Hello everyone!  The big day has arrived!  You can do this!

You have come a long way.  You’ve studied hard.  You’ve done some essays, some MBEs, and some PTs.  You’ve worked so hard.  And you’ve learned a lot more than you think you have.

It’s OK to feel nervous the night before exam day.  Nearly everyone does.

Remember the duality of the bar exam:  everyone wishes they had 10 more days to study.  And everyone wants to get the exam over with (like… NOW!).  Simultaneously.  As you relax tonight, keep this in mind: nobody who passes this exam thinks they’ve mastered every subject.  Good news:  you don’t need to.

Trust your prep.  Trust your training.  You know how to spot issues.  You know enough law to pass.  You know how to make an argument.

Everyone who has ever passed the bar exam sees one question that shakes their faith.  That one subject you didn’t want to see.  That one call of the question you just aren’t certain about how to answer.  It’s OK!  Everyone in the room is feeling the same way, seeing the same obstacle.  You’re ready for this.  Execute your plan.  Trust your training.  Don’t give up.  Always move forward.

If you’re reading this on Monday, decide RIGHT NOW when is the last moment you will study anything.  When that time arrives, STOP.  Celebrate your moment of arrival!  You’ve finished prep!  Rest your head.  Get some sleep.  That’s the best point-generating exercise at this point.

Tuesday’s the DAY!  Licenses are available!  No more practice exams!  WAHOOOOOOOOOO!

Good luck on the bar exam.  You’re more ready than you think.  Give yourself some grace.  Go execute your plan.  Your license is in that exam room!  Go get it.

Hello everyone,

Congratulations to those who passed the February 2026 Cal Bar Exam!  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 July exam is less than four months away.  The opportunity is available.  You will meet the moment.

For the students who graduated in December and failed the February 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 26 years.  In the last bar exam cycle, I heard some great news 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 July 2026 exam, reach out now while I’m still available.

Let’s generate some points!

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.