When is the California Bar Exam in 2026?

The next administrations are July 28-29, 2026 and February 23-24, 2027. The California Bar Exam is administered twice annually on the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July.

What is the format of the California Bar Exam?

Two days: Day 1 (written portion) — five 1-hour California essay questions and one 90-minute Performance Test, split into morning and afternoon sessions. Day 2 (MBE) — 200 multiple-choice questions in two 3-hour sessions of 100 questions each. The written and MBE portions are each weighted 50%.

What is the passing score for the California Bar Exam?

A minimum scaled score of 1,390 (out of 2,000) is required to pass the California Bar Exam. Raw scores from the written components (5 essays + 1 PT, each graded on a 100-point scale) are converted to scaled scores.

What subjects are tested on the California Bar Exam?

MBE subjects (7): Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. California essay subjects (13 commonly tested): Business Associations (Agency/Partnerships, Corporations, LLCs), Civil Procedure (California and Federal), Community Property, Constitutional Law, Contracts/Sales, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence (California and Federal), Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Remedies, Torts, Trusts, and Wills/Succession. California-specific distinctions may be tested in addition to general principles.

What are the California Bar Exam fees in 2026?

General application fee: $850 (first-time applicants). Attorney applicants: $1,500. Laptop fee: $153 (required to use a personal laptop for the exam, administered via ExamSoft). Character and fitness review fees are separate from the bar application.

Will California adopt the NextGen UBE?

No. California has not announced plans to adopt the NextGen UBE. California is one of a small group of jurisdictions (along with Louisiana, Nevada, and others) that does not use the UBE. California will continue to administer its own state-specific bar examination.

What is the Attorneys' Examination?

Attorney applicants (those already licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction) may be approved to sit for the one-day Attorneys' Examination, which consists of only the written portion (5 essays + 1 PT) and skips the MBE. The same passing score of 1,390 applies. The February 2025 Attorneys' Exam pass rate was 76.5%, the highest since February 1992.

What about admission on motion?

California does NOT provide for traditional admission on motion based on reciprocity. Attorneys from other jurisdictions must either take the full California Bar Examination or qualify for the one-day Attorneys' Examination (which has its own eligibility requirements based on years of active practice).

When are California Bar Exam results released?

Results for the February exam are typically released in early May (February 2026 results: May 1, 2026). Results for the July exam are typically released in early November. Approximately 12-14 weeks after each administration.

What is the Baby Bar?

The First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSE, commonly called the 'Baby Bar') is a separate exam required for certain law students in California — typically those studying at unaccredited law schools, registered correspondence or distance-learning programs, or those pursuing law office study. It covers Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts and must be passed before continuing legal studies.

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California Bar Exam Information

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Get Detailed Information About The California Bar Exam Including Schedules, Grading, Reciprocity, Fees, Common Questions & More.

The California Bar Examination is one of the few remaining state-specific bar exams in the United States — California has never adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), and its scores are not portable to or from other jurisdictions. The exam is also widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in the country.

It is a 2-day exam administered twice annually on the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July, consisting of three components:

Five California essay questions (1 hour each) — written on Day 1
One Performance Test (90 minutes) — written on Day 1
200 MBE multiple-choice questions — administered on Day 2 in two 3-hour sessions of 100 questions each

The written portion (essays + PT) and the multiple-choice portion (MBE) are each weighted 50%. The exam is scored on a 2,000-point scale, and a minimum passing scaled score of 1,390 is required.

Applicants must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a scaled score of 86 or higher — California has one of the highest MPRE thresholds in the United States, tied with Utah.

NextGen UBE status. California has not announced plans to adopt the NextGen UBE and will continue administering its own state-specific exam.

California Bar Exam Schedule

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Tuesday (Written)	3 California essays (3 hours)	2 California essays + 1 Performance Test (3 hours)
Wednesday (MBE)	100 MBE multiple-choice (3 hours)	100 MBE multiple-choice (3 hours)

Upcoming Administration Dates

Administration	Dates
July 2026	Tuesday–Wednesday, July 28–29, 2026
February 2027	Tuesday–Wednesday, February 23–24, 2027
July 2027	Tuesday–Wednesday, July 27–28, 2027 (anticipated)
February 2028	Tuesday–Wednesday, February 22–23, 2028 (anticipated)

Filing Deadlines & Fees

Administration	Application Opens	Final Filing Deadline
July 2026	January 1, 2026	April 1, 2026
February 2027	August 1, 2026 (anticipated)	November 1, 2026 (anticipated)

Fees:

General application fee (first-time applicants): $850
Attorney applicants: $1,500
Laptop fee: $153 (ExamSoft — administered electronically)
Character and fitness review: separate fee

MPRE Requirement

California requires a Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) scaled score of 86 or higher — the highest MPRE passing threshold in the United States (tied with Utah). There is no specific time limit on when the MPRE must be earned.

MPRE scores must be transferred directly from the National Conference of Bar Examiners to the State Bar of California (you cannot submit your own score report).

Attorneys' Examination

Attorney applicants — those licensed and in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction — may be approved to sit for the one-day Attorneys' Examination, which includes only the written portion (5 essays + 1 Performance Test) and omits the MBE. The same 1,390 passing score applies.

The February 2025 Attorneys' Examination pass rate was 76.5% — the highest since February 1992. The General Bar Examination (GBX) pass rate was 55.9% in February 2025 — the highest spring pass rate since 1965.

The Attorneys' Examination is offered concurrently with the General Bar Examination.

No NextGen UBE Adoption

California has not announced plans to adopt the NextGen UBE. California continues to administer its own state-specific bar examination, with no transition to a uniform format planned.

California is one of several jurisdictions that has not adopted the UBE or announced plans to adopt NextGen, alongside Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Nevada (which has adopted the separate Nevada Plan), Delaware, Florida (which is adopting NextGen July 2028 but retains a Florida law component), and Georgia (which is adopting NextGen July 2028 but retains Georgia essays).

State Bar of California Contact

State Bar of California — Office of Admissions

180 Howard Street

San Francisco, CA 94105

Phone: (415) 538-2300 (San Francisco) / (213) 765-1500 (Los Angeles)

Email: admissions@calbar.ca.gov

Website: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/admissions

BarMax CA Course Structure & Features

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BarMax California includes the 14 major exam topics, corresponding to the topics tested on the exam. We then divide each topic into 7-8 subtopics to make the study material easier to absorb.
Superior Content

Each subtopic includes an in-depth outline, an audio lecture from a Harvard-educated law professor, and when appropriate, numerous flashcards and multiple-choice MBE questions from previous exams. You will also receive the outines in printed hardcopy format.
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When you enroll in BarMax California your study materials are available instantly so you can start immediately and study at your pace. Plus, there are no additional fees to access the full course after the exam.
Essay Grading

You will also receive 10 free writing critiques (performance tests or essays). Additional critiques can be purchased a la carte. Our former bar graders ensure you receive accurate and effective criticism.

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