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California Bar Examination
Bar Exam Information
NOTE: Bar exam information is subject to change without notice.
Please verify with bar examiner’s office.
BAR EXAM DATES AND FORMAT
2021: February 23 – 24, July 27 – 28
The California Bar Exam is a 2-day exam.
Day 1: Three 60-minute essay questions (in the AM). Two 60-minute essay questions and one 90-minute Performance Test (in the PM).
Day 2: Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM).
Bar Exam Locations
Exams are administered at testing sites in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento.
Ontario Convention Center
2000 E Convention Center Way
Ontario, CA 91764
Pasadena Convention Center
300 E. Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91101
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles – Westside
6161 W. Centinela Ave.
Culver City, CA 90230
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Anaheim – Orange County
100 The City Drive S.
Orange, CA 92868
Town and Country Resort & Convention Center
500 Hotel Circle N.
San Diego, CA 92108
Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego Hotel
1433 Camino del Rio S.
San Diego, CA 92108
Oakland Convention Center
1001 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94607
Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport Hotel
1177 Airport Blvd.
Burlingame, CA 94010
Sacramento Convention Center
1400 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Hilton Sacramento Arden West
2200 Harvard St.
Sacramento, CA 95815
The State Bar of California Office of Admissions
Los Angeles Address:
Office of Admissions
The State Bar of California
845 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90017-2515
Phone: 213-765-1500
San Francisco Address:
Office of Admissions
The State Bar of California
180 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-538-2300
Email: admsf@calbar.ca.gov
Subjects Tested
Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts/Sales
- Criminal Law/Procedure
- Evidence
- Federal Civil Procedure
- Real Property
- Torts
California Essay Subjects
- Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, LLCs)
- CA Civil Procedure
- CA Community Property
- CA Evidence
- CA Professional Responsibility
- Remedies
- Trusts
- CA Wills and Succession
- Plus, all MBE Subjects
California Performance Test
“Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam
A scaled score of 86 on the MPRE is required for admission.
Filing Deadlines and Fees
The timely filing deadline for applications is November 1st for the February exam and April 1st for the July exam. Late filing is allowed until January 15th and June 1st respectively.
Exam Fee: $677 Attorney Exam Fee: $983
LATE FILING EXAM FEES:
After Initial Deadline: $50
After First Late Fee Period Expires: $250
Appl. for Determination of Moral Character: $551
Scoring
The MBE score is 50% of the total score, while the written portion accounts for the other 50%. A passing score of 1,440 on a 2,000 point scale is required based on the combined scores of the California Performance Test, the essay questions, and the MBE.
First Year Law Students' Examination
First-year law students completing their first year of study in a juris doctor degree program at a State Bar-unaccredited registered law school, through the Law Office Study Program and those without two years of college work attending a Committee of Bar Examiners- or an American Bar Association-accredited law school must take the First-Year Law Students’ Examination after completing their first year of law study.
Law students who have been advanced to their second year of law study at an ABA or California-accredited law school and completed a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units of undergraduate work are generally exempt from the examination.
Reciprocity
Admission on Motion
California does not provide for admission on motion. Examination is required of all applicants. Attorneys who have been licensed in another jurisdiction for four years may be eligible to sit for the attorney exam (written exam only).
Acceptance of MBE Score
California does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.