Legal Education

Before applying to take the California Bar Examination, you should review the rules to determine if you’ve satisfied the educational requirements to take the test.

This is an overview of the educational requirements to take the California Bar Examination established by section 6060 of the California Business and Professions Code and Title 4, Division 1 of the Rules of the State Bar (Admissions Rules).

Eligibility

To be eligible to take the California Bar Examination, you must have:

• Satisfied the pre-legal education requirements;
• Passed or established an exemption from the First-Year Law Students’ Examination; and
• Satisfied the legal education requirements by:
  • Receiving a Juris Doctor degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) or accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE); or
  • Studying law diligently and in good faith for at least four years in a law school registered with the CBE or through the Law Office Study Program, as determined by the State Bar; or
  • Meeting the foreign education requirements of the Admissions Rules.

Evaluating your legal education

If you’re unsure whether you meet the requirements, you can request a Legal Evaluation through the Applicant Portal. Submit the following:

• A completed Legal Evaluation Request Form;
• Required fees;
• All of your official, sealed law school transcripts; and
• A proposed plan of study, if applicable.

Your law school or prospective law school can also request a Legal Evaluation on your behalf. An evaluation generally takes three to four weeks to complete.

Related links

• Legal Evaluation Request Form (for law schools)