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Florida will transition to the new version of the bar exam in July 2028, according to an announcement by state officials on Thursday. This makes Florida the largest jurisdiction to reveal its plans for the updated attorney licensing examination.
Details of the Transition
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners stated that the state’s Supreme Court has accepted its recommendation to start administering the NextGen bar exam two years after its initial release in July 2026. Despite the switch to the NextGen exam, Florida will retain a section that tests state-specific law.
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Comparison with Other States
Florida’s decision follows a similar move by Texas. Three weeks ago, the Texas Supreme Court sought public input on its proposal to adopt the NextGen bar exam starting July 2028. Currently, 21 jurisdictions have committed to the new bar exam, with implementation dates spanning from July 2026 to July 2028. By 2028, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) will phase out the existing exam format.
The Scale of Florida’s Bar Exam
Florida ranks as the third-largest jurisdiction in terms of bar examinees, trailing only New York and California. In 2023, Florida had 4,367 candidates sitting for the bar exam, according to NCBE data. While New York has yet to announce its plans regarding the new exam, California is exploring the possibility of developing its bar exam to reduce testing expenses.
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Introduction of the NextGen Bar Exam
The NextGen bar exam represents the first significant overhaul of the national lawyer licensing test in 25 years. Initiated in 2021, the NCBE designed this new exam to focus more on practical legal skills rather than the rote memorization of laws. Unlike the current format, which includes the 200-question Multistate Bar Exam, the Multistate Essay Exam, and the Multistate Performance Test, the NextGen exam will combine these elements into a more integrated and shorter test. The new exam will take nine hours to complete, compared to the current 12-hour format, and will be administered entirely on computers.
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