I've seen the future and I like it. Www.ncbex.org The NextGen Bar Exam comes to New Mexico in 2026. I looked at the sample questions and proposed scope and I'm impressed. It looks to me like a thoughtful reform of the process and I don't doubt that it will be no less effective in establishing a baseline competence.
Can't do that! How many would be law professors would never get their "PhD equivalent" degrees if you did that?
In response to a deluge of questions (zero), two things I like about the NextGen exam is 1) it reduces the number of subject matter areas by about half to just those a Main Street lawyer routinely faces and 2) it asks questions involving several subject areas at once. Much more realistic. It's also shorter at nine hours in three sessions. My exam was 2-1/2 days. Sheer endurance counted for a lot. Shorter but by no means easier by the way. You’ll still have to know what you are doing.