If you are planning to take the California bar exam in 2024 or later, please see this notice regarding fee increases and proposed changes to testing locations and modalities.
The next California Bar Exam is scheduled for February 27–28, 2024. The exam will be administered in person. Applications are now available in the Applicant Portal.
How to apply:
Once all the application sections are completed, go to the Verification screen and click the "Submit" button. You will be prompted to sign a declaration form and submit payment. You will receive a confirmation email once you have successfully submitted the application.
Preparing for the exam may take months. Help yourself by looking at what the test covers and how it is graded.
Results from the July 2023 bar exam were released November 9, 2023. Results from the February 2024 bar exam will be released May 3, 2024. The pass list will be posted here.
Credit and debit card payments: For credit or debit card payments, a processing fee of 2.5 percent will be added to all charges. If your credit or debit card transaction is denied, you will not be able to submit your application until you provide another Mastercard, Visa, American Express, or Discover card.
ACH (e-check) payment: You may also make payments by ACH. There is no processing fee associated with ACH payment. You will need your Bank Routing Number and Bank Account Number. It takes seven days for ACH payments to be processed. If within those seven days a payment is unsuccessful for any reason, your application will be considered incomplete until a replacement payment with any service charges are received. The application deadline will be enforced if the payment is not received within the published deadlines.
Exam applications that do not have a successfully settled payment will be considered incomplete. An unsuccessful payment is, but is not limited to, returned checks, declined ACH payments, or credit card chargebacks requested by the credit card holder.
All unsuccessful payments will be assessed an administrative fee equal to the amount charged by the State Bar’s banking institution or $20, whichever is greater.
If full payment is not received within 14 days from notification by the State Bar, the application will be deemed abandoned. If the application final filing deadline has not passed, an applicant may submit a new application. The application must be accompanied by the appropriate payment, including any applicable fees in effect at that time.