How is the California Bar Exam Scored?
How is the California Bar Exam Scored?
Effective as of July 2017, the California bar exam is composed of three parts: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), which consists of 200 multiple choice questions; one 90-minute performance test; and five, hour-long essays. On the first day, exam takers complete five one-hour essays and one 90-minute performance test. On the second day, examinees take the MBE.
The California bar exam has 2000 possible points.
On July 16, 2020, the California Supreme Court announced that it was permanently reducing the passing score from 1440 to 1390. On August 10, 2020, the California Supreme Court issued an order stating that the 1390 passing score would not be applied retroactively to past exam takers. Thus, effective as of October 2020, you need 1390 points to pass the California Bar Exam.
UPDATE: California passed an order on January 28, 2021 that allows examinees who narrowly passed the California Bar Exam between February 2020 and July 2015 to be admitted to the state bar after completing 300 hours of supervised law work (no second bar exam is required).