Two years equates to at least 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of credit. You must have a grade average high enough to qualify for a degree, had you completed the full four years. [3] X Research source
The attorney or judge you choose must be admitted to the active practice of law in California, and have been in good standing for at least five years. You will not be working for your mentor. Rather, you will be following a course of study proposed by the attorney or judge, who will personally supervise you at least five hours a week. [4] X Research source Try to study law under an attorney who practices the same type of law you want to practice after you pass the bar exam. [5] X Research source Your mentor also must examine you at least once a month on the material you studied that month. Once every six months, your mentor will report to the Committee of Bar Examiners the hours you studied each week and the subjects and materials you studied. [6] X Research source
Subjects tested on the California Bar include business associations, civil procedure, community property, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, torts, and wills and trusts. [11] X Research source You must study at least 18 hours a week for 48 weeks to acquire credit for one year of legal study. You must have at least four years of legal study at a law office or judge’s chambers before you can take the California Bar exam. [12] X Research source To qualify, your study hours must happen in the law office or the judge’s chambers during regular business hours. [13] X Research source Within 30 days of the day you begin your study, your mentor must send the Committee of Bar Examiners an outline of your course of study. The Committee doesn’t critique this outline or oversee any of your work while you study. [14] X Research source
The report may include the hours you studied, the areas of law you covered and course materials you used, cases you read, exercises you completed, and evaluation of your performance on monthly exams. [15] X Research source
The FYLSX takes one day. During the morning session you have approximately four hours to answer four essay questions. After a lunch break, the test day concludes with a three-hour afternoon session during which you’ll answer 100 multiple-choice questions. [17] X Research source Since the exam covers contracts, criminal law, and torts, these subjects should be the focus of your first year of study. [18] X Research source Study aids and sample essay exam questions with answers are available from the Office of Admissions of the California Bar.
Your application must be accompanied by a fee of $566. [20] X Research source If you file your application after the regular deadline passes, expect to pay additional late filing fees which can be as much as $200. [21] X Research source After you apply, your mentor will be sent a certification form to prove you’ve completed a year of law study. You have until the final eligibility deadline to submit your certification. [22] X Research source
Your multiple-choice score consists of the number of questions you answered correctly, converted to a 400-point scale that adjusts for variations in difficulty across the different versions of the test. Your total raw essay score ranges between 160 and 400 points. This score is converted to the same 400-point scale used for the multiple-choice questions. Your converted essay scores and converted multiple-choice scores are added together to produce your total score. [23] X Research source If you don’t pass the Baby Bar on the first try, you can try again. The California Bar gives you a total of three chances to pass the exam. If it takes you more than three attempts, you only get credit for a single year of legal education – which means you wouldn’t get credit for any time you spent studying while you were retaking the FYLSX. [24] X Research source
For example, to complete the application you will need to list employment history going back to your 18th birthday. You may not recall the addresses of places you worked part-time, or the names of your supervisors. You’ll need to track down this information. [25] X Research source Read the entire application through once before you answer any questions, and make notes of information you need. Then find that information before you sit down to fill out the application. [26] X Research source
Use the checklist that prints with your application to double-check and ensure that all the forms and pages have been completed, and that you’ve signed all the forms that require your signature. [30] X Research source Your application will be considered abandoned if it isn’t complete within 60 days of filing. [31] X Research source You can file your application at any time after you begin your law study,[32] X Research source but the Committee recommends you file at least eight to ten months prior to the date you anticipate being admitted to practice law in California. [33] X Research source Your application must be accompanied by a filing fee of $525. [34] X Research source The Committee will send confidential reference questionnaires to any references, employers, or law schools that are listed on your application.
You will receive a notice from the Committee within 180 days. Either the notice will tell you the determination is positive, or it will tell you that the Committee requires further information from you, a government agency, or another source. If the Committee requests additional information from you, you should submit it promptly. [36] X Research source If the Committee still has questions about or issues with your application, you may receive an invitation to an informal hearing. You don’t have to attend, and it won’t affect the Committee’s decision if you decide not to go. [37] X Research source However, attending the hearing could allow you to clear up problems that are keeping you from getting a positive determination.
To submit amendments, you can either print your application and mark the places where changes need to be made, or send in a separate sheet of paper on which you’ve written the changes or additions down and signed it. [39] X Research source Amendments may be submitted with your hard copy application or mailed separately to the Los Angeles Office of Admissions. [40] X Research source
The test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions, only 10 of which are scored. You will have two hours to complete the test. Each question presents a hypothetical set of facts followed by a question. You must pick the best possible answer to the question from the four options presented. [45] X Trustworthy Source National Conference of Bar Examiners Nonprofit organization responsible for the development of national and state bar examinations. Go to source In addition to reading the ABA Model Rules, you can study for the MPRE by taking sample test questions or by purchasing and taking the MPRE online practice exam. [46] X Trustworthy Source National Conference of Bar Examiners Nonprofit organization responsible for the development of national and state bar examinations. Go to source
You will receive an admission ticket, which will indicate your test date and assigned testing center. You must complete the photo identification section of the admission ticket and attach a passport-type photograph of yourself that was taken within the last six months. [48] X Trustworthy Source National Conference of Bar Examiners Nonprofit organization responsible for the development of national and state bar examinations. Go to source
On your test day, report to your assigned testing center at the time listed on your admission ticket to take the exam. You should try to arrive at least a half hour before the test begins so you can get checked in, and to give yourself some time because late arrivals won’t be admitted. You must bring a government-issued photo ID, with a first and last name that match the first and last name on your admission ticket. Review the list of prohibited items before you enter the testing center, and if you have anything with you that won’t be allowed, such as a mobile phone or a watch, leave it at home or in your car. [50] X Trustworthy Source National Conference of Bar Examiners Nonprofit organization responsible for the development of national and state bar examinations. Go to source
Bar prep courses typically offer a combination of in-person and online instruction over several weeks, and cost a few thousand dollars. [51] X Research source Bar prep courses boast far higher passage rates than the state averages. For example, Themis states that 75 percent of first-time test takers who completed their program passed the California bar. [52] X Research source
Of the 23 exam takers who were on their second or third attempt to pass the bar, only one passed. [54] X Research source
The exam is administered in July and February of each year. If you file your application in April for the July exam, or in November for the February exam, you’ll pay an additional $50 late filing fee. Anytime later, up until the final filing deadline, you can only apply if you pay an additional $250. [57] X Research source If you want to use a laptop for the exam, you’ll pay an additional fee of $146. You should decide if you want to use a laptop when you initially file your application, because if you change your mind and decide later that you want to use one, you’ll have to pay an additional $15 late laptop fee. [58] X Research source
For example, the July 2014 examination included essays on contracts and remedies, evidence, business associations and professional responsibility, criminal law and procedure, trusts and community property, and torts. The two performance tests were writing an objective memorandum and writing a persuasive brief. [60] X Research source You will receive an admissions ticket that includes the dates and times of your exam and the location of your assigned testing center. You also will receive a bulletin that describes the schedule for testing each day and provides a list of items prohibited at the testing center. [61] X Research source Carefully review the rules regarding items such as mobile phones that are prohibited in the testing center, and make sure you don’t bring anything with you that isn’t allowed. [62] X Research source The California Bar exam takes three days. Each of those days begins at 8:30 a. m. and consists of two three-hour testing sessions broken up by a lunch break. [63] X Research source
Your result letter will include your raw scores on each of the eight parts of the exam, your total raw and scaled written score, your MBE scaled score, and your total scaled score. [65] X Research source
