Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Graduates from law school will take a new bar exam to practice law in Illinois starting in 2028. The NextGen Bar Exam will replace the Uniform Bar Exam, which has been in use in Illinois since 2019. The first administration of the new exam will be in February or July 2028. Illinois will be among 18 other jurisdictions that have plans to adopt the NextGen bar exam.

“The new bar exam places a greater emphasis on testing the foundational skills required to practice law instead of memorizing legal concepts and principles,” Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said. “The NextGen exam represents a step forward in a continuing effort to ensure new attorneys possess the knowledge and lawyering skills to meet the legal needs here in Illinois.”

The new exam, like the UBE, will include multi-choice questions and performance tasks with realistic scenarios. The NextGen exam also features questions that integrate a factual scenario with other legal resources, such as an excerpt from a statute or court opinion or related documents such as portions of a deposition or a police report.