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California Bar Exam Q & A

When is the California Bar Exam offered?
The Bar Exam is administered twice annually, near the end of July and the end of February. Applicants may register to take the Exam at either of those times and in any one of a number of different locations statewide, from San Diego to San Francisco. The next six California Bar Exams will be offered on the following dates: July 29, 30 and 31, 2003; February 24, 25 and 26, 2004; July 27, 28 and 29, 2004; February 22, 23 and 24, 2005; July 26, 27 and 28, 2005; February 21, 22 and 23, 2006; July 25, 26 and 27, 2006.

May I practice law once I take and pass the California Bar Examination?
No, in order to become a fully licensed lawyer in the State of California, applications must also meet education and moral character requirements, including taking and passing the MPRE exam.

How many times may I take the California Bar Exam?
As many times as you want, until you pass. One local lawyer (currently in practice in Southern California) was said to have taken the bar for some 25 years before passing.

How do I contact the State Bar of California?
The State Bar of California
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-1639
415-538-2303
http://www.calbar.ca.gov/

What is the basic format for the California Bar Exam?
On Tuesday and Thursday, California applicants are given three one-hour essay questions in the morning and one three-hour performance test in the afternoon. On Wednesday, the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is administered.

What is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)?
The MBE consists of a set of 100 multiple choice questions for three hours in the morning, and a second set of 100 such questions in the afternoon.

What time does testing begin on each of the three days?
At approximately 9 a.m., but with pre-test administration and identification procedures, applicants should arrive early. The same is true after lunch, before the afternoon sessions; applicants may be asked to return early for identification procedures and other administrative matters.

So, what does a typical bar day look like?

Tuesday's and Thursday's Approximate Schedule

8:30-9:00 Identification Procedures

9:00-12:00 Three one-hour essays

12:00-1:30 Lunch Break

1:30-2:00 Identification Procedures

2:00-5:00 Performance Test

Wednesday's Approximate Schedule (for general applicants)

8:30-9:00 Identification Procedures

9:00-12:00 100 MBE questions

12:00-1:45 Lunch Break

1:30-2:00 Identification Procedures

2:00-5:00 100 MBE questions

What is the Attorney's Exam?
Qualifying out-of-state lawyers may take what is known as the "Attorney's Exam," which consists of only the first and third days of the Bar Exam: the essays and performance tests. Those taking the Attorney's Exam do not have to take the multistate portion so they have the day off on the Wednesday. (For more information on whether or not you qualify for the Attorney's Exam or how to register as an attorney applicant, contact the State Bar directly.)

How is the Bar Exam Scored?
The California Bar Exam's scoring process can be boiled down to the following: Points are given for each portion of the Bar Exam, 2000 points in total, and these points are then scaled for each individual applicant according to a complex mathematical scaling formula. A passing scaled score is 1440, or 72% of the 2000 point total. Each of the three parts of the Bar Exam—the essays, performance and multistate—makes up a different percentage of the total scaled score an applicant receives: the six essays as a group are worth 39%, the two performance tests are worth 26%, and the MBE is worth 35%.

Note: Each individual essay is worth 6.5% and each performance test is worth 13%. That means if you do very well on one performance test, you can essentially fail two essays and still pass the Bar Exam. On the flip side, however, if you do poorly on one performance test, you must do a superior job on two separate essay questions to put yourself back on the passing track. So, do not underestimate the importance of the Performance Test.

Click here for more information about the
Online PASS Performance Test Review

Click here for more informaion about the
PASS Performance Test Study Guide

What subjects are tested on the California Bar Exam?
Performance tests are "open-book" exams (legal authorities necessary to answer the question are provided in the Library packet of the Exam). So applicants may be tested on any area of law at all?substantive or procedural, state or federal, real or test-created.

For the MBE, you will have to learn in great detail the national majority rules and some leading minority rules in contracts, torts, real property, constitutional law, criminal law and criminal procedure, and evidence (hereinafter the "MBE subjects").

California Bar Exam essay questions could involve issues in one or more of the MBE subjects. In addition, the essays could test your substantive knowledge of national majority and some of the more important minority rules of civil procedure, corporations, wills, trusts, and professional responsibility. Community property is also a potentially testable essay subject, and it is the one subject that tests California law comprehensively (meaning case law and statutory law), though there are select California rules in wills and professional responsibility that you are also responsible for knowing. Finally, test questions in any of these substantive areas (on essay or multiple-choice questions) may involve issues about the relevant remedies that attach to the various rights you have studied, so you have to understand what is typically covered in law school remedies classes as well.

Is it true that there are changes set to take place on the Bar Exam beginning in July 2007?
Yes. Effective July 2007, the scope of testable subjects on the California Bar Exam will be expanded to include California rules (in addition to the currently tested federal rules) of civil procedure and evidence. The currently tested law of corporations will be enlarged to include other forms of business associations as well, which means that essay questions may include testable issues about partnerships, LLCs, and/or general principles of agency law. For more information on these upcoming changes, contact the Committee of Bar Examiners directly.