California Bar Exam - Admissions Information
The following information comes from the National Conference of Bar Examiners and the State Bar of California. While the information is believed to be correct, it should be used for general guidance only. Contact the California State Bar directly for authoritative information.
The California Bar exam, a 3-day exam, consists of
- the six-hour Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), weighted 35%;
- two 3-hour California Performance Tests, weighted 26%; and
- six 60-minuteCalifornia essayquestions, weighted 39%.
Applicants also must pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) sometime after entering law school and registering with California’s Committee of Bar Examiners. Effective January 2008, the passing scaled score for the MPRE is 86.
Questions and selected answers from past essay and performance tests are available free online.
According to the State Bar of California, the essay questions are "designed to measure an applicant's ability to analyze legal issues arising from fact situations. Answers are expected to demonstrate the applicant's ability to analyze the facts of the question, to tell the difference between material facts and immaterial facts, and to discern the points of law and fact upon which the question turns.. . . The answer should evidence the applicant's ability to apply the law to the given facts and to reason in a logical, lawyer-like manner from the premises adopted to a sound conclusion. An applicant should not merely show that he/she remembers the legal principles, but should demonstrate his/her proficiency in using and applying them."
The following subjects may be tested on the California bar exam:
- business associations
- civil procedure (federal and California)
- community property
- constitutional law
- contracts (including UCC Art. 2 sales)
- criminal law and procedure
- evidence (federal and California)
- professional responsibility (ABA and California)
- real property (including real estate finance)
- remedies
- torts
- trusts(wills, estates, and trusts)
- UCC Articles 1 (general provisions), 2 (sales), 9 (concerning fixtures)
