Short answer
The NextGen UBE reports one overall score on a 500 to 750 scale, and each jurisdiction sets its own passing score. Results come from the jurisdiction where you tested: NCBE makes your score available in your NCBE Account only after that jurisdiction announces its results and authorizes release.
What the NextGen UBE is
The NextGen UBE is NCBE's new bar exam. NCBE describes it as testing a broad range of foundational lawyering skills, using multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets and performance tasks. It was given for the first time in July 2026, in 10 jurisdictions: Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Palau, Virgin Islands and Washington.
The current exam, which NCBE now calls the legacy UBE, continues through February 2028, so for the next few seasons both exams run side by side in different jurisdictions.
The 500 to 750 score scale
NCBE says the NextGen UBE produces one overall score on a 500 to 750 scale. The exam is scored and equated so that scores mean the same thing across administrations and jurisdictions.
- Passing scores are local. Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score within the 500 to 750 range.
- Do not compare it with legacy scores. NCBE says the legacy UBE and the NextGen UBE use different score structures and scales, so the numbers should not be compared directly.
Who releases results
As with the legacy exam, results day is set by each jurisdiction, not by NCBE. NCBE automatically reports NextGen UBE scores to the jurisdiction where you took the exam. Your score becomes available in your NCBE Account only after that jurisdiction has announced its results and authorized release.
In practice, the date to watch is your board's results date. Washington, one of the first NextGen jurisdictions, set October 9, 2026 for its July 2026 results. The July 2026 bar results tracker lists every jurisdiction with the date it has announced, or notes that none has been announced yet.
Transferring a NextGen score
NextGen UBE scores are designed to be portable. You can transfer them between jurisdictions that take part in the UBE portability program, and the receiving jurisdiction decides whether to accept the score and whether you meet its passing standard and other admission requirements.
NCBE also notes that some jurisdictions still giving the legacy UBE have announced they will accept transferred NextGen scores. If you plan to move, check the receiving jurisdiction's own rules before you rely on a transfer.
Transition timeline
- July 2026: first NextGen UBE, in 10 jurisdictions.
- February 2027: no jurisdiction gives the NextGen UBE, according to NCBE.
- February 2028: last administration of the legacy UBE.
- July 2028: New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and North Carolina have announced the switch.
Official sources
Every fact in this guide comes from these pages, checked on the update date above.
- NCBE: NextGen bar exam (opens in a new tab)
- NCBE: NextGen UBE scores and score portability (opens in a new tab)
- Washington State Bar Association: July 2026 bar exam (opens in a new tab)
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