Changes to the California Bar Exam

Effective with administration of the July 2017 California Bar Examination the format of the examination will be constructed as follows:

General Bar Examination

The examination will be administered over two days with the following components:

  • One morning session during which three one-hour essay questions will be administered;
  • One afternoon session during which two one-hour essay questions and one 90-minute Performance Test will be administered; and
  • Morning and afternoon sessions consisting of three hours each, during which 100 multiple- choice items for each session will be administered (the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)).

Attorneys’ Examination

The examination will be administered over one day with the following components:

  • One morning session during which three one-hour essay questions will be administered; and
  • One afternoon session during which two one-hour essay questions and one 90-minute Performance Test will be administered.

During the grading, the written and MBE portions of the examination will be weighted equally at 50 percent each, also effective with administration of the July 2017 California Bar Examination. The minimum scaled score of 1440 will remain the same as that which is currently required to pass the California Bar Examination.

The scope of subjects tested on the California Bar Examination will also remain unchanged. For a current copy of the subjects tested, see our page on the scope of the exam.

For additional information relative to decision to modify the format and grading of the California Bar Examination, please refer to the information available at:

Information Regarding Modification to California Bar Examination Effective July 2017

For a sample 90-Minute Performance Test, please click here