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.

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.

From the Cal Bar’s website:

State Bar Files Petition with California Supreme Court

The State Bar of California today filed a petition with the California Supreme Court, advancing recommendations made by the Committee of Bar Examiners regarding a raw passing score and scoring adjustments for the February Bar Exam. The petition also responds to the Court’s recent request for information regarding the development and reliability of multiple-choice questions.

The State Bar recognizes and apologizes for the delay in filing the petition. The State Bar will share exam results as soon as possible.

Just when you thought this couldn’t get any worse…

On Friday, April 18, the Cal Bar’s Committee of Examiners decided to reduced the raw passing score on the February 2025 Cal Bar Exam from 560 to 534.  Problem?  The Cal Bar can’t do that unilaterally.  It must file a petition to the California Supreme Court.  If the Court approves (ideally before April 28, so that the Cal Bar could implement those changes in results letters), then the Cal Bar felt that it could still publish results on time, on May 2.

Sooooooo…. the Cal Bar didn’t exactly file that petition on April 18.

Then, last week, the Cal Bar revealed that its psychometric vendor, ACS Ventures, used artificial intelligence to craft 23 of the 200 multiple choice questions that applicants saw on the February exam.  In addition, 48 questions were taken from the Cal Bar’s  bank of questions for the First-Year Law Students’ Exam (aka, the Baby Bar, which consists of 100 contracts, crim, and torts MBEs).  Kaplan, you know, the firm that received all that money to create the MBE questions, drafted only 100 of the 200 questions.  No word on who drafted the 29 questions deemed to be experimental and which were not graded.

Remember, the Cal Bar said it would file its petition with the Court on April 18.  As I said, it didn’t happen.  Then, the Cal Supreme Court found about the non-lawyer psychometrician drafting MBE questions with AI just like the rest of us, via press release (trust me, the justices were NOT amused, on multiple levels).  Then, last Thursday, on April 24, the Cal Supreme Court issued a statement:  “Because the court was not made aware of the use of AI to draft some of the multiple-choice questions for the February bar exam, the court has asked the State Bar, in its petition regarding the scoring of the exam, to explain to the court how and why AI was used to draft, revise, or otherwise develop certain multiple-choice questions, efforts taken to ensure the reliability of the AI-assisted multiple-choice questions before they were administered, the reliability of the AI-assisted multiple-choice questions, whether any multiple-choice questions were removed from scoring because they were determined to be unreliable, and the reliability of the remaining multiple-choice questions used for scoring.”  As of Friday, April 25, the Supreme Court confirmed that the Cal Bar hadn’t sent its petition to the Court regarding lowering the passing score for the February 2025 exam.  This is probably because the Court asked the Cal Bar to address how and why they used the 200 questions they used for the MBE on the February 2025 exam.

NOW it comes to pass that tonight, Monday night, April 28, the Cal Bar sent applicants an email:  the Cal Bar still hadn’t filed the petition that it was going to file on April 18.  The Bar said that “we anticipate doing so tomorrow, on April 29.  The timing of our petition submission will not give the Court much time to rule in a manner that allows us to apply the scoring recommendations adopted by the Court and then release February Bar Exam results on May 2.  There may therefore be a slight delay in releasing results.” (emphasis mine).

And, at the end of the email, the Cal Bar said that it is “committed to sharing exam results as soon as we are able.”

Unprecedented, this.  The Cal Bar results may not publish on time.  We’ll see when the Cal Bar files its petition.  We’ll see how quickly the Cal Supreme Court rules on the petition.  Remember, the Cal Bar cannot control the Cal Supreme Court in any way:  what it decides, or when it decides.  Do you think the Supreme Court will adjust the cut score given the Cal Bar’s fundamental alteration of the MBE, by allowing non-lawyers to use AI to generate MBE questions?  Not to mention the use of seemingly easier questions (48 questions for a 1L exam used on a Cal Bar exam), which may have been deliberately used to improve student performance to dilute the impact of Kaplan’s inability to deliver more than 50% of what it promised to do?

Either way, as the Cal Bar said, “there may therefore be a slight delay in releasing results.”  I hope applicants receive results on Friday!  We shall see.