The Challenge of the California Bar Exam
The California Bar Exam is one of the hardest professional exams in the nation. It doesn’t just test what you know—it tests how well you can apply it under time pressure. Passing takes structure, focus, and consistent training—not luck. This guide explains everything on the California Bar Exam: its sections, subjects, timing, scoring, and how to prepare strategically.
Format, Timing, and Structure
The California Bar Exam is a two-day exam administered every February and July by the State Bar of California’s Office of Admissions. It consists of two equal parts:
- The Written Portion (Essays + Performance Test)
- The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
Each part counts for 50 percent of your total score.
Exam Overview
Day 1
Essays
5 essay, 1 hour each
35 percent of grade
Performance Test
One 90-minute task
15 percent
Day 2
200 MBE Questions
175 scored + 25 unscored
6 hours total (two 3-hour sessions)
50 percent
The exam is administered in person (remote testing is no longer available) and can be taken on a laptop using ExamSoft.
To pass, you must earn a scaled score of 1390 out of 2000—about 69.5 percent overall.
Day 1: Written Portion
Day One is the Written Portion, containing five one-hour essays and one 90-minute Performance Test (PT). It measures how well you can spot issues, recall rules, and apply law through organized legal analysis.
Essays
Essays account for 35 percent of your total score. Each presents a fact pattern requiring you to identify legal issues, state complete rule statements, apply them, and conclude using the IRAC method (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion).
Details:
– Five essays
– One hour each
– Single-subject or crossover questions
– Scored 40 to 100 points each
Pro tip: Graders want precision, not flair. A clear IRAC structure earns the most points.
Testable Subjects
– Civil Procedure (CA + Federal distinctions)
– Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships—including GP/LP/LLP/LLC—and Corporations)
– Community Property
– Contracts
– Constitutional Law
– Criminal Law & Procedure
– Evidence (CA + Federal distinctions)
– Professional Responsibility
– Real Property
– Remedies
– Torts
– Trusts
– Wills
Crossovers are common—for example, Wills + Community Property or Corporations + Professional Responsibility.
The Performance Test (PT)
The Performance Test counts for 15 percent of your total score and evaluates practical lawyering skills. You’ll receive a file (facts, memos, exhibits) and a library (cases and statutes) and must draft a document—often a memo, brief, or client letter.
Skills tested: organization, analysis, clarity, and direction-following
Tip: Treat it like a real assignment. Follow instructions exactly and stay concise.
Day 2: The MBE
Day Two is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), a multiple-choice test created by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). It measures general legal principles rather than California-specific law.
Format:
– 200 questions total
– 175 scored + 25 unscored experimental
– Two sessions of 100 questions (each 3 hours)
– 6 hours total
– Worth 50 percent of the total score
You’ll have roughly 1.8 minutes per question, so timing and focus are critical.
MBE Subjects
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts (including UCC Article 2)
- Criminal Law & Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
Each subject contributes about 25 scored questions.
California Bar Exam Subjects
California tests both national and state-specific subjects.
Core MBE (National) Subjects:
– Civil Procedure
– Constitutional Law
– Contracts
– Criminal Law & Procedure
– Evidence
– Real Property
– Torts
California-Specific Subjects:
– Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships—including GP/LP/LLP/LLC—and Corporations)
– Community Property
– Professional Responsibility
– Remedies
– Trusts
– Wills
These 13 subjects make up the full California Bar Exam scope.
How Often Each Subject Is Essay Tested
Some subjects appear on nearly every exam; others rotate.
Professional Responsibility – Every exam – Essay or crossover
Civil Procedure – Very frequent – Essay or MBE
Business Associations (Agency / Partnerships / Corporations) – Common – Essay crossover
Community Property – Every 1–2 exams – Essay
Contracts – Every 1–2 exams – Essay + MBE
Torts – Frequent – Essay + MBE
Constitutional Law – Frequent – Essay + MBE
Evidence – Every exam – Essay + MBE
Real Property – Common – Essay + MBE
Remedies – Occasional – Essay crossover
Wills & Trusts – Every other exam – Essay
Study tip: Professional Responsibility, Evidence, and Business Associations appear so consistently that they should anchor your study schedule.
How the California Bar Exam Is Scored
Your total scaled score is out of 2000 points, split evenly between the written and MBE sections.
Written Portion (Essays + PT): 50 percent
MBE Portion: 50 percent
Each component is scaled to account for exam difficulty.
Passing score: 1390 (≈ 69.5 percent)
California does not round up—1389 does not pass.
Essay + PT scores are scaled to 1000 points; MBE raw scores scaled to 1000 points; combined total = 2000.
How to Study for the California Bar Exam
Success comes from training for performance—not just memorizing rules.
Focus on:
- Rule Recall – Drill rules until automatic.
- Issue Spotting – Link facts to rules through practice.
- Timed Practice – Simulate exam conditions.
- Feedback – Review model answers and self-grade.
- Consistency – Study daily and track progress.
Top scorers don’t study more—they train smarter.
How Brieflex.ai Helps
Brieflex.ai is built around California’s testing structure.
– The Drill Room: Active recall drills for faster rule memory.
– The Tutor Room: Socratic sessions to clarify reasoning.
– Analytics: Performance data showing accuracy and timing.
When you train with repetition and feedback, you don’t just study—you perform.
Final Thoughts: Train for the Exam You’ll Actually Take
The California Bar Exam isn’t a mystery. Once you understand its structure, subjects, and weighting, you can train with purpose. When you practice like you’ll perform—timed essays, rule drills, analytics—success stops being a guess and becomes a plan.
At Brieflex.ai, we believe that repetition builds mastery—and mastery wins on game day.
