The Exam | Overview
Bar Overview
The California Bar Exam is a three-day test given twice a year, in February and July. The essays and performance exams are given on the preceding Tuesday and the following Thursday. California's bar exam is considered one of the most difficult in the country, along with New York.
| California Bar Exam Schedule (exact times are subject to some change due to logistics) |
|||
| Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00-12:00 | Essays 1, 2, 3 | MBE (100 questions) | Essays 4, 5, 6 |
| 12:00-1:45 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 1:45-4:45 | Performance Test A | MBE (100 questions) | Performance Test B |
Essays
Tuesday and Thursday mornings are the essay segments. Each segment lasts
three hours, in which applicants must answer three essay questions.
The essays cover all of the topics on the MBE, plus civil procedure,
California community
property, business associations, professional responsibility (ABA and
California), remedies, and California wills & trusts.
The chart below lists all of the subjects.
Performance Tests
The performance test is designed to test practical lawyering skills. This
portion of the exam lasts three hours, on the afternoons of Tuesday and Thursday.
The performance exam is a "closed universe" setting, meaning that
the only substantive information the applicant needs to know is what is provided
with the exam.
Applicants are provided with:
- Task Memorandum: This contains instructions for the question, and is usually only one or two pages. The first thing test takers should do is outline the task memo in detail so that they have a roadmap for their answer.
- Library: Legal authorities necessary to complete task. This may be California law, but because the fact pattern takes place in a mythical jurisdiction, test takers should not rely upon their personal knowledge of the particular law.
- Client's File: Contains factual information about the case.
The performance exam may test skills from the following areas: Legal analysis, fact gathering, fact analysis, tactics and problem solving, ethics, and communication. The form of the writing that the applicant is asked to produce may be any one of several types of writings, e.g. a memo of law, trial brief, memo to judge, client letter, letter to opposing counsel, case plan, etc.
MBE
The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) is a 200-question multiple-choice exam. The 200 questions are divided into 100 unit sections; one in the morning, and one in the afternoon on Wednesday. Applicants have three hours per section.
| Topics Tested | |||
| MBE | Essays | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Contracts Property Torts Constitutional Law Criminal Law & Procedure Evidence |
All MBE subjects, plus: Civil Procedure Community Property (CA) Business Associations (Corporations) Professional Responsibility (CA, ABA & case law) Remedies Trusts Wills |
||