Hello everyone,

Congratulations to those who passed the Cal Bar Exam last night!  Well done!

If you have the honor and privilege of retaking the exam, join the club.  I’ve been there and done that.  It’s going to be OK.  No, failing the Cal Bar Exam is not fun.  Lots of people fail the nation’s hardest bar exam.  For some, there are great reasons for it.  You didn’t finish the exam.  Prep didn’t go well.  You had one or more major life events occur.  For others, it’s more frustrating.  You finished the exam, your prep program went well, and for some reason you didn’t make it.

That’s OK.  You’re retaking an exam.  You’re not going to war.  You don’t have a terminal illness.  And, in some respects, you’re lucky.  Olympians have to wait four years just to try again!  That’s not you.  The February exam is less than four months away.  The opportunity is available.  You will meet the moment.

For the students who graduated in May and failed the July exam, you will have some complications this time around.  For many, you will need to work and study at the same time, which is different from your first attempt.  You will have to deal with the Psychology of Failure, which did not exist on your first attempt.  You wake up, and first thought of the day:  haven’t passed yet.  Last thought of the day:  haven’t passed it.  And many other times per day:  haven’t passed yet.

I’ve been where you are right now.  It is no fun.  But the sun will come up tomorrow.  Promise.  Don’t let a good crisis go to waste.  I can help.  I speak the Psychology of Failure.  Fluently.  I have bespoke plans to help you navigate work and bar prep.  I will meet you where your weaknesses are, and I will help you get from where you are to where you need to go.

I have the tools you need to pass:  next level Essay Writing Lecture and PT Lecture, tools to help you save time and words and finish your exams on time.  The industry’s only systematic issue spotting plan.  What about all that fun you had memorizing for 15 finals on the same day?  I have the industry’s lone remaining memorization program, specifically calibrated to the Cal Bar Exam.  And did I mention 1-on-1 MBE tutoring?

I’ve helped many students pass the Cal Bar and UBE exams over the last 25 years.  I heard some great news last night from Cal accredited law students who passed, and remarkably, from a law office/judge’s chambers student who passed on their FIRST TRY!  Incredible!

Reach out to me on calweasel@gmail.com or (510) 301-2791.  I tutor 20 students total, always 1-on-1, and you will get the individualized attention you need.  Spaces are filling up now.  If you need help on the February 2026 exam, reach out now while I’m still available.

Let’s generate some points!

Link:  https://www.calbar.ca.gov/About-Us/News/News-Releases/state-bar-announces-july-2025-bar-exam-results

The State Bar of California reported Friday that 54.8 percent of exam takers passed the July 2025 General Bar Examination (GBX). In addition, the State Bar also announced that 43.4 percent of those who completed the one-day Attorneys’ Examination passed. If the 4,032 individuals who passed the GBX, along with the 164 who passed the Attorneys’ Exam, satisfy all other requirements for admission, they will be eligible to be licensed by the State Bar to practice law in California.

This GBX pass rate is higher than the 2024 July bar exam (53.8 percent) and the 2023 July bar exam (51.5 percent). A total of 967 exam takers received the scoring adjustment authorized by the Supreme Court for achieving at least 28 correct answers on the November 2024 special session, resulting in 41 passing the July 2025 bar exam.

“The State Bar commends all those who passed the July 2025 bar exam,” said Executive Director Laura Enderton-Speed. “This achievement is the result of your tremendous effort, determination, and perseverance, marking a significant step forward in your professional journey. We celebrate this important milestone with you and look forward to your entry into the legal profession.”

Preliminary analyses show that of the 7,362 applicants who completed the July 2025 GBX, 73.9 percent were first-time exam takers; the pass rate for these first-time takers was 69.7 percent. The pass rate for the 26.1 percent of applicants who were repeating the exam was 12.4 percent. This marks a significant decline compared to July 2024 (23.6 percent) and July 2023 (24.2 percent). In July 2025, the average number of attempts recorded for applicants who were repeating the exam was 5.1, representing an increase from the average number of attempts in July 2024 (4.9 attempts) and July 2023 (4.8 attempts).

For the July 2025 Attorneys’ Exam, the 43.4 percent passing rate is lower than the July 2024 result (48.9 percent) and the July 2023 result (47.8 percent).

The two-day GBX is given twice a year, in February and July. In July, the State Bar returned to using the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) for the multiple-choice section of the exam, along with the State Bar’s five essay questions and a performance test that is designed to assess an applicant’s ability to apply general legal knowledge to practical tasks. The mean adjusted scaled MBE score in California was 1405 compared with the national mean score of 1424. Without the scoring adjustment related to the November 2024 special session, the mean scaled MBE score would have been 1399.

Preliminary analyses show the first-time and repeat percent passing the GBX (rounded to the nearest tenth) by law school type as follows:

*Data displayed only for categories with 11 or more applicants who completed the exam.

Note: These are preliminary statistics. Law schools will be required to confirm the students allocated to their law school, and as a result, these statistics may change.

The Attorneys’ Exam, which consists of the written section (i.e., essay and performance test) of the GBX, is open to lawyers who have been admitted to the active practice of law in good standing for at least four years in another U.S. jurisdiction.

In early October, Governor Newsom signed SB 253, which requires the Cal Bar to use the NCBE’s questions, and not ones drafted by a private vendor until at least 2027.  The bill indicates that the Cal Bar must provide 18 months’ notice that it intends for a private vendor to draft MBE questions.  Separately, the Cal Bar must provide two years notice before the Cal Bar can return to remote testing.

Eighteen months after October 15 is April 2027, which means that the absolute earliest that Kaplan (or someone else’s) MBE questions could be used is July 2027.  For remote testing, two years notice is October 2027, which means the earliest return to remote testing would be February 2028.

The Cal Supreme Court issued an Administrative Order approving scoring adjustments to the February exam (approving the Bar’s Petition of April 29, and nothing more).

Note the final sentence of the Order:  “At this time, the Court orders that the Multistate Bar Examination [the NCBE’s questions] be used for the multiple choice portion of the July 2025 California Bar Examination.”

To Ellin Davtyan, Kirsten Galler, and Jean Krasilnikoff, thank you for drafting page 62 of your Petition.  The Cal Supreme Court noticed.  I noticed.  And we (and trust me, the July 2025 applicant pool is included here), thank you.

UPDATE:

The Cal Bar will publish the results of the February exam on Monday, May 5, noon.  This comes from the Cal Bar’s Pass List page, which is located here:

https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/exam/

February 2025 California Bar Examination Pass List

Notice: Release of results from the February 2025 bar exam has been delayed. The pass list itself will be released on Monday, May 5, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. (PDT) on the Examination Pass List webpage.

For those who did not pass the exam, letters detailing results with more information will follow later in the week.

An email update will be sent shortly to notify applicants.

NOTE:  as of now students hadn’t been emailed.  The Bar Exam’s Notices pages hasn’t been updated.  The Exam Results page hasn’t been updated (as of 7:35 pm).  But the Pass List page has been updated.

As of May 2, 3:55 pm:

On the Exam Results page, no changes:

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Examinations/California-Bar-Examination/Exam-Results

Exam results release

Results from the February 2025 bar exam will be released through the Applicant Portal to applicants. The pass list will be posted on the Examination Pass List webpage. The initial release date was scheduled for May 2, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. Unfortunately, this may be delayed.

On April 18, the Committee of Bar Examiners recommended scoring adjustments and the minimum raw passing score for the February 2025 exam. The State Bar filed a petition with the Supreme Court on April 29, to adopt the Committee’s recommendations. Due to the timing, the Court may not have sufficient opportunity to issue a decision that would allow for implementation of any adopted changes before May 2. We will update this page with a firm release date as soon as it is confirmed.

On the Pass List page, there was a countdown clock indicating how many hours remained until results were published.  The Cal Bar has traditionally done this for years.  The clock was there this morning.  It’s not there now.

Also, the sentence indicating that “Unfortunately, this may be delayed” is still on the site, but now it’s in bold:

Notice: Results from the February 2025 bar exam will be released through the Applicant Portal to applicants. The pass list will be posted on the Examination Pass List webpage. The initial release date was scheduled for May 2, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. Unfortunately, this may be delayed. We will update this page with a firm release date as soon as it is confirmed.

You can see if the text is the same, or if there are any further updates, here:  https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/exam/.

I’m guessing the applicant pool and the website may receive an update after 6 pm, but not before.  We’ll see.

Today, multiple reports confirm that Cal State Bar Executive Director Leah Wilson will not seek another term.  Her last day is July 7 and she will retire from state service.

Separtately, as of 12:45 pm, the Exam Results page of the Cal Bar website does not include a firm date/time for the publication of results of the February 2025 Cal Bar Exam.

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Examinations/California-Bar-Examination/Exam-Results

Exam results release

Results from the February 2025 bar exam will be released through the Applicant Portal to applicants. The pass list will be posted on the Examination Pass List webpage. The initial release date was scheduled for May 2, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. Unfortunately, this may be delayed.

On April 18, the Committee of Bar Examiners recommended scoring adjustments and the minimum raw passing score for the February 2025 exam. The State Bar filed a petition with the Supreme Court on April 29, to adopt the Committee’s recommendations. Due to the timing, the Court may not have sufficient opportunity to issue a decision that would allow for implementation of any adopted changes before May 2. We will update this page with a firm release date as soon as it is confirmed.

Per the Cal Bar’s Exam Results page, retrieved on Thursday, May 1, 9:40 pm.  No firm release date as of this time.  Keep checking this page for a firm release date of the results:

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Examinations/California-Bar-Examination/Exam-Results

Exam results release

Results from the February 2025 bar exam will be released through the Applicant Portal to applicants. The pass list will be posted on the Examination Pass List webpage. The initial release date was scheduled for May 2, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. Unfortunately, this may be delayed.

On April 18, the Committee of Bar Examiners recommended scoring adjustments and the minimum raw passing score for the February 2025 exam. The State Bar filed a petition with the Supreme Court on April 29, to adopt the Committee’s recommendations. Due to the timing, the Court may not have sufficient opportunity to issue a decision that would allow for implementation of any adopted changes before May 2. We will update this page with a firm release date as soon as it is confirmed.

In Section VI of the Cal Bar’s Petition to the California Supreme Court on April 29, the Cal Bar discusses improvements for the MBE for the July 2025 exam.

There are several parts to this plan to improve the Kaplan MBE experience.  In fact, the process is so intricate, that the Cal Bar admits it needs “ample time”

to implement them:

“ample time is required to do the following:

• Select applicants with the input of the CBE;
• Confirm eligibility of selected applicants based on the
CBE’s adopted criteria;
• Perform attorney complaint and disciplinary history checks
on selected applicants (which is anticipated to be part of
the CBE’s selection policy);
• Execute contracts;
• Securely transmit the questions to the subject-matter
experts; and
• Provide ample opportunity for subject-matter experts to
review the questions for legal accuracy.”  Petition, at 61.

As a result, the Cal Bar admits this process may not be able to be completed in time for the July 2025 exam.

So, what’s the alternative?

Buried on page 62 of the 63-page Petition, the Cal Bar states (note, the reference to MBE means the traditional NCBE questions):

Up until this point, neither the State Bar nor the CBE have
considered returning to the [NCBE] MBE. But as the State Bar continues
to work with the CBE to improve the multiple-choice question
review process, this Court may conclude that, pursuant to its
plenary authority over admissions to the bar in this State, the
State Bar should be directed to utilize the MBE for the July 2025
General Bar Examination so that there is not a risk that the
process improvements are not effectively implemented before the
next administration of bar examination.

The Court’s Administrative Order 2024-10-21-01, filed on October 22, 2024,
which refers only to 200 multiple-choice questions, does not
require amendment for the Court to make this directive.

Friends, this is an earnest, eager entreaty by the Cal Bar to the California Supreme Court:

We can’t sort out 200 properly vetted MBEs by the July 2025 exam.  We need more time to implement

a proper plan.  So please, California Supreme Court, order us to use the NCBE’s MBE questions,

so we can buy enough time to put our MBE house in order.

And, while we’re at it, folks, I’d go even further.  I would ask the California Supreme Court to

direct the California Bar to use the NCBE’s MBE questions until further notice until such time

that the Cal Bar can properly, confidently, and in a manner worthy of the public’s trust, roll out 200

MBE questions for use on future exams.  If the Cal Bar’s plan takes 6 months, great.  If it takes 2 years, great.

Just get it right.

Two final notes of interest: 

1) the NCBE will stop creating MBE questions after the July 2028 exam.  As such, the California Supreme Court can 

provide the Cal Bar and Kaplan with over two years of runway to ensure that it gets its collective MBE house in order.

2) the NCBE published a statement Monday indicating that if the California Bar wants to use the NCBE questions 

on the July 2025 exam, the Cal Bar must notify the NCBE by June 10, 2025.

Hello everyone,

In its Petition filed April 29 to the California Supreme Court, the Cal Bar indicated that it knew months in advance of the February 2025 exam that Kaplan could not meet its contractual obligation to draft 200 MBE questions that could be properly vetted in time for the February 2025 exam.  Page 10 of the Petition states:

“However, in late October 2024, Office of Admissions’ staff
determined that there were not enough multiple-choice questions
for each of the subtopics of the seven subject areas tested.”

So what did the Cal Bar do to solve this problem?  Affirmatively ask the psychometrician’s company to draft more MBE questions.  Also from page 10 of the Petition:

“As such, staff requested that ACS Ventures, LLC (ACS)—the
psychometric and test development consulting company with
which the State Bar contracts to assist with examination
analysis, grading, and related services—draft additional
questions for the February 2025 bar examination.”

Page 12 of the Petition clarifies this date as approximately October 30, 2024:

“On or around October 30, 2024, State Bar Admissions’ staff
requested that ACS draft additional questions for the February
2025 bar examination to ensure that there were a sufficient
number of questions in all subtopics of the subject areas.”

The Petition confirms (page 12, footnote 3) that a few State Bar staff made this decision and did not communicate this decision to State Bar leadership.

The decisions by Admissions staff to request that ACS
develop questions for the November bar examination study and

for use on the February 2025 bar examination were not clearly

communicated to State Bar leadership. Structural changes within
Admissions have been made to address this issue.