The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has chosen Surpass Assessment to deliver the NextGen bar exam, launching in 2026.
Having successfully used the Surpass item bank to create valid and reliable exam content since 2022, NCBE will now make use of the Surpass test driver and secure browser to support their large-scale Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) bar exams across the US.
The bar exam is a prestigious licensure examination, used to qualify most practising lawyers across the US. The NextGen bar exam is the result of NCBE’s 2021 Testing Task Force recommendations after several years of study and analysis to ensure that the bar exam continues to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for competent entry-level legal practice in a changing profession.
“For the NextGen exam, we didn’t just need the right technology – we needed a partner who would work closely with us to understand the needs of our stakeholders and deliver the right solution for everyone involved. We look forward to launching the NextGen bar exam with the support of Surpass and furthering our vision of building a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession.”
Judith Gundersen, President and CEO, NCBE
“With the addition of Surpass’s exam delivery and grading capabilities, NCBE gains an end-to-end assessment solution, providing us with streamlined and frictionless interaction across the technology used to develop, administer, and grade the NextGen bar exam.”
Andreas Oranje, NCBE Managing Director of Assessment Programs
“After working with the assessment community to securely and robustly deliver over 40 million proctored exams and score over 2 billion items using the award-winning Surpass technology, we’re delighted to build our partnership further with NCBE to support their innovative and prestigious NextGen bar exam programme.”
Andy McAnulla, Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
About NCBE
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1931. NCBE promotes fairness, integrity, and best practices in bar admissions for the benefit and protection of the public, in pursuit of its vision of a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession. Best known for developing bar exam content used by 54 US jurisdictions, NCBE serves admission authorities, courts, the legal education community, and candidates by providing high-quality assessment products, services, and research; character investigations; and informational and educational resources and programs. In 2026, NCBE will launch the next generation of the bar examination, ensuring that the exam continues to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for competent entry-level legal practice in a changing profession.
For more information, visit the NCBE website at https://www.ncbex.org.
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