# What changed in 2026 — by exam.

What changed in 2026 for the major professional exams: PMP, NCLEX, CPA, Bar, and more. Per-exam change summaries, old-vs-new tables, before/after retake advice.

Canonical URL: https://exclam.ai/changes/

2026 transition windows

Multiple major exams refreshed their blueprints, content outlines, or test plans in 2026. This hub summarizes the changes per exam — what shifted, what stayed the same, and what to do based on whether you sit before or after the transition window.

### Per-exam summaries

One page per refreshed exam. Itemized change list with impact ratings, old-vs-new tables, source citations to the official outline.

### Before / after branches

Concrete advice based on whether your sitting falls before, after, or exactly at the transition date. Overlap-case advice for retakers.

### Action checklists

Short, concrete checklists. What to verify, what to update, what to push to your prep vendor.

[In effect July 2026 (first sitting) Bar exam NextGen Bar Exam (NextGen UBE) — first sitting July 2026 The NCBE's NextGen Bar Exam is the first material structural overhaul of the UBE in decades, with first administration in July 2026. 5 change items 3 major Open hub](https://exclam.ai/bar/changes-2026/index.md)

[In effect July 9, 2026 PMP PMP Exam Content Outline (July 9, 2026) PMI is updating the PMP Exam Content Outline effective July 9, 2026. 5 change items 1 major Open hub](https://exclam.ai/pmp/changes-2026/index.md)

[In effect April 1, 2026 NCLEX 2026 NCSBN NCLEX Test Plan NCSBN updates the NCLEX Test Plan every three years. 5 change items Open hub](https://exclam.ai/nclex/changes-2026/index.md)

[In effect January 1, 2026 CPA CPA 2026 Blueprints + 30-month credit window AICPA refreshed the CPA Blueprints effective January 1, 2026 across all six sections — three Core (AUD, FAR, REG) and three Discipline (BAR, ISC, TCP). 7 change items 3 major Open hub](https://exclam.ai/cpa/changes-2026/index.md)

[In effect 2026 exam cycle GARP FRM Part II FRM Part II 2026 syllabus: 12 new chapters, 9 deleted GARP refreshed the FRM Part II syllabus for the 2026 exam cycle — 12 new chapters added across AI/ML in risk management, private credit, digital assets and tokenization, and crypto market risk. 6 change items 2 major Open hub](https://exclam.ai/frm/changes-2026/index.md)

[In effect 2026 exam cycle CAIA CAIA 2026 Ethics overhaul — proprietary principles replace CFA Code For the first time, the CAIA Association is testing a proprietary Ethics framework — the CAIA Principles — replacing the CFA Institute Code and Standards that CAIA had borrowed for decades. 5 change items 2 major Open hub](https://exclam.ai/caia/changes-2026/index.md)

### Don't see your exam?

If your exam refreshed in 2026 and isn't covered yet, the public source on the issuing body's site is the canonical reference. Cycles we're tracking and may add: PHR/SPHR HRCI updates, COMLEX-USA Step 1 ungraded-pilot transition, CIA 2024 Global Internal Audit Standards rollout.

[Running out of time before your sitting? The cram-plan family covers retakers and time-pressured candidates with honest triage + branched advice. See cram plans](https://exclam.ai/cram/index.md)