On the NextGen UBE, 620 is the new 270

Tommy Sangchompuphen
Nov 15
4 min read

For years, bar takers in Uniform Bar Exam jurisdictions have lived and breathed one magic number:

💬 “I just need a 270,” an Ohio examinee declares.

💬 In Missouri, another might quietly ask, “Did you hit 260?”

💬 Over in New York, an examinee might simply note, “Our state’s cut score is 266.”

Minimum passing scores in UBE jurisdictions range from 260 to 270. That "cut score" became shorthand for “I passed” in many UBE jurisdictions.

With the rollout of the NextGen UBE, that familiar number is about to have a cousin. The NCBE has created a new score scale and recently issued a recommended passing-score range for the NextGen UBE. On that new scale, the easiest way to translate the old world to the new one is this:

On the NextGen UBE, 620 is the new 270.

But what does that actually mean (and what does it not mean) for law students and bar takers?

From 270 to 620: Same Idea, New Ruler

Under the Legacy UBE (which the current UBE will be called with the rollout of the new NextGen UBE), total scores were reported on a 200-to-400 scale. UBE jurisdictions set their passing scores somewhere between 260 and 270.

A score of 270 ultimately became the “gold standard” number that people talked about. Nineteen jurisdictions currently set 270 as their cut minimum passing score. Passing in these jurisdictions means examinees earned a UBE score high enough to transfer to any other Legacy UBE jurisdiction.

The NextGen UBE uses a different ruler. Instead of the 200-to-400 score scale, the new score scale runs roughly from 500 to 750. The NextGen UBE overall score will come from a mix of components—stand-alone multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks—all combined into a single composite score on that new 500-to-750 scale.

Here’s the key translation: When the NCBE studied how performance on the current Legacy UBE translates to performance on the upcoming NextGen UBE, they found that what we used to call a 270 on the old scale lines up with about a 620 on the new scale.

So if 270 was the “magic number” in many jurisdictions before, 620 is the rough equivalent on the NextGen UBE score scale. That’s where the line “620 is the new 270” comes from.

As of November 15, only three jurisdictions that plan to administer the NextGen UBE have publicly announced their minimum passing scores on the new scale. Their choices illustrate how the old and new cut scores line up: if 620 roughly corresponds to a 270 on the Legacy UBE, then 610 is the new 260; 611 is the new 261; 612 is the new 262; 613 is the new 263; and so on.

Connecticut, for example, has set a NextGen UBE cut score of 616 while keeping a 266 cut score on the Legacy UBE. Missouri has chosen 610 (the lowest recommeded minimum passing score) on the NextGen UBE to mirror its 260 Legacy UBE cut score, and Oregon has selected 620 (the highest recommended minimum passing score) on the NextGen UBE to match its 270 Legacy UBE cut score.

While the NCBE is careful to say that each jurisdiction sets its own minimum passing scores on the Legacy UBE and the NextGen UBE, these early jurisdictions suggest that current Legacy UBE jurisdictions may very well adopt the corresponding NextGen UBE scores.

From Legacy to NextGen: Portability and Score Transfer

Another big question: What happens to score portability when jurisdictions switch from Legacy UBE scores to NextGen UBE scores?

The NCBE’s new scale and the mapping between Legacy UBE and NextGen UBE scores are designed, in part, to make portability feasible during the transition. If a jurisdiction used to accept a 270 on the Legacy UBE, they now have a statistically informed way to say something like, “We will accept a 620 on the NextGen UBE as the equivalent.”

But again, portability isn’t automatic. The NCBE is also careful to say that each jurisdiction decides whether to accept other jurisdictions' Legacy or even NextGen scores:

"Each jurisdiction retains full authority to determine whether to accept legacy or NextGen UBE scores achieved in other jurisdictions. However, more than forty jurisdictions are already committed to score portability through use of the legacy UBE. The mapping of legacy and NextGen UBE scores will enable those jurisdictions to maintain their commitment to score portability, should they choose, as they transition from the current exam to the NextGen UBE. The mapping also provides a helpful tool for jurisdictions that have not previously offered portability to do so in the future, if they choose." (emphasis added)

In other words, each jurisdiction controls:

✅ Whether they accept out-of-state scores at all,

✅ Whether they’ll accept Legacy UBE scores, NextGen UBE scores, or both, and

✅ How long those scores remain portable.

If you’re thinking about moving, practicing in multiple states, or picking your test jurisdiction with portability in mind, this is a crucial part of your research. Don’t rely on what “used to be true” for the Legacy UBE. Look for updated guidance (and, admittedly, there isn't much currently) on your jurisdiction’s official bar admissions website and watch for announcements in the next few months as the NextGen UBE rolls out in the first 10 jurisdictions with the July 2026 administration.

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