What is California's baby bar?
Asked by: Dr. Oleta Ruecker Sr. | Last update: January 21, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (8 votes)
The First-Year Law Students' Examination, or "baby bar," is administered in June and October. The exam is comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions and no longer includes any essay questions. Two exam sessions are available each day, allowing applicants to choose between a morning or afternoon session.
What does it mean to pass the baby bar in California?
You likely know that becoming a lawyer requires passing the bar exam—but in California, some law students also need to pass a test known as the “baby bar.” This exam is officially called the First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSE or FYLSX).
Are you a lawyer if you pass the baby bar?
Are you a lawyer if you pass the baby bar? You do not become a lawyer upon passing the baby bar. You must still pass the bar exam and be accepted by your jurisdiction's board of bar examiners.
Is the baby bar harder than the bar?
Passing the Baby Bar
The baby bar has a much lower pass rate than most other bar exams. Around 27% of first-time test takers passed in 2020. But this doesn't mean the exam is harder than the actual bar exam in California or any other state.
What does it mean that Kim passed the baby bar?
Passing the baby bar allows law students to continue their legal education and apprenticeship and to take the state bar exam again. Kim failed the bar test three times before passing on her fourth attempt.
Major Changes Coming to The CA Baby Bar Exam (FYLSE)
Did Kim Kardashian become a lawyer?
Over the years, the SKIMS founder has given frequent updates about her journey into becoming a lawyer. In May 2023, Kardashian revealed she got straight As on her latest law school midterms during an appearance on Today. "I'm still studying. I'm actually in constitutional law 1 and 2 right now.
What is the purpose of the bar exam?
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Did Kim Kardashian pass the LSAT?
She failed it 3 times before finally passing in 2021 (which apparently is pretty common for people who take this path). A few years later, I have not heard anything about her attempting the real bar exam.
What states have baby bar exams?
The biggest difference is the baby bar is only administered in California and is required to be taken by first-year law students in unaccredited law programs. The bar exam is required in each state and must be completed by every law student in order for them to practice law.
What is the hardest state to become a lawyer?
California is widely considered to have the hardest bar exam, due to its low pass rate and the difficulty of the content and constraints of the exam.
What states do not require law school?
Before you can practice law, you will need to choose a state that will allow you to take the bar exam without completing law school. Currently, Washington, Vermont, California and Virginia are the only four states that allow this process.
Can you take the bar without going to law school in California?
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.
What state has the easiest bar exam?
Overall, Utah is the easiest bar exam to pass. This is true whether you are a first-time taker or repeat taker! In July 2023, Utah had a 94% pass rate for first time takers and a 73% pass rate for repeat takers. It also has the lowest UBE cut score of 260.
Where is Kim K in law school?
Kim passes the Baby Bar Exam
That year, she joined a four-year apprenticeship with a law firm in San Francisco, California. The billionaire businesswoman joined the firm to learn more about and study the ins and outs of criminal justice reform work.
What is a first year law student called?
1L, 2L, 3L: In undergrad, your year in school is usually referred to as freshman, sophomore, etc. In law school, we use 1L to refer to first year, 2L to second year, 3L to third year. Your law school might have a part time division, and in that case, some students might be referred to as 4Ls as well.
How many times can you take the baby bar in CA?
Read our detailed bar exam post on what happens if you failed the baby bar exam here. Applicants are given three opportunities to pass the baby bar to get credit for law studies (though it can be taken as many times as you need!).
Are you a lawyer if you don't pass the bar?
Attorneys, lawyers, and counsel have all been educated and trained in law. As explained above, attorneys must pass the bar exam and practice law in court. Lawyers have also taken the bar exam, and may or may not practice law. Counsels provide legal advice, and often work for an organization or corporation.
Can you be a lawyer without going to law school suits?
If you meet the study requirements, you can skip law school and go straight to take the California bar exam.
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.
What LSAT score did Obama get?
During his time, the median LSAT scores for Harvard Law were generally between 170 and 175. This suggests that the Obama LSAT scores were within this range, placing him in the top percentiles of test-takers.
How is Kim Kardashian going to law school without a bachelor's degree?
So first, what is “reading the law?” Basically, it's a JD via apprenticeship but without the actual degree. In her case, Kardashian will need to spend at least four years studying with a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible to take the California bar exam in 2022.
What's the difference between the baby bar and the bar?
The baby bar is similar to the actual bar exam in that it includes both essay and multiple-choice questions. However, instead of testing all areas of law, it tests three areas of law: Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts. The test focuses on general principles of law (rather than California law).
Why do lawyers pass the bar?
Every jurisdiction administers a bar exam to test a candidate's ability to think like a lawyer and prove that they have the “minimum competency” to practice law in that state.
Do lawyers have to pass the bar in each state?
Admission in multiple states
Most attorneys seek and obtain admission only to the bar of one state, and then rely upon pro hac vice admissions for the occasional out-of-state matter. However, many new attorneys do seek admission in multiple states, either by taking multiple bar exams or applying for reciprocity.
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.