Exam Environment and Allowable Items

This webpage provides general information about the standard exam environment for State Bar-administered tests. Please refer to the bulletin for the specific exam you intend to take for the most up-to-date information.  

California Bar Examination format and environment

The California Bar Exam is a timed exam administered in a proctored setting. The written session is comprised of five one-hour essay questions and one 90-minute performance test question. Applicants will use a computer at a test center or their personal laptop, if testing remotely, to type their answers. The multiple-choice session is comprised of 200 questions where applicants must select their answers on the computer. 

Applicants will test either remotely or at a Meazure Learning test center. Applicants are not allowed to have food or beverages in the exam room other than one bottle of water in a clear, plastic container no larger than 32 ounces, without labels or writing, and with a lid. Applicants will have access to the restroom between exam sessions during the 5-minute breaks. The exam is administered in a quiet environment, and applicants are allowed to bring and use earplugs. Applicants are allowed to stand and stretch during the exam session, as long as they remain in view of the webcam.

For February 2025 and into the future, the California Bar Exam will be administered remotely and at vendor-owned test centers. As a result, the manner in which some testing accommodations have been administered in the past may look different than previous administrations.

For applicants with testing accommodations that are designed to limit auditory and visual interruptions during the exam, the State Bar will offer three modified testing environments outside the standard testing environment:

1. A “reduced-distraction room,” which may have up to 20 to 25 applicants per room, with desk partitions available upon request on site.
2. A “semi-private room,” which may have up to five applicants per room, with desk partitions available upon request.
3. A “private” room, which will have one applicant and at least one proctor per room. 

First-Year Law Students’ Examination format and environment

The First-Year Law Students’ Exam is a timed exam administered in a proctored setting. The exam is comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions where applicants must select their answers on the computer.

Most applicants will test at a Prometric test center; however, out-of-state applicants, applicants with inadequate testing space at home, or applicants without Prometric test sites available near their residence may request to test remotely when submitting their exam application. Applicants are not allowed to have food or beverages in the exam room other than one bottle of water in a clear, plastic container no larger than 32 ounces, without labels or writing, and with a lid. A 20-minute break is given between sessions. The exam is administered in a quiet environment, and applicants are allowed to bring and use earplugs.

Sample bar exam schedules

Sample schedules for the bar exam are provided below for your reference. Short breaks will be given in-between each individual written question. See the February 2025 CBX FAQs for a detailed sample schedule. Exam question order may differ than sample schedules below.

Time and one-sixth

Time and one-quarter

Time and one-half and double time

Related links

• Testing Accommodations
• Requesting Testing Accommodations
• Types of Testing Accommodations Requests and Approvals
• Appealing a Testing Accommodations Decision
• Applicant Portal
• Qualified Professional Certification Form
• Testing Accommodations Submission Checklist
• Admissions Rules
• Testing Accommodations FAQs