Announcements

NextGen Prototype Exam

PAID Opportunity for July 2024 Bar Examinees

The National Conference of Bar Examiners invites Texas’s July 2024 bar examinees to participate in an in-person, full-length prototype of the new, NextGen bar exam. The deadline to apply is Thursday, August 29. 

The prototype exam is a 9-hour/1.5-day pre-test of the new bar exam question types and format that will debut in July 2026. The Texas prototype exam will be held October 25-26 in Fort Worth and Houston; you are welcome to apply to take the exam in any jurisdiction that is convenient for you.

July 2024 bar examinees are invited to apply to serve as paid participants in the October prototype exam and, if selected, will be paid $1,500 for their participation. Participants are required to make a good-faith effort on this exam but are not expected to study for it. 

Per NCBE:

• To participate, you must have completed a full July 2024 bar exam including the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). July 2024 examinees that took only an “attorney’s exam” are not eligible to participate. You must have a valid Social Security number and be able to legally complete a W-9 to receive compensation.

• Participation is open to first-time and repeat July 2024 bar exam takers, regardless of whether they pass the July 2024 exam. NCBE seeks to include a broad range of participants from across the US; you are not expected to know your July 2024 bar exam score prior to applying or sitting for the prototype exam. 

• Selected participants that received testing accommodations during the July 2024 examination will test under substantially similar conditions and need not submit documentation for the prototype exam.
• You cannot be a law school faculty or staff member, adjunct, or lecturer; or be employed by or volunteer for a bar prep program. Former bar prep student representatives may participate. 

• The prototype exam will be administered in locations in 32 US jurisdictions over two sets of dates in October 2024. You may sit for the prototype at any of the exam locations; you are not required to sit in the same jurisdiction that you sat for the July bar exam or in the jurisdiction you went to law school. For a list of locations and dates, visit nextgenbarexam.ncbex.org/nextgen-prototype-exam-october-2024.

• Participants must be available on both exam days, including check-in, the exam administration hours, and check-out, and must upload their full answers by the deadline set by NCBE’s researchers. In general, examinees can expect to be at the exam location for the same hours as the July bar exam on day one and for half a day (morning) on day two.

• You will need to use your own laptop to take the prototype exam, and prior to the test, you will be required to:

o   complete NCBE’s payment vendor information, legally complete a W-9 tax form, and select your preferred payment option,

o   download NCBE's testing app, 

o   take a short mock exam to familiarize yourself with the testing platform, and 

o   download the prototype exam files seven days prior to the exam.

• All prototype exam materials are confidential. You will need to consent to NCBE’s participant agreement to participate. Your information and the responses you submit will be used for prototype exam administration and research purposes.

• Testing conditions will mirror bar exam testing conditions. You will not be permitted to bring any personal items to your workstation other than your laptop, power cord, and a clear water bottle without labels.

• As a thank you for your time and efforts, you will receive a $1,500 payment from NCBE after researchers confirm that you completed the prototype exam. To receive this compensation, participants are required to make a good-faith effort on this exam but are not expected to study for it. 

Instructions: 

If you are interested in participating in the in-person prototype exam, please log in to your NCBE Account, click the NextGen Prototype Exam Sign-Up icon in the left side menu, and follow the prompts to submit your information by Thursday, August 29; the required referral code for this invitation is JX043: Login - NCBE Account (ncbex.org). 

NCBE’s research team will select a diverse and representative pool of participants. If you are selected to participate, you will receive an email by Tuesday, September 10 with instructions and next steps. In the meantime, please save the prototype exam dates on your calendar.

Information:

For more information on the NextGen bar exam, visit https://www.ncbex.org/exams/nextgen. Questions about the prototype exam may be submitted through our online Participant Contact page.