Passing the California Bar Exam is your gateway to a career as a licensed attorney in the Golden State. It’s a demanding test with a reputation for being one of the most difficult U.S. bar exams to conquer, but that’s no reason to panic. With the right preparation, you will build the confidence and skill to rise to the challenge.
BARBRI has helped more students pass the bar exam than all other courses combined. We don’t just give you a handbook and wish you luck (although our legal handbook is a good place to start your bar prep). We provide the proven learning methodology and tools, expertise, and personalized support you need to be the next success story.
This guide provides everything you need to know about the exam, from key dates and subjects to study strategies that work. So, channel your Suits and get ready to excel!
Watch Suits Video: An aspiring lawyer who never even went to law school
Understanding the California Bar Exam
The California Bar Exam Format
The California Bar Exam spans two days of testing, typically the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July.
Day 1 (Written Portion):
- Morning Session (3 hours): Three 60-minute essay questions.
- Afternoon Session (3.5 hours): Two 60-minute essay questions and one 90-minute Performance Test (PT).
Day 2 (Multiple-Choice):
- Morning Session (3 hours): 100 multiple-choice questions on the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).
- Afternoon Session (3 hours): 100 multiple-choice questions on the MBE.
Subjects Tested
If you plan to take the California Bar Exam, you will want to be prepared to answer questions involving issues concerning federal laws and specific California distinctions in these subject areas:
- Business Associations (Agency and Partnership, Corporations, and Limited Liability Companies)
- CA Civil Procedure
- CA Community Property
- CA Evidence
- CA Professional Responsibility
- Remedies
- Trusts
- CA Wills and Succession
- Plus All MBE Subjects
The key isn’t just to study these vast subjects but to know what aspects are most frequently tested and how they are tested. BARBRI’s California-specific materials and simulated exam do that for you, cutting through the noise to focus your efforts where they matter most.
To learn more about the scope of questions included in each topic, visit the State Bar of California website.
Scoring
To pass the California Bar Exam, you need a total scaled score of 1390 out of 2000. Essays and the Performance Test are scored from 40 to 100 in five-point increments. If your score is close to the cutoff, your answers may be reread by a second set of graders, and the two scores are averaged. Scores are weighted as follows:
- Day One – 50%: Three California essay questions (morning session) and two essays plus a California Performance Test (afternoon session)
- Day Two – 50%: 200-question, multiple-choice exam (morning and afternoon sessions)
Requirements + Deadlines
Navigating the administrative side is a crucial part of taking the California Bar Exam.
Meeting the Requirements: The requirements for the California Bar Exam typically include graduating from a California or ABA-accredited law school. You must complete a detailed application, including a Moral Character and Fitness application (note: this form can take months to complete and be processed so be sure to start early).
Also required is passage of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). Applicants can take the MPRE any time after completing one year of law study and before being licensed to practice law in California.
International Law Graduates + Lawyers: California operates a relatively open policy in permitting foreign law graduates or lawyers to sit the bar exam and does not impose restrictions to admission on grounds of nationality or residence.
Learn more about U.S. bar exam eligibility and requirements for foreign law graduates, lawyers, and U.S. LL.M. students.
California Bar Exam Deadlines: The application filing deadline for the February exam is usually in early November, and for the July exam, it's in early April. Check the State Bar of California’s website for details and mark your calendar.
California Bar Exam Cost: You will pay separate fees for exam registration and the moral character determination. Think of your bar prep course as an insurance policy on this investment. Passing the first time with BARBRI saves you the time and expense of a retake.
How Hard is the California Bar Exam?
It’s a fair question, especially given that the California Bar Exam pass rate is often one of the lowest in the nation. But a low pass rate is a statistic about a group, not a prediction about you.
Effective California Bar Exam preparation starts with a plan. A great plan is structured, comprehensive, and adaptive. This is where BARBRI’s Personal Study Plan becomes one of your greatest assets.
BARBRI is the only bar prep that allows you to create a customized study calendar that tells you exactly what to do and when to do it, adjusting based on your performance in real-time to target your unique areas for improvement.
How to Pass the California Bar Exam: Insider Tips
- Embrace Active Study: Don't just read outlines. Do the practice questions. Write the full essays. Complete the Performance Tests under timed conditions. This is how you build the skills that are tested.
- Focus on “Why”: When you get a question wrong, don't just learn the right answer. Dig into the legal reasoning. BARBRI’s detailed answer explanations are designed for this purpose. Understanding the "why" is how you’ll be able to answer a similar question on exam day.
- Simulate the Experience: Use the BARBRI Simulated Exam to experience the pressure and timing of the real exam. The Pass Predictor report provided after the Simulated Exam helps you analyze your performance and provides invaluable data to guide the remainder of your study.
- Trust the Process: Do you have the time to build a bar prep course from scratch while also studying? No. Let us do the heavy lifting. We’ve been perfecting this process for decades, and it works.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Passing Score for the California Bar Exam?
The total scaled passing score is currently 1390 out of a possible 2000.
How is the Exam Graded?
Your score is a 50/50 split between the written portion (essays and PT) and the multiple-choice MBE portion.
What Makes the California Bar Exam So Tough?
- The essay questions are known for being broad and unpredictable.
- The test includes both federal and California-specific law.
- The written section demands strong analytical writing skills.
Will California Adopt the NextGen Bar Exam?
No, not at this time. California is one of two states that has announced it will not adopt the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). Nevada is the other state. Learn more on the NCBE website.
Can I Work Full-Time While Studying?
Most successful takers treat bar prep as a full-time job, studying 40-50 hours per week for 8-10 weeks. If your schedule requires more flexibility, BARBRI offers options to help you achieve your goals.
What is the California Baby Bar?
If you’re on a nontraditional law path in California, you may be familiar with the First-Year Law Students’ Examination—better known as the “baby bar.” It mainly applies to students studying outside of the typical law school setting. That includes:
- Students enrolled in the Law Office Study Program
- First-year students at California-registered, unaccredited law schools
- Some students at accredited schools who didn’t complete two years of college before enrolling
The baby bar is essentially California’s way of checking that you’re actually learning the basics before you keep moving through your law study. It covers three foundational subjects that you would usually get in your first year of law school: Contracts, Torts, and Criminal Law.
The test itself is offered twice a year, in June and October, and includes 100 multiple-choice questions. Applicants can choose a morning or afternoon session, each with one scheduled break.
Once you pass the baby bar, you’re good to continue toward the full California Bar Exam.
Can I Sit for the California Bar Exam Without Going to Law School?
California allows qualified applicants to sit for the bar through a Law Office Study Program or certain unaccredited law schools, if you meet other requirements.
Still have questions? Get more answers to FAQs.
An Unmatched Arsenal of California Bar Exam Prep Resources
BARBRI is the #1 bar prep course in the nation for a reason. We've gotten to the top by providing the most trusted, most innovative, and most personalized experience that includes:
- Unrivaled Question Bank: Access a bank of questions that mirrors and prepares you for the actual exam. Our system shows you not just the right answer to questions, but why it's the right answer.
- Unlimited Essay Grading: This is a game-changer. You can submit an unlimited number of essays for grading by our team of trained attorney-graders. You receive detailed feedback so you learn exactly how to write a passing essay for California. Why settle for a course that limits this critical feedback?
- Most Accurate Pass Predictor: See your rankings by subject compared to other students prepping for the bar exam. Our Pass Predictor is the most accurate because BARBRI has more students studying for the bar each year than all other bar prep programs.
- Expert-Led Short Video Lectures: Learn from the most respected legal scholars in the country. Our professors are not just experts in the law; they are experts at teaching for the bar exam because they’ve been in your shoes.
And that’s just a start. Learn more about BARBRI Bar Review and download the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest. We've compiled all the information you need to know about the California Bar Exam—and each U.S. state bar exam—in one convenient place.
Connect with a BARBRI bar exam expert to discuss your specific situation. We're here to help you create the right bar prep plan.
Interested in reading more? Fill out the form to read the full article.
BARBRI is the best in the industry! The lecturers and books were succinct and taught exactly what I needed to focus on. If you trust their process and do the work you will pass the Bar on the first try like I did.”