Taking the California Bar Exam
The state bar of California is generally considered to be one of the most difficult bar examinations administered within the United States. Statistics indicate that California often possesses the lowest pass rest of all states. The CA bar exam lasts for three days. During this period an individual will be required to answer six essay questions regarding California state law and basic legal principles.
Three of these essay questions will be administered during the morning session, on the first day. The remaining three essays will be answered during the morning session, on the third day of the examination. During the afternoon sessions on the first and last days the exam, a performance test will be administered.
The performance test is the portion of the exam that is often difficult for test takers. It consists of questions designed to resemble real life legal issues that an individual may face if he/she becomes a lawyer. An individual will be required to apply legal principles and rules to each problem, and resolve any ethical issues that may be present.
On the second day of the CA bar exam, an individual will complete the Multi-state Bar Exam. This portion of the exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions, regarding common law. The Multi-state Bar Exam is worth 35% of an individual's final score, while the performance test and essay questions are worth 65%. In order to practice law in the state of California, an individual will also be required to pass the Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam, with a score of at least an 86.
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