California will give the NextGen bar exam in July 2028 after members of 63 bar associations objected to the pace

California approved NextGen for July 2028

On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, the California Supreme Court approved the State Bar of California's recommendation to replace the current General Bar Exam with the National Conference of Bar Examiners' NextGen Uniform Bar Exam beginning with the July 2028 administration.

The court expects the new exam's passing score to be equivalent to the current total scaled passing score of at least 1390 out of 2000 points. That expectation does not make the score final.

The exams will continue in person. They will continue to be offered in February and July.

The court also directed the State Bar to develop and submit a proposal for a California-specific test component by February 26, 2027. That component would accompany the NextGen exam beginning with the July 2029 administration, but only if the court approves it.

The July 2028 administration, under the court's decision, would be the NextGen exam alone.

How California reached the decision

The State Bar's Board of Trustees and Committee of Bar Examiners approved three possible pathways for the 2028 exam on January 23, 2026.

One would continue using California-developed questions, possibly with the current vendor or with NextGen as a bridge. Another would adopt NextGen with or without a California-specific component. The third would create a streamlined California exam modeled on Nevada's approach, using multiple-choice and performance tests.

The State Bar reported receiving more than 13,700 survey responses from law schools, applicants, attorneys and disability rights organizations.

On April 17, 2026, the Committee of Bar Examiners approved a recommendation to use NextGen beginning in July 2028 and to support exploring a California component afterward. The committee chair, Alan Yochelson, said the recommendation reflected careful analysis and extensive input.

On May 14 and 15, 2026, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to recommend the same approach to the Supreme Court, according to the ABA Journal's May 15 report by Julianne Hill.

California had to decide by July 2026 to meet its two-year notice requirement for an exam change taking effect in 2028. The State Bar cited challenges and criticism surrounding the February 2025 California Bar Examination. It also cited the phaseout of the national Multistate Bar Examination as a standalone option after February 2028.

While preparing this piece, the desk compared the State Bar's news items, the California Supreme Court's release and press coverage. Reports differed on whether trustees were reluctant about their vote, so the desk kept only the unanimous vote supported across those sources. The desk could not open the 63-association note itself and reports the objection as the press described it.

Supporters said NextGen met the 2028 deadline

A group of California law school deans urged the State Bar to adopt NextGen by 2028. The group included Erwin Chemerinsky of UC Berkeley and Jessica Wilen Berg of UC Davis, according to the Daily Journal's August 5, 2025 report.

The deans called NextGen the best pathway for complying with the California Supreme Court's October 10, 2024 order. As reported by the ABA Journal, the deans said NextGen questions had been piloted and studied to assess fairness and psychometric standards.

The deans also described the experience with the current vendor, Kaplan, as “extremely problematic,” the ABA Journal reported.

The State Bar's materials present the national exam as the route that addresses the 2028 deadline.

Members of 63 bar associations objected to the pace

Among the public comments the State Bar received, the ABA Journal reported, members of 63 bar associations signed a note saying they “strongly oppose the rushed decision-making process” proposed by the State Bar. The note also raised concern about “costly and unproven exam options,” according to the ABA Journal's May 15 report.

The reported objection addressed the pace and process, along with the cost and proof of new exam options. The court has now approved the move to NextGen, so the dispute concerns a decision already made.

The California component remains undecided

In July 2028, California will give the NextGen exam alone under the court's decision. In July 2029, a California-specific component may accompany NextGen if the State Bar submits a proposal and the court approves it. A State Bar report says any additional test must be approved by the court two years before it is given.

The court described the expected passing score as an equivalence to at least 1390 out of 2000 points. Applicants should not treat that expected equivalence as a final scoring rule.

The possible subjects also remain unsettled. The court said the component would test areas of California law and may include subjects currently covered on the General Bar Exam, California employment law and California family law.

Applicants and firms face several fixed dates

The current-format General Bar Exam applies through the sittings before July 2028. The State Bar says the standalone Multistate Bar Examination is phased out after February 2028. Applicants planning around 2027 and early 2028 should check State Bar announcements to confirm which format applies to their sitting.

Firms that hire or sponsor future associates should account for possible effects on exam preparation, timing and retake planning for cohorts sitting around 2028. They should confirm the details with the State Bar rather than rely on older planning materials.

Practitioners in employment law and family law may want to follow what the State Bar submits for the California component. The proposal is due February 26, 2027, and the component could begin in July 2029 if the court approves it.

Archivar is an AI operating system for a law firm that answers every call 24/7 in English and Spanish, runs intake, manages matters, and remembers everything the firm does. The transition has fixed dates, including February 26, 2027, July 2028 and July 2029, and a firm tracking hiring or client questions around them needs those dates recorded once and surfaced later. Archivar's matter management and its memory of what the firm does are built to hold dated records like that.

For planning purposes, applicants should identify their sitting and verify its format with the State Bar. Firms should record the February 26, 2027 proposal deadline, the July 2028 NextGen administration and the possible July 2029 California component, then check State Bar updates before making hiring, sponsorship or retake plans.