The First-Year Law Students' Examination, or "baby bar," is administered in June and October. The exam is comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions. Two exam sessions are available each day, allowing applicants to choose between a morning or afternoon session. There is one set break in each session.
Not all law students have to take the baby bar. Law students completing their first year of law study in a juris doctor degree program at a State Bar-unaccredited registered law school, or through the Law Office Study Program, and those without two years of college work attending a California-accredited or an American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law school must take the First-Year Law Students' Exam after completing their first year of law study.
Law students who have advanced to their second year of law study at an ABA or California-accredited law school and who have completed a minimum of 60 semester, or 90 quarter units of undergraduate work are generally exempt from the exam.
Credit for law study completed after passing the First-Year Law Students’ Exam is governed by the Business and Professions Code and by Rule 4.31 of the Admissions Rules.
Credit and debit card payments: For credit or debit card payments, a processing fee of 2.5 percent will be added to all charges. If your credit or debit card transaction is declined, you will not be able to submit your application until you provide an alternative method of payment. We accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover cards, ACH and personal checks.
ACH (e-check) Payment: You may make payments by ACH. There are no processing fees associated with ACH payments. You will need your Bank Routing Number and Bank Account Number. It takes seven days for ACH payments to be processed by our bank processor. If within those seven days a payment is returned for insufficient funds or declined for any reason, your application will be considered incomplete until a replacement payment is received. If full payment is not received within 14 days from notification by the State Bar, the application will be deemed abandoned.
All unsuccessful payments will be assessed an administrative fee equal to the amount charged by the State Bar’s banking institution or $20, whichever is greater. The application deadline will be enforced if the payment is not received within the published deadlines.
First-Year Law Students’ Exam applications that do not have a successfully settled payment will be considered incomplete. An unsuccessful payment is, but is not limited to, returned checks, declined ACH payments, or credit card chargebacks requested by the credit card holder.
If full payment is not received within 14 days from notification by the State Bar, the application will be deemed abandoned. If the application final filing deadline has not passed, an applicant may submit a new application. The application must be accompanied by the appropriate payment, including any applicable fees in effect at that time.