The overall pass rate was 53.8%, up 2.3 percentage point from last year's exam. For California ABA-accredited law schools, the pass rate for first time test-takers was 81%, up 5 percentage points from 2023.
In California, qualified applicants can take the bar exam without going to law school. Most law schools require a college degree, but some may only ask for equivalent course work, and some law schools focus on your legal interest and life experiences and not on your grades or LSAT scores.
California Bar Examination The exam is given over two days and consists of the following parts: Five one-hour Essay Questions. One 90-minute Performance Test. 200 Multiple-Choice Questions.
The State Bar will administer this exam remotely and in person. Applicants will be asked to select their preferred method for taking this exam, between remote and in person. How to apply: Log into the Applicant Portal.
The next California bar exam is scheduled for February 25–26, 2025. The bar exam application is now available in the Applicant Portal. The State Bar will administer this exam remotely and in person. Applicants will be asked to select their preferred method for taking this exam, between remote and in person.
Is The California Bar Exam Hard? Yes, the California bar exam is widely considered to be the most difficult of all state bar exams in the US. The California bar exam has a pass rate of 34%.
Beginning in February 2025, the multiple-choice questions on the California Bar Exam will be developed by Kaplan Exam Services, LLC, and the exam will be delivered remotely and in person at test centers.
California doesn't offer reciprocity but offers a shorter bar exam for attorneys who are admitted in other states and who have been in good standing as an attorney in those states for at least four years prior to their application.
California Supreme Court Upholds No Reciprocity for Out-of-State Attorneys.
To be eligible to take the California Bar Examination, you should have completed at least two years of college before beginning your law studies or passed certain specified College Level Equivalency Program examinations.