What Is The California Attorneys’ Examination?

What Is The California Attorneys’ Examination?

While most of the attention is almost always directed towards the traditional two-day California Bar Exam, another lesser-known exam also exists. That exam is called the California Attorneys’ Exam and is sometimes referred to as the one-day bar exam. As you probably guessed by the name, the one-day attorneys’ exam is completed in a single day. Besides the duration, the traditional bar exam and the attorneys’ exam also have a number of other differences. So, what is the California Attorneys’ Examination and how does it operate in the context of the traditional two-day bar exam? That’s exactly what we’re going to discuss in this blog article, so let’s get started!

What Is The California Attorneys’ Examination?

Attorneys’ Exam Eligibility

The one-day attorneys’ exam is specifically designed for people already licensed to practice law in another state or jurisdiction. So, if you’re not a licensed attorney in another state or jurisdiction, the two-day bar exam is what you’ll have to take to be licensed to practice law in California. If you are a lawyer licensed outside of California, there are a couple eligibility requirements to sit for the attorneys’ exam. First, you need to have been licensed in another state or jurisdiction for at least four years. Second, you have to have a positive moral character determination on file with the State Bar of California. Lastly, you must take and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. If you satisfy all of these requirements, you can sit for the attorney’s examination as opposed to to the two-day California Bar Exam.

Satisfying the requirements discussed above will grant you access to the one-day attorneys’ exam. However, there is one primary exception. If you’re a foreign lawyer, you won’t be able to take the one-day attorneys’ exam. This is regardless of whether you satisfy the other eligibility requirements.

Attorneys’ Exam Substance

You can think of the one-day attorneys’ exam in California as a shortened version of the traditional two-day bar exam. The two-day exam contains one day for essay questions and one day for MBE questions. On the other hand, the one-day attorneys’ exam consists of only essay questions. The questions are the same as the essay questions presented to applicants taking the traditional exam, including the performance test. In fact, those taking the one-day attorneys’ exam sit alongside those taking the two-day exam in testing centers. The only difference is those taking the attorneys’ exam don’t come back for MBE questions on day two.

Two-Day Bar Exam vs. One-Day Attorneys’ Exam

You may be in a position where you can take either the one-day attorneys’ exam or the traditional two-day exam. If this is the case, you might be thinking “why would I opt to take a longer exam?” There are a number of reasons! First, the one-day attorneys’ exam generally suffers from a lower pass rate when compared to the two-day exam. Second, because the attorneys’ exam is a “one and done” opportunity, you use the MBE to boost your score. The MBE portion of the bar exam takes place on day two of the exam. That means if you performed poorly on the essay portion the day prior, you can redeem yourself during the MBE. Those taking the one-day attorneys’ exam simply don’t have that opportunity given the shortened nature of the test.

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