2028	TBD	TBD
4	Connecticut	July 2026	July 2026	No
5	Delaware	February 2028	TBD	Yes
6	District of Columbia	February 2028	TBD	TBD
7	Florida	July 2028	TBD	TBD
8	Georgia	July 2028	TBD	Yes
9	Hawaii	July 2028	—	Yes
10	Idaho	July 2026	July 2026	No
11	Illinois	2028 (see suppl. remarks)	TBD	No
12	Indiana	July 2028	TBD	TBD
13	Iowa	July 2027	TBD	TBD
14	Kansas	July 2028	TBD	No
15	Kentucky	July 2027	TBD	No
16	Maine	July 2028	TBD	TBD
17	Maryland	July 2026	July 2026	Yes
18	Massachusetts	July 2028	TBD	Yes
19	Minnesota	July 2027	TBD	No
20	Missouri	July 2026	July 2026	Yes
21	Nebraska	July 2027	TBD	TBD
22	New Mexico	July 2027	TBD	Yes
23	New York	July 2028	TBD	TBD
24	North Dakota	July 2027	TBD	No
25	Ohio	July 2028	TBD	TBD
26	Oklahoma	July 2027	July 2026	No
27	Oregon	July 2026	TBD	TBD
28	Rhode Island	July 2028	TBD	TBD
29	South Dakota	July 2027	TBD	TBD
30	Tennessee	July 2027	TBD	TBD
31	Texas	July 2028	TBD	Yes
32	Utah	July 2028	TBD	No
33	Vermont	July 2027	TBD	No
34	Virginia	July 2028	July 2028	Yes
35	Washington	July 2026	July 2026	Yes
36	West Virginia	July 2027	TBD	No
37	Wyoming	July 2027	TBD	No
38	Guam	July 2026	TBD	TBD
39	Northern Mariana Islands	July 2026	TBD	TBD
40	Virgin Islands	July 2026	July 2026	Yes

Supplemental Remarks

What is the date of first NextGen bar exam administration?

Illinois Illinois has not yet finalized whether its first administration will be in February or July of 2028.

On what date will NextGen scores be accepted for transfer?

Hawaii Hawaii does not intend to accept transferred NextGen scores.

Minnesota Minnesota plans to accept transfers of NextGen scores once a NextGen score has been set for Minnesota.

Will completion of a jurisdiction-specific component be required before admission?

Arizona Online course on Arizona law will be required prior to admission for all applicants.

Delaware The Delaware essay portion of the bar exam will include four essays and will be administered in half a day.

Georgia The content and format of the Georgia-specific component is to be determined.

Hawaii 15 multiple-choice questions based on the Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct.

Maryland Prior to bar admission, all applicants must complete the Maryland Law Component, which consists of online outlines of significant distinctions of Maryland substantive law and procedure followed by an online confirmatory quiz.

Missouri Rules require an open-book online test, the Missouri Educational Component Test (MECT), for applicants to complete as a condition of licensure. Review materials are posted to assist applicants.

New Mexico The format of the New Mexico–specific component is to be determined.

Virginia The Virginia-specific exam will be a multiple-choice exam administered on day two of NextGen testing. It will be 3 hours long or less. The number of questions is to be determined. Subjects that will be covered are domestic relations; evidence; torts; Virginia civil procedure; Virginia criminal law and procedure; and wills, trusts, and estates.

Washington Washington Law Component (WLC) is an open-book, timed, online multiple-choice test with Washington-specific study materials available online to review prior to and during the test.