California bar exam: Legacy or current exam until July 2028; NextGen afterward.
Choosing a course? See the best bar prep for California and the BARBRI vs. Themis comparison.
| July exam | Apr. 1, late filing June 1 |
| February exam | Nov. 1, late filing Jan. 1 |
| Fees | First-time $878; attorney $1,650; repeater $878 / $1,650; laptop $153 |
| MPRE minimum | 86 |
Dates can change. Check the board’s site before you pay.
Before filing in California, check the current NCBE profile ↗.
| Rule | Cal. Rule of Court 9.41.1 / State Bar Rules Title 3, Art. 1: Registered Military Spouse Attorney |
| Accommodation | No California bar exam; registrant practices under supervision of a California attorney with 2+ years' active practice, who assumes professional responsibility |
| Duration | Up to 5 years |
| Supervision | Required (supervising CA attorney) |
| Adopted | 2019 |
Confirm current status directly with California's bar admission authority ↗: this area of law shifted federally in December 2024 and states are still catching up.
California gives its own bar exam twice a year, in February and July. The July 2026 exam was Tuesday, July 28 and Wednesday, July 29, in person at designated test sites across California. For July 2026 the State Bar contracted with ExamSoft as the delivery vendor for the written sessions, and applicants submit their written responses on their personal laptops. The 200 multiple-choice questions come from NCBE's MBE, and applicants answer on a Scantron sheet by bubbling in responses with a No. 2 pencil.
The February 2027 exam is Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24, 2027. The California Supreme Court holds the ultimate authority to admit attorneys and to set the passing score, and the State Bar has said it will evaluate the exam at least every seven years to see whether the passing score should change.
Source: California Bar Examination ↗
For February 2027, the State Bar's dates page lists October 1, 2026 as the day applications become available, November 2, 2026 as the timely filing deadline and January 4, 2027 as the final filing deadline. The State Bar scheduled results for the February 2026 exam for May 1, 2026 and for the July 2026 exam for November 6, 2026, with a public pass list following several days later.
An applicant who withdraws may be eligible for a refund under the Refund of Fees policy, but not receiving a preferred testing site does not qualify for a refund. If the final filing deadline has not passed, an applicant whose application was considered abandoned may submit a new application with the payment and any late fees.
Source: Dates and Deadlines ↗
The State Bar's Schedule of Charges lists a $878 application fee to take the California Bar Examination for a general applicant and $1,650 for an attorney applicant. A $50 late fee applies to applications filed between the first and last business day of November for the February exam, or of April for July, and a $250 late fee applies from the last business day of that month to the final filing deadline. A laptop computer fee is $153, a late laptop change from writing to a laptop costs $60, and an admission certificate costs $95.
Copies of records carry fees as well: $22 for a copy of a bar examination application and $27 for a copy of a moral character determination application. The schedule is Rule 4.61(A) and related rules in the Appendix: Schedule of Charges and Deadlines.
The State Bar's Office of Admissions report for February 2026 (last revised June 18, 2026) shows 3,931 people completing the General Bar Exam, of whom 1,211 passed, a pass rate of 30.8%. First-time applicants passed at 44.0% (640 of 1,456) and repeat applicants at 23.1% (571 of 2,475). The Attorneys' Exam, a written-only exam open to attorneys admitted elsewhere for four or more years, had 477 takers and a 57.0% pass rate (272 passed).
The gap between school types is the main story. First-time applicants from California ABA-approved schools passed at 62.9% (197 took it) and from out-of-state ABA schools at 55.0% (160), but first-timers from California-accredited law schools passed at 29.7% (246). U.S. attorneys taking the General Bar Exam passed at 76.9% on a first try (286), while foreign attorneys, who must take the General Bar Exam, passed at 23.8% (425). The State Bar redacts any group with fewer than 11 takers, shown as a dash in its report, so small groups do not appear in the table below.
Source: State Bar of California: February 2026 General Statistics Report ↗
For July 2025 the State Bar counted 7,362 General Bar Exam takers and 4,032 passes, 54.8%, with data as of January 6, 2026. First-timers passed at 69.7% (3,793 of 5,441) and repeaters at 12.4% (239 of 1,921). On the Attorneys' Exam, 378 people sat and 164 passed, 43.4%, with first-timers at 51.7% and repeaters at 17.4%.
First-timers from California ABA schools passed at 84.4% (2,562 of 3,035) and from out-of-state ABA schools at 78.0% (693 of 888). California-accredited school first-timers passed at 35.1% (136 of 387), and repeaters from those schools at 7.1% (34 of 477). The State Bar's separate line for disciplined attorneys shows 21 took the exam and none passed.
Source: State Bar of California: July 2025 General Statistics Report ↗
No. California gives its own two-day California Bar Examination. It uses NCBE's 200-question MBE for the multiple-choice part, and for July 2026 applicants typed their written responses on personal laptops through ExamSoft.
$878 for a general applicant and $1,650 for an attorney applicant, plus a $153 laptop fee and any late fee of $50 or $250.
The State Bar lists November 2, 2026 as the timely filing deadline and January 4, 2027 as the final filing deadline, with applications available October 1, 2026.
Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24, 2027.
The State Bar scheduled release for November 6, 2026 for the July 2026 exam and May 1, 2026 for the February 2026 exam. A public pass list follows several days later.
On a Scantron sheet by bubbling in responses with a No. 2 pencil, for the 200 MBE questions used in July 2026.
The California Supreme Court holds ultimate authority to admit attorneys and set the passing score. The State Bar evaluates the exam at least every seven years and recommends whether the score should change.
Possibly, under the State Bar's Refund of Fees policy. Not getting your preferred testing site does not qualify you for a refund.
30.8% for the General Bar Exam (1,211 of 3,931), and 44.0% for first-time takers, according to the State Bar's June 2026 report.
Yes, by the State Bar's own numbers: 29.7% of first-timers from those schools passed in February 2026, against 62.9% from California ABA-approved schools, and 35.1% against 84.4% in July 2025.
57.0% in February 2026 (272 of 477) and 43.4% in July 2025 (164 of 378).
Compare other state bar exam guides: Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia
Source: NCBE Comprehensive Guide: California ↗ · reviewed August 21, 2026.