California Bar Exam Information

Bar Exam

2010 exam dates and location(s)

The February 2010 California bar exam will take place on Tuesday, February 23, Wednesday, February 24, and Thursday, February 25. The July 2010 California bar exam will take place on Tuesday, July 27, Wednesday, July 28 Thursday, July 29. The California bar exam is given in the following locations: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco bay area, and Sacramento.

Subject matter (MBE subjects are in bold)

Contracts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, California Civil Procedure, Corporations, Agency, Partnership, California Community Property, California and Federal Evidence, California Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Remedies, Torts, and California Wills and Succession.

Structure

The Tuesday exam day consists of the first part of the written exam – three, one-hour essays and one, three-hour performance test. The Wednesday exam day consists of the MBE. The MBE is a 200 question multiple choice exam. 100 questions are asked in the morning over a three hour period, and 100 questions are asked in the afternoon over a three hour period. The MBE has 33 questions each for Contracts and Torts, and 31 questions each for Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, and Real Property. 190 of the 200 questions are graded; the other 10 are experimental. 200 questions asked over six hours averages out to 1.8 minutes per question. The Thursday exam day consists of the second part of the written exam – three, one-hour essays and one, three-hour performance test.

Scoring

The written exam (essays and performance tests) is worth 65% of the total score. The MBE is worth 35%.

MPRE

The minimum score for candidates who took the MPRE prior to January 1, 2008 is 79. The minimum score for candidates who took the MPRE after January 1, 2008 is 86. Candidates may take the MPRE any time after completing their first year of study and after registering with the Committee of Bar Examiners.

Pass rate

California’s pass rate for the July 2008 exam was 74% for first time takers, and 61% for all takers.

California examinees may transfer a concurrent MBE score. Note that no digital watches are permitted in the exam room.

Bar examiner contact information

The Office of Admissions for the State Bar of California has two locations – one in Northern California and one in Southern California. The Office of Admissions is open 8:45 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Application deadlines

Applications for the February exam are made available on October 1. Applications filed by November 2 are considered timely. The late deadline for applications is January 15.

Applications for the July exam are made available on March 1. Applications filed by April 1 are considered timely. The late deadline for applications is June 15.

Application fees

The law student registration fee is $97 if filed within the first 90 days in which a candidate starts school. The fee for Moral Character Determination is $453. The exam application fee is $556. The late fee for the February exam is $50 for applications filed between November 3 and November 30, and $250 for applications filed between December 1 and January 15. The late fee for the July exam is $50 for applications filed between April 2 and April 30, and $250 for applications filed between May 1 and June 15.

Forms

The following is a summary of requirements for admission to practice law in California: 1) register with the Committee of Bar Examiners as a law student applicant; 2) establish exemption from the California First Year Exam; 3) file an application to take the bar and after eligibility has been determined, take the exam; 4) file an application to take the MPRE and achieve the required minimum score; and 5) be in compliance with California court ordered child or family support obligations.

The Committee requires separate and distinct applications for each step. Applications for registration and Moral Character Determination are available any time. The application the Moral Character Determination may be filed any time after registration, and can take 180 days or more to process. As stated above, bar exam applications are available on October 1 for the February exam, and on March 1 for the July exam.

Applicants must apply online. Online application filing requires establishing an account, selecting and completing the application, and paying by credit card.

Other application information

A laptop program is available for all interested applicants for a $125 fee.

Results

The Board releases results within 12 to 14 weeks of the February exam, and in within 16 to 18 weeks for the July exam. Results are available online to applicants first (May 14, 2010 for the February 2010 exam), and then online to the public. Candidates need their File Number and Applicant Number (as shown on their admission ticket and ID badge) to access the pass list. Within 60 days of the release of the results, the Committee returns to failed applicants their answers to the written portion of the exam. Passing applicants do not receive their answers.

*All state bar exam information is subject to change without notice; please verify this information with the bar examiner’s office.*