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.
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.
What happens after I take the exam? Results from the July 2024 bar exam will be released November 8, 2024. Results from the February 2025 bar exam will be released .
California's General Bar Exam pass rate of 53.8 percent is up from last year's July pass rate of 51.5 percent, and 2022's July pass rate of 52.4 percent. Preliminary statistical analyses show that of the 8,291 applicants who completed the GBX, 67.7 percent were first-time takers.
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.
Which State Bar Is Most Difficult? California is widely considered to have the hardest bar exam, due to its low pass rate and the difficulty of the content and constraints of the exam.
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).
US - California Bar Exam. The California Bar Exam in the US is a challenging test that assesses legal knowledge, analytical skills, and professional responsibility. Only qualified individuals are admitted to the California bar after successfully passing this examination.
The states with the lowest pass rates from the July, 2018 bar exam administrations are, in this order: California (44%) Arizona (50%) Alabama (52%) Mississippi (52%) North Carolina (52%) Alaska (53%) North Dakota (54%) Maryland (55%)
Overall, Utah is the easiest bar exam to pass. This is true whether you are a first-time taker or repeat taker! In July 2023, Utah had a 94% pass rate for first time takers and a 73% pass rate for repeat takers. It also has the lowest UBE cut score of 260.