July 2021 California Bar Exam

July 2021 Bar Exam FAQs

Date: Tuesday and Wednesday, July 27–28, 2021

Instructions: The instructions for exam day will be posted in advance in a YouTube link on this webpage, and you can watch these instructions at any time before the exam begins. Applicants should look at the schedule of password delivery and latest start times and plan their schedules accordingly. 

Time: Passwords will be posted on this webpage: https://bar.examsoft.io/calbaronline and emailed to applicants. Applicants can begin the exam as soon as the first session password is released, but no later than 8:30 a.m.

The exam is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday at approximately 6:30 p.m. and on Wednesday at approximately 5:00 p.m. The exam for those applicants who have applied for and are eligible to take the Attorneys' Exam will be administered on Tuesday. Applicants granted extended time may have different schedules, which are communicated to them individually in advance of the exam.

Additional information concerning the timing and other administrative rules and policies are contained in the admittance ticket bulletin that will be available with your admittance ticket for the exam. 

Notice regarding scope of the California Bar Exam

Applicants are expected to know the California Rules of Professional Conduct in effect at the time the exam is administered (current law). The new rules, in effect as of November 1, 2018, were amended by the California Supreme Court effective March 22, 2021. Rule 1.1 [Competence] and Rule 5.4 [Financial and Similar Arrangements with Nonlawyers] are current law as of that date. Therefore, they are within the scope of the upcoming July 2021 California Bar Examination. 

Important deadlines

Application filing

  • Exam application open: March 1, 2021
  • Timely filing deadline: April 1, 2021
  • $50.00 late filing fee: April 2, 2021–April 30, 2021
  • $250.00 late filing fee: May 1, 2021–June 1, 2021
  • Final filing deadline: June 1, 2021

Withdrawals

  • Withdrawal deadline (60% refund): March 1, 2021–May 3, 2021
  • Withdrawal deadline (30% refund): May 4, 2021–May 17, 2021
  • Withdrawal deadline (0% refund): May 18, 2021–June 1, 2021
  • Final deadline to withdraw from exam: July 13, 2021

February Bar Exam takers deadlines

  • Application opens (immediate repeaters): May 7, 2021
  • Final filing deadline: June 1, 2021
  • Testing accommodations petition final filing deadline: June 1, 2021, (petitions must be complete and received in the San Francisco Office of Admissions.)

Other important deadlines

  • Final filing/reinstatement deadline: June 1, 2021
  • Change of address/email address: June 1, 2021
  • Exam type change request deadline (Attorney Applicants only): June 1, 2021
  • Testing accommodations petition final filing deadline: June 1, 2021 (petitions must be complete and received in the San Francisco Office of Admissions.)
  • Appeal of testing accommodations petition final filing deadline: July 1, 2021, (appeals must be complete and received in the San Francisco Office of Admissions.)
  • Acknowledgment and Acceptance of Testing Conditions: June 1, 2021
  • Mock exam available: June 29, 2021
  • First date admit tickets available: June 29, 2021
  • Final eligibility deadline: July 13, 2021
  • Proof of admission (attorney applicant): July 13, 2021
  • Proof of law study (applicant for the General Bar Exam): July 13, 2021
  • Deadline for remote exam takers to complete two required mock exams: July 16, 2021
  • Emergency testing accommodations petition final filing deadline: July 16, 2021, (petitions must be complete and received in the San Francisco Office of Admissions.)
  • Exam files open for download: July 21, 2021
  • Deadline for remote exam takers to download exam files: July 23, 2021
  • Laptop exam answer file upload deadline: July 29, 2021–12:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  • Extended time testing accommodations exam answer file upload deadline: July 30, 2021, or July 31, 2021–12:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), depending on the number of testing days, which will be specified on the Testing Accommodations Notice.

Strategies and Stories Program Deadlines

  • First group of participants: Before midnight on April 21, 2021
  • Second group of participants: Before midnight on June 3, 2021

Address change

Applicants whose addresses change after filing their applications are encouraged to notify the Office of Admissions of a change of address as soon as possible. Applicants are able to update their admissions file with the new address by accessing their account through the Applicant Portal.