What are the odds of passing the California bar?
Asked by: Ms. Adriana Rutherford DDS | Last update: November 11, 2025Score: 4.9/5 (34 votes)
About two-thirds of those who sat for the July exam were first-time test-takers. And, as is typical, graduates of American Bar Association-approved schools in California taking the test for the first time had the highest pass rate: 81%. Repeat test-takers lodged a 23.5% pass rate.
Is the California bar hard to pass?
Yes, the California bar exam is widely considered to be the most difficult of all state bar exams in the US. The California bar exam has a pass rate of 34%.
Which state bar is the easiest to pass?
Easiest Bar Exams to Pass for First-Time Takers:
Utah: Utah had the highest first-time pass rate in July 2023, with 94% of first-time takers passing the exam. (It's pass rate dipped to 69% in February 2024, but this is still higher than most other jurisdictions.) It also has a low passing score of 260.
What are the odds of passing the bar the first time?
March 11 (Reuters) - More than 79% of U.S. law school graduates who took the bar exam for the first time in 2023 passed, according to new data released on Monday by the American Bar Association.
What percentage of lawyers never pass the bar?
Wondering how test-takers are doing as a whole? According to the most recent data released by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®), in 2021, of the 64,833 total persons taking the bar exam, 39,873 passed, which is an overall pass rate of 60% (down 1%from the previous year).
California Bar Exam: Everything You Need to Know (Subjects, Structure, and More)
Is 295 a good bar score?
In order to pass the Uniform Bar Exam, examinees must earn a score of at least 260 on the MBE and MEE. However, a score of 280 is generally considered to be a good score, and a score of 300 to 330 (highest score on bar exam) is considered to be excellent.
How hard is the bar exam without going to law school?
The bar exam pass rate of an apprentice is about ⅓ of that of a student who attends an ABA approved law school, according to a study by Priceconomics. With a passing rate of approximately 27% for apprentices, it is clear there are topics that can be missed, that a traditional law school is sure to cover.
What is the hardest part of the bar exam?
Most people regard the MBE as the hardest portion of the bar exam. The questions are rarely easy or straightforward. They can be tricky and sometimes worded in a way that guides you to the wrong answer.
How many times can you take the bar exam?
There is no limit to the number of times you can take the bar exam in the state of California. While it may come as a relief to many students who are planning to take the bar exam in California that there are no limits, California's bar exam is known for being one of the hardest exams in the U.S.
Is the California bar exam curved?
the bar exam isn't curved, but scaled. That means it's normalized to adjust for the difficulty from one administration to the next, not the applicant pool.
What does bar stand for?
Some people claim the term bar is an acronym for “British Accredited Registry.” Aside from making little sense, this assertion is patently false. In reality, the word “bar” refers to the railing that separates the working area of the court from the spectator area.
What law school has the highest bar pass rate?
- Concordia University School of Law: 100 percent.
- University of Chicago: 98 percent.
- Yale University: 98 percent.
- University of Pennsylvania: 98 percent.
- Columbia University: 97 percent.
- Harvard University: 97 percent.
- Duke University 97 percent.
- New York University: 97 percent.
How long does it take to study for a California bar?
Time is of the essence!
In the 10 weeks prior to the bar exam, your bar studies will require the bulk of your time and attention. Most California Law graduates spend at least 50 hours per week studying in May and June and 60 hours per week studying in July.
How many people fail the California bar?
Among the 7,555 people who took California's July 2023 bar exam, 51.5% passed, down from 52.4% the previous year, the State Bar of California said , opens new tab on Thursday.
Can you pass the bar in California without law school?
In California, qualified applicants can take the bar exam without going to law school. Most law schools require a college degree, but some may only ask for equivalent course work, and some law schools focus on your legal interest and life experiences and not on your grades or LSAT scores.
Which state has easiest bar exam?
South Dakota has a reputation for being the easiest test in the country, followed by Wisconsin, which allows any graduate of a Wisconsin law school to automatically be admitted to the bar. This policy is known as diploma privilege.
Is the NCLEX harder than the bar exam?
The Bar Exam is often considered more challenging than the NCLEX due to its comprehensive coverage of intricate legal subjects and a lower average pass rate of around 60%.
Why is California bar so hard?
For several reasons, the California bar exam is often considered to be the hardest in the country. California's legal system is known for its complexity. The state has its own set of laws, regulations, and precedents that often differ significantly from federal laws and those of other states.
What is the easiest state to become a lawyer in?
Going by the 2021 bar exam passing rates, Wyoming has the easiest bar exam to pass. However, we don't really get the full picture by just looking at the passing rates. Each state's bar exam can differ in difficulty and content.
Can anyone sit for the California bar exam?
To be eligible to take the California Bar Examination, you should have completed at least two years of college before beginning your law studies or passed certain specified College Level Equivalency Program examinations.
Can I take the bar exam for fun?
Most states (not all) require you to have a J.D. to sit for the bar exam (or be sufficiently close in credits to having a J.D.). The exam is not free and no matter how brilliant you are, you're not going to pass without good preparation.
Are bar exams curved?
Most bar takers fall right in the middle on the curve, within a few points of each other. The MBE portion of the bar exam is significant to your overall score in almost all U.S. states. Getting just a few additional points can really tip you into the “passing zone.”
What is a 266 on the bar?
In most states that grade on a 1–6 scale, a 4 is considered a passing score. Here is the exact number a passing score for each essay: A 3.9 is considered passing in Uniform Bar Exam jurisdictions that require a 260 to pass. A 4.0 is considered passing in Uniform Bar Exam jurisdictions that require a 266 to pass.
What is a 270 on the bar?
A 280 is approximately the 73rd percentile. A 270 is approximately the 58th percentile. A 260 is approximately the 44th percentile. A 250 is approximately the 26th percentile.