The average wait time for bar exam results is 1-3 months. The smaller the jurisdiction, the more likely the results will be released earlier. However, some larger states take nearly the same length of time. In some cases, exam administration also impacts the timing of the release of the results.
To access your results, visit the admissions applicant portal from the calbar.ca website. You will need your applicant number and file number. You can access detailed performance data for the General Bar Exam through the Applicant Portal.
The answer files of unsuccessful applicants will be posted in the Applicant Portal with the release of results. Successful applicants do not receive their grades nor their MBE scores and will not have their answers returned.
Results are posted on the Applicant Portal. At p.m. on the day results are posted, applicants can also access the pass list on the State Bar website. Applicants who have failed the exam receive the grades assigned to their written answers as well as their MBE scaled score.
Results are released about 12-14 weeks after the February exam and 16-18 weeks after the July exam.
To read more about how the California Bar Exam is scored, click here. When Examinees Find Out: For both February & July results, it takes approximately 9 weeks to find out results.
For comparison, North Carolina often has the speediest bar exam results (released in about 4 weeks!), while California has the slowest bar exam results (released in about 14 weeks).
For California ABA-accredited law schools, the pass rate for first time test-takers was 81%, up 5 percentage points from 2023. The State Bar of California reported today that 53.8 percent of applicants passed the July 2024 General Bar Examination (GBX).
The State Bar of California reported today that 53.8 percent of applicants passed the July 2024 General Bar Examination (GBX). As a result, the 4,458 people who passed the July exam will be eligible for admission to the State Bar as soon as all admissions requirements are satisfied.
Is the NextGen Bar Exam easier or harder? In many ways, the NextGen Bar Exam will be easier than the Uniform Bar Exam. There are less subjects tested compared with the Uniform Bar Exam (and most state exams). It focuses less on memorization and more on practical skills.