Frequently Tested California Bar Exam Essay Subjects

Frequently Tested California Bar Exam Essay Subjects

As the California Bar Exam draws closer, the number of trips students make to the local psychic shop increases. Why you may ask? People will do almost anything to figure out what subjects will be front and center on the essay portion! Truth be told, there is no way to predict what subjects will be featured prominently on the California Bar Exam. Anyone who claims they can accurately predict all of the subjects that will be tested on each of the California Bar Exams is silly. Now, although we can’t tell the future, we can analyze and review what subjects appear most frequently. This will give you a good clue as to what you are likely to see on your own exam! Here are the most frequently tested subjects on the essay portion of the California Bar Exam.

Frequently Tested California Bar Exam Essay Subjects

Professional Responsibility 

Professional responsibility is almost always tested on the California Bar Exam and is sometimes combined with another subject. For example, you may receive an essay question that combines professional responsibility concepts with concepts taken from corporate law. Some areas to focus on include conflicts of interest, advertising and fee agreements, and duties owed to the client. Make sure to also know the ABA Model Rules and the California distinctions.

To learn more, check out this post on How to Conquer Professional Responsibility on the California Bar Exam!

Community Property

Community property is a frequently tested area on the California Bar Exam. Although not appearing on other state bar examinations, community property is a California favorite. This subject is sometimes combined with concepts taken from wills and trusts. Regardless of whether you decided to take community property in law school, make sure to brush up on the subject! Some highly tested areas include distinguishing separate property, transmutations of property, and termination of the marital relationship.

Check out our breakdown of Community Property on the California bar exam here!

Remedies

Remedies is a tricky concept to test because it is almost always wrapped up with another subject area. After all, you can’t have a remedy without an underlying issue. Some essay questions on the California Bar Exam will ask you to specifically state what remedies are appropriate. Some essay questions will focus on a separate subject area and the student is left to mention applicable remedies. Whether it is the damages portion of a torts essay or the contractual damages of a UCC essay, remedies are important. Some of the most highly tested remedies issues are specific performance, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and equitable defenses.

Here are our tips on Remedies to help you ace this subject if you see it!

Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure

Criminal law and criminal procedure are frequently tested on the California Bar Exam and appear roughly once every other year. Although California does have certain criminal law distinctions when compared to general law, these distinctions are rarely tested. More often than not, criminal law and criminal procedure are combined into a single essay question. Sometimes they appear separate from one another.

In general, criminal law and criminal procedure will test five basic categories of information. These categories include general principles of criminal law, homicide, other crimes, inchoate crimes, and the constitutional protections of accused persons. Specifically, students should expect to encounter murder and manslaughter, the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, and theft crimes. Learn more about exactly how Criminal Law is tested on the California Bar Exam here!

The good thing about criminal law and criminal procedure is that these subjects are tested pretty straightforwardly. Students looking at old criminal law and procedure essay questions won’t have a hard time identifying certain themes and patterns.

JD Advising Frequency Charts

For a more detailed look at frequently tested subjects on the California Bar Exam – check out our frequency charts! These charts are a great resource for students preparing for an upcoming administration of the California Bar Exam.

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