Indiana adopts NextGen bar exam, will begin in July 2028
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The National Conference of Bar Examiners announced Thursday the Indiana Supreme Court will begin using the NextGen bar exam in July 2028.
Indiana is one of 23 jurisdictions to adopt the new exam that determines whether a person can practice law.
The new exam is being developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which currently develops bar exam content for 54 of 56 US jurisdictions.
Like other states, Indiana currently uses the Uniform Bar Exam which will finish being administered in February 2028.
The NextGen bar exam will test nine areas of legal doctrine that include contract law, evidence, torts, business associations and constitutional law among others.
Like the current bar exam, the NextGen exam will be administered, and the written portions graded, by the individual U.S. jurisdictions. The exam will be administered over one and a half days, with six hours of testing time on day one and three hours on day two.
Students from all three law schools in the state—the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University Bloomington, McKinney School of Law at IU Indianapolis, and The Law School at the University of Notre Dame—participated in a field test of the NextGen bar exam at the beginning of this year.
Indiana Board of Law Examiners Executive Director Brad Skolnik said their commitment remains to ensure Indiana has highly qualified lawyers available to serve the public.
“I am delighted that Indiana will be joining the growing number of states in offering the NextGen bar exam. This new state-of-the-art examination will test law school graduates on the skills and knowledge they will need to effectively practice in an ever-changing legal profession,” Skolnik said. “By adopting the exam effective July 2028, we are providing Indiana’s law schools with the time they may need to make any necessary changes to their curriculum to ensure students are well-prepared for the exam. The exam is one component of the requirements to become an Indiana attorney.”