california essay bar exam

An Essential California Bar Exam Supplement

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REAL GRADED ESSAYS:

BarEssays.com has spent years and countless hours constructing our database of California Bar Exam essays . You will have access to thousands of authentic essays that have been graded by the California Bar Examiners.

BAR GRADER REVIEWS:

With each premium subscription to BarEssays.com, you gain access to hundreds of Professional Bar Grader Model Answers and Professional Bar Grader Reviews of selected essays in the BarEssays.com database, written by official former graders of the California Bar Exam.

OUTLINES, CHECKLISTS, TEMPLATES

With each premium subscription to BarEssays.com, you receive a complete set of California Bar Exam Short Review Outlines, Checklists, and Essay Attack Templates.

EASY SEARCH:

The BarEssays.com search engine allows you to browse essays by subject, essay score, handwritten/typed essays or examination year and includes links to officially released answers. The BarEssays.com search engine will dramatically increase the efficiency of your California Bar Exam studies.

A Database of Over Three Thousand Authentic Graded California Bar Exam Essays

BarEssays.com is a unique and invaluable study tool for the essay portion of the California Bar Exam. We are, by far, the most comprehensive service that provides REAL examples of REAL essays and performance exams by REAL students that were actually taken during the California Bar Exam and graded by the California Bar Examiners. Since launching in 2007, thousands have successfully used the BarEssays.com essay database to prepare for the essay portion of the California Bar Exam, with several entire law schools, review courses, and tutors providing access to all of their students.

• California Essays

Exam Practice

• California Performance Test
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• Subject-Specific
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• Past Exams The State Bar of California releases past exam essay questions and selected answers from 2012 onward.
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• Last Updated: Apr 26, 2024 2:58 PM
• URL: https://libguides.law.uci.edu/barprep

California Bar Exam: Essays

• Performance Test
• Multistate Bar Exam
• Business Associations
• Civil Procedure
• Community Property
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Professional Responsibility
• Criminal Law and Procedure
• Real Property
• Performance Test Questions
• Online Resources
• Bar Review Books
• Games and Flashcards

CA Bar Exam Essay Test Instructions:

"Your answer should demonstrate your ability to analyze the facts in the question, to tell the difference between material facts and immaterial facts, and to discern the points of law and facts upon which the case turns. Your answer should show that you know and understand the pertinent principles and theories of law, their qualifications and limitations, and their relationships to each other. Your answer should evidence your ability to apply the law to the given facts and to reason in a logical, lawyer-like manner from the premises you adopt to a sound conclusion. Do not merely show that you remember legal principles; instead try to demonstrate your proficiency in using and applying them. If your answer contains only a statement of your conclusions, you will receive little credit. State fully the reasons that support your conclusions, and discuss all points thoroughly. Your answer should be complete, but you should not volunteer information or discuss legal doctrines that are not pertinent to the solution of the problem. Unless a question expressly asks you to use California law, you should answer according to legal theories and principles of general application."

Essay Test Prep Materials

CA Bar Exam Questions and Selected Answers by Subject   (Please bear in mind that these are not model answers, but actual answers to past exams that may include some errors. Available to UC Law SF students only)

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• Last Updated: Jan 24, 2024 4:31 PM
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California Bar Exam and MPRE: 2. The Essay Component

• 1. Subjects Tested on the Exam
• 2. The Essay Component
• 3. The Performance Tests
• 4. The Multistate Bar Exam
• 5. Bar Exam Fees

About the MPRE

• Planning During Law School & Checklist
• 1. Commercial Bar Review Courses
• 2. Free Online Study Aids
• 3. Bar Review Books

Guide Outline

Introduction

About the Bar Exam

Subjects Tested on the Exam

The Essay Component

The Performance Tests

The Multistate Bar Exam

Bar Exam Fees

Planning During Law School

Second and Third Years

Studying for the Bar

Commercial Bar Review Courses

Free Online Study Aids

Bar Review Books

Helpful Information

• The State Bar of California [URL] Provides information regarding the California Bar Examination, including a summary of the requirements for admission to practice law in California, information about how to register to take the bar exam, links to forms, and other important details.
• MBE Information Provides a description of the Multistate Bar Examination, or the multiple-choice portion of the bar exam. Outlines subjects covered, provides sample questions, and guidelines for taking the exam.
• MPRE Information Provides a description of the MPRE, including an outline of the subject matter covered, sample questions, and guidelines for taking the exam.

The Essay Component of the Bar Exam

Each essay question is designed to measure your ability to analyze legal issues arising from factual situations.  Graders look for your ability to:

• analyze the facts of the question;
• tell the difference between material and immaterial facts;
• discern the points of law and fact upon which the question turns; and
• apply relevant legal principles to the factual scenarios provided.

Answers that merely state conclusions will receive little credit.  In addition, unless a question expressly asks you to use California law, bar exam instructions advise that you should answer according to legal theories and principles of general application.  The California State Bar provides online access to essay questions and selected answers from past examinations.  For your convenience, links to PDF files for the essay questions and selected answers from recent years are provided below.

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• Next: 3. The Performance Tests >>
• Last Updated: Oct 2, 2023 10:14 AM
• URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/calbarexam

© The Regents of the University of California. UCLA School of Law. All Rights Reserved.

California Bar Exam

The California Bar exam is a 2-day exam, consisting of:

• five 60-minute California essay questions, weighted 36%
• one 90-minute California Performance Test, weighted 14%
• the six-hour Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), weighted 50%

According to the California State Bar, the essay questions are "designed to measure an applicant's ability to analyze legal issues arising from fact situations. Answers are expected to demonstrate the applicant's ability to analyze the facts of the question, to tell the difference between material facts and immaterial facts, and to discern the points of law and fact upon which the question turns... The answer should evidence the applicant's ability to apply the law to the given facts and to reason in a logical, lawyer-like manner from the premises adopted to a sound conclusion. An applicant should not merely show that he/she remembers the legal principles, but should demonstrate his/her proficiency in using and applying them."

The following subjects may be tested on the California bar exam:

• Business Associations
• Civil Procedure (Federal and California)
• Community Property
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Evidence (Federal and California)
• Professional Responsibility (ABA and California)
• Real Property

Bar Exam Tips from Our Alums

California Bar Exam details

A typical california bar exam is a 2-day exam.

California Bar Exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify with The State Bar of California Office of Admissions .

Please also reference the  NCBE Covid-19 updates page  for NCBE updates and individual jurisdiction announcements.

Bar exam details

• Three 60-minute essay questions (in the AM)
• Two 60-minute essay questions (in the PM)
• One 90-minute Performance Test (in the PM)
• Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM)

Subjects tested

• Constitutional Law
• Contracts/Sales
• Criminal Law/Procedure
• Federal Civil Procedure
• Real Property

California Essay Subjects

• Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations; and Limited Liability Companies)
• CA Civil Procedure
• CA Community Property
• CA Evidence
• CA Professional Responsibility
• CA Wills and Succession
• Plus all MBE subjects

California Performance Test

• “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
• A scaled score of 86 on the MPRE is required for admission.

Click here to learn more about the MPRE .

The MBE score is 50% of the total score, while the written portion accounts for the other 50%.

A passing score of 1,390 or greater on a 2,000 point scale is required based on the combined scores of the California Performance Test, the essay questions, and the MBE.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of mbe score.

California does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

California does not provide for admission on motion. Examination is required of all applicants. Attorneys who have been licensed in another jurisdiction for four years may be eligible to sit for the attorney exam (written exam only).

Foreign law graduates and lawyers

If you are a foreign law graduate or lawyer, you may already be eligible to sit for a U.S. state bar exam with your current credentials.

California operates a relatively open policy in permitting foreign law graduates or lawyers to sit the bar examination, and does not impose restrictions to admission on grounds of nationality or residence.

Learn more about U.S. bar exam eligibility and requirements for foreign law graduates, lawyers, and U.S. LL.M. students.

BARBRI Bar Exam Digest

We compile all of the information that you need to know about the dates, format, subjects tested, deadlines, fees and more - for each U.S. state - in the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest.

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Candidates with a J.D. from a U.S. law school looking for the quickest, most efficient & effective course to pass any U.S. state bar exam

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• Sep 24, 2019

Breaking down Essay Grading by the California Bar Exam

If you are gearing up to take the February 2020 California Bar Exam, you may be wondering how the California bar essay portion is graded. California recently made some changes to their bar exam going from a three day examination period to two days. Day one is the written portion of the exam and consists of 5 one-hour essays and one 90 minute Performance Test.

California divides the graders into six groups, each consisting of 12 experienced graders and up to 4 apprentice graders. Both groups are supervised. The graders assign a raw score to each essay on a scale from 40 – 100. The State Bar of California has explained, “in order to earn a 40, the applicant must at least identify the subject of the question and attempt to apply the law to the facts of the question. If these criteria are not met, the answer is assigned a zero.” We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume you want to hit a score of 65 and above. That’s exactly what our inexpensive materials are geared to accomplish.

A score of 55 is designated as a below passing paper . The applicant missed or incompletely discussed two or more major issues. The applicant had a weak or incomplete analysis of the issues addressed and the overall organization was poor.

A score of 60 is a slightly below passing paper . The applicant may have missed or incompletely discussed one major issue. Discussion of all issues was incomplete and organization of the issues was poor.

A score of 65 is an average passing paper . Applicant had a lawyer-like discussion of all major issues and missed some minor issues. Overall paper could have been better.

A score of 70 is a slightly above average paper . Applicant had a lawyer-like discussion of all major issues and missed some minor issues. Paper could have been better, but analysis and reasoning warrants more than a 65. Well organized paper.

A score of 75 is a distinctly above average paper . Applicant discussed all major issues in a lawyer-like fashion and discussed the ancillary minor issues. Overall, a well organized paper.

A score of 80-85 is unusually complete and thorough paper. Applicant discussed all major and minor issues in a lawyer-like fashion and very well organized.

Components used for grading include: organization/format, issue spotting, rule statement, and analysis. A passing paper will have use of headings and IRAC used to organize issues discussed. Issues are generally discussed in a logical order. A passing paper will discuss all the main issues, but may fail to discuss some of the minor issues. A passing paper will have clear rule statements that may be stated verbatim or in your own words that blend some of the concepts into one statement. Rules are correctly applied to the facts of the case and there is infrequent discussion of both sides of an issue, but paper still discusses major issues raised from the fact pattern.

We hope this gives you a better idea of what a passing (65 and above) paper looks like. Feel free to head to our sample page to see a CBB sample of Civil Procedure. All subjects are organized in the same fashion and are specifically geared towards a passing score of 65 and above.

Recent Posts

February 2024 California Bar Exam Essay Predictions

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California Bar Exam Essay Frequency Chart

Are you looking for a comprehensive California bar exam essay frequency chart? Here’s our chart of the essay subjects tested on the California bar exam through the present date. The essay chart will show you which subjects tend to be frequently tested (e.g., Professional Responsibility!) and which ones are not tested as often (e.g., Agency).  You can also get an idea of which subjects are generally tested in conjunction with another subject (which you are more likely to see with the new test format as of July 2017).

Our chart provides a more accurate representation of when subjects were tested because we have separated Corporations, Agency, and Partnership; Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure; Contract Remedies and Tort Remedies; California Civil Procedure and Federal Civil Procedure; Trusts and Wills; and the California Evidence Code and the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Key Takeaways from the California Bar Exam Essay Frequency Chart:

1. make sure you study professional responsibility..

Professional Responsibility has been tested more than 37 times since 2006 on the California essays. In addition to conflicts of interest, advertising, and fee agreements, you may see questions in the corporations context and the criminal context (e.g., duties of prosecutor). Almost every single essay asks examinees to answer according to the ABA rules as well as the California distinctions. Therefore, it is worth it to study the most highly tested California distinctions. There may be times when the ABA rule and the California rule are the same. In those instances, you should tell the examiners that the outcome would be the same under both rules.

2. Be aware of common crossover questions.

If you are aware that certain subjects are always or generally tested with another subject you will be more likely to spot all of the issues on exam day. Never read a fact pattern assuming that only one subject will be tested. Based on the chart above, some common crossover essays include:

• Community Property/Wills
• Contracts/Contract Remedies
• Corporations/Professional Responsibility

Additionally, Agency usually is tested with another subject. Because students will write five essays instead of six essays beginning with the July 2017 administration, it is highly likely that you will see more crossover essays (even though you will write one less essay you still need to study all of the subjects). Our chart tells you exactly which essay questions to review if you are struggling with certain crossover essays.

3. Even though California Civil Procedure has only been tested once, you should study it!

The Examiners tested California Civil Procedure for the first time on the July 2016 exam (three of the four questions required knowledge of California Civil Procedure). Even though the fact pattern did not state that examinees should answer according to California law, it is important to note that the case took place in California. Now that California Civil Procedure has been tested once it is likely that it will be tested again. If you have not read through this essay and the student answers, take a look at the past exams on the State Bar of California’s website.

4. It is possible for essays to test a subject more than once!

Many examinees think if a subject has been tested on one essay it will not be tested again during the exam! This is not the case. If you look at the chart you will see that the following subjects have been tested twice on the same exam: Contracts, Professional Responsibility, Federal Civil Procedure, and recently, Real Property. This is important to know so that you do not quickly dismiss issues as you read the fact patterns on exam day.

5. Review highly tested California Evidence distinctions!

Since 2006, Evidence has been tested a total of 18 times. On about half of those essays, students were asked to respond according to the California Rules of Evidence and on about half of those essays students were asked to respond according to the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE). Thus, both the FRE and the California Evidence Code are commonly tested. It would be a mistake to assume that you do not really need to study the California evidence distinctions.

This post was written by Ambika, our California Bar Exam tutor, who has passed not only the California Bar Exam but also bar exams in New York and New Jersey!

If you are looking for a new approach, please feel free to contact us at your convenience.

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Excel on the California Bar Exam

Previously Released Bar Exam Essay Questions

Welcome to the past California Bar Exam past essays directory. 

To view a varying range of graded essays from the State Bar, visit BarEssays.com . Email us for a  $25 discount code  at  [email protected] .

Join the Facebook Group titled:   California Bar Exam Essay Discussions . 

One-Hour Essays

90 minute performance tests.

Multistate Performance Test.  Property of the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

MPT 2002   MPT 1:  State v. Tweedy

MPT February 2009 MPT 1:  Phoenix Corporation v. Biogenesis, Inc. MPT 2:  Ronald v. Department of Motor Vehicles MPT Point Sheets

MPT July 2009   MPT 1:  Jackson v. Franklin Sports Gazette , Inc. MPT 2:  In re City of Bluewater MPT Point Sheets

MPT February 2010   MPT 1:  State of Franklin v. McLain MPT 2:  Logan v. Rios MPT Point Sheets

MPT July 2010   MPT 1:  In re Hammond MPT 2:  City of Ontario MPT Point Sheets

MPT February 2011   MPT 1:  Butler v. Hill MPT 2:  In re Magnolia County MPT Point Sheets

MPT July 2011   MPT 1:  In re Field Hogs, Inc. MPT 2:  In re Social Networking Inquiry MPT Point Sheets

MPT February 2012   MPT 1:  Franklin Resale Royalties Legislation MPT 2:  In re WPE Property Development, Inc. MPT Point Sheets

MPT July 2012   MPT 1:  State of Franklin v. Soper MPT 2:  Ashton v. Indigo Construction Co. MPT Point Sheets

MPT February 2013   MPT 1:  In re Wendy Martel MPT 2:  In re Guardianship of Will Fox MPT Point Sheets

MPT July 2013   MPT 1:  Monroe v . Franklin Flags Amusement Park MPT 2:  Palindrome Recording Contract MPT Point Sheets

See this link for  more   MPTs and Score Sheets.  

Also, here are  MPTs from Georgia . I like these MPTs because the library does not have a two-column format for cases. https://www.gabaradmissions.org/essay-and-mpt-questions-and-selected-answers

Disclaimer:  Past exams found here are the property of the State Bar of California and the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The property is used here in accordance with all written regulations.

Write A Passing

Performance  test, on  the   cal. bar, e-book is titled   1440:  mastering the, performance test, get this free, pt  e-book, delivered to your email now.

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Examinations

Here are the admissions examinations administered by the State Bar.

California Bar Examination

The California Bar Examination is given twice each year. The exam is given over two days and consists of the following parts:

• Five one-hour essay questions
• One 90-minute Performance Test
• The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), typically 200 multiple-choice questions

Approximately 16,000 people take the bar exam each year. Find more information about the California Bar Exam , including dates and details for the next exam.

• Past exam questions and selected answers
• See dates and application deadlines for upcoming exams
• See passage rate statistics
• Admissions fees

First-Year Law Students’ Examination  

The First-Year Law Students' Examination (also known as the “baby bar”) is a half-day test given twice a year. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and covers three subjects: Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts. More than 500 applicants take the exam each year. Applicants can take the exam if they have completed one year of law study.

• Find out more about the exam, including who must take it, dates, and details for upcoming tests

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

Every applicant must take and pass the MPRE in order to be admitted. Applicants can take the MPRE any time after completing one year of law study and before being licensed to practice law in California. This two-hour, multiple-choice test is administered three times a year by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

• See more information about this test

Testing Accommodations

Testing accommodations are available to individuals with mental or physical disabilities. Depending on the nature of the disability, accommodations may include such things as readers or personal healthcare assistants, wheelchair access, permission to dictate to a typist or digital recorder, customized timing, separate testing room, customized exam materials (Braille, large print, etc.), extended testing days, and permission to bring and use specific items or medical aids. 

• Find out more about what is required to request special testing accommodations

Exam Administration

Under the supervision of the Supreme Court of California, the State Bar's Committee of Bar Examiners is responsible for developing, administering, and grading the California Bar Exam and the First-Year Law Students' Exam.

Bar Exam Studies

Related links.

• Certified Legal Specialist Examination