For the Office of Admissions to confirm your eligibility to take the California Bar Exam, you must mail an official sealed transcript(s) to the Office of Admissions at 845 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 once you have completed your LLM studies. Please note that electronic transcripts will not be accepted.
The California Bar Exam has three (3) parts given over two (2) days: five (5) essay questions, the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and one (1) performance test.
Transition Away from the MBE: Starting in 2025, California will no longer use the National Conference of Bar Examiners' (NCBE) Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) for its multiple-choice component. Instead, Kaplan will develop new multiple-choice questions specific to California.
California is universally regarded as the toughest state for taking the bar exam. This notion is not dissuaded by the state's low bar-pass rate. In addition to the performance test, five essay questions, and the Multistate Bar Exam, the California exam takes two days.
25 and 26 — making California the first jurisdiction to fully break away from the bar exam created by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which is set to launch its own overhauled exam in July 2026. California is the nation's second-largest bar exam jurisdiction behind only New York.
Washington joins Oregon, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire as the fourth state that no longer requires the bar exam to become a licensed attorney. Supreme courts in California, Minnesota, and Utah are considering similar moves.
All applicants for admission to practice law in California must receive a passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination and pass the California Bar Examination.
Intent to replace the multiple-choice questions provided by the NCBE with questions developed by a new vendor, and. Intent to change modalities to administer the exam remotely and in person at small test centers.
California Reciprocity 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.
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.