NextGen

Minnesota currently plans to begin administering the NextGen UBE in July 2027.

The NextGen UBE will include a mix of question types, including multiple choice, short answer and constructed-response questions, such as short essays and performance tasks. Approximately 40% of the exam time will be devoted to stand-alone multiple-choice questions with between four and six answer options and one or more correct answers. Just under a quarter of the exam time will be devoted to integrated question sets. Each of these sets is based on a common fact scenario and may include some legal resources (e.g., excerpts of statutes or judicial opinions) and/or supplemental documents (e.g., a police report or excerpt from a deposition) and include a mixture of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Approximately a third of the exam time will be devoted to three performance tasks. These tasks, like current Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions, will require examinees to demonstrate their ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in realistic situations, completing tasks that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish.

Yes, the NCBE has Study Aids available on their website.

The NextGen UBE will test the following subjects: business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, criminal law, evidence, family law (beginning in 2028), real property and torts; and will test the following lawyering skills: legal research, legal writing, issue spotting and analysis, investigation and evaluation, client counseling and advising, negotiation and dispute resolution, and client relationship and management.

The NextGen UBE will be 9 hours long, administered over 1.5 days (6 hours on day one and 3 hours on day two.)  The exam will be given in three-hour segments, with a lunch break between the two segments on day one.

Multiple-choice questions and other question types that can be machine-scored will be scored by the NCBE, while the constructed-response questions (essays and performance tasks) will continue to be graded by the jurisdiction in which the individual takes the exam.

Yes. Minnesota plans to accept certified NextGen scores that meet or exceed the NextGen score required to pass in Minnesota. On March 4, 2026, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an order advising that the Board will accept NextGen UBE scores of 620 or higher on an interim basis beginning with the July 2026 examination. The Court emphasized that this order should not be taken as an indication that the court will adopt 620 as Minnesota’s passing score but will instead allow the Board time to carefully consider the data and develop and recommend a passing score for the NextGen UBE to the Court. Once Minnesota sets a score, it will retroactively apply to the July 2026 examination. Please refer to the order for additional information.

Minnesota will begin accepting NextGen scores following the July 2026 test administration. On March 4, 2026, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an order advising that the Board will accept NextGen UBE scores of 620 or higher on an interim basis beginning with the July 2026 examination. The Court emphasized that this order should not be taken as an indication that the court will adopt 620 as Minnesota’s passing score but will instead allow the Board time to carefully consider the data and develop and recommend a passing score for the NextGen UBE to the Court. Please refer to the order for additional information.

If you achieve a score of 620 or higher on the July 2026 NextGen UBE, you will be able to apply in Minnesota as soon as the results are known.

The NextGen Bar Exam will produce portable scores for all jurisdictions that agree to accept the NextGen score.  Jurisdictions may use the NextGen exam without agreeing to accept NextGen scores.  Please check with the jurisdiction in which you seek admission to determine if the score will be transferable. The NCBE also has published NextGen UBE Jurisdiction Decision information on its website.

The NextGen UBE will require payment of two separate fees. Applicants will submit the Rule 6 application fee to Minnesota, and a separate technology fee in the amount of $149 to the NCBE. For additional information on the NCBE’s process, please consult the registration information on the NCBE’s website.

The Board will be recommending the Court adjust the deadlines. The Board will recommend that the Court adjust the timely deadline to March 1 and the late filing deadline to April 1 for July, and October 1 and November 1 for February. Repeat applicants who do not yet know their examination score by the April 1 deadline will be allowed to submit their applications for two weeks following receipt of the score. The deadlines will remain the same until the Court issues an Order amending the Rules. The Board will be Petitioning the Court for this change this spring.

Yes, the exam will be administered on examinees’ own laptops at in-person, proctored testing locations.  The technical specifications will be published by the  NCBE.

No, if examinees computer fails during the examination, the vendor will first attempt to resolve the technical issue.  If the technical issue cannot be resolved, the vendor will have computers available to complete the examination.

The NextGen UBE is a fully online exam. An Applicant may request accommodation to handwrite the examination under the Americans with Disabilities Act/Minnesota Human Rights Act for a qualifying disability.

The Board anticipates continuing to accept Legacy UBE Scores meeting the requirements of Rule 7C. Accordingly, the Board anticipates accepting Legacy UBE Scores through February 2031.

The Board is currently evaluating this issue and intends to submit a recommendation to the Court as soon as possible. We anticipate the score will be set by fall 2026.

For more information about the NextGen Bar Exam, please contact NCBE or visit the NCBE’s website.