The First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSX), or "baby bar," is a one-day test given remotely in June and November.
Not all law students have to take the baby bar. Law students completing their first year of law study in a juris doctor degree program at a State Bar-unaccredited registered law school, through the Law Office Study Program and those without two years of college work attending a Committee of Bar Examiners- or an American Bar Association-accredited law school must take the First-Year Law Students' Exam after completing their first year of law study. Law students who have been advanced to their second year of law study at an ABA or California-accredited law school and completed a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units of undergraduate work are generally exempt from the exam.
An applicant who is required to pass the First-Year Law Students’ Exam will not receive credit for any law study until the applicant passes the exam. Due to COVID-19, the Supreme Court directed the State Bar to implement rule and guideline changes that allow law students for whom the June 2020 FYLSX is one of the first three administrations after becoming eligible to take up to four administrations to pass the exam and claim credit for all law study to date. All other FYLSX takers who successfully completed their first year of law study at an unaccredited law school must take and pass the FYLSX within three administrations after first becoming eligible to take it. If the applicant passes subsequent to that, credit will be received only for the first year of law study.
Register for the exam online.
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 fees associated with ACH payments. You will need your Bank Routing Number and Bank Account Number. It takes seven days for ACH payments to be processed by our bank processor. If within that seven days a payment is returned for insufficient funds or declined for any reason, your application will be considered incomplete until a replacement payment with any service charges are received.
All declined payments will incur a $20 service charge added to any late fees in effect. The application deadline will be enforced if the payment is not received within the published deadlines.