Before applying to take the California Bar Examination, you should review the rules to determine if you've satisfied the educational requirements to take the test.
This is an unofficial summary of the educational requirements to take the California Bar Examination established by section 6060 of the California Business and Professions Code and repeated in the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California.
If you have a question, contact the Office of Admissions, The State Bar of California, 845 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90017-2515.
To be eligible to take the California Bar Examination, you should have completed at least two years of college before beginning your law studies or passed certain specified College Level Equivalency Program examinations.
You also must have graduated from a law school approved by the American Bar Association or accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California or completed four years of law study at an unaccredited or correspondence law school registered with the committee or studied law in a law office or judge's chambers in accordance with the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California.
Those studying law who did not successfully complete their first year of law study at a school approved by the ABA or accredited by the committee must take the First-Year Law Students' Examination on completing the first year of law study. They must pass the examination within three administrations of first becoming eligible to take it in order to receive credit for law study accomplished up to the time of passage. If they pass the examination on their fourth or more attempt, they will receive credit for only one year of law study.
Rules of Court, Education Code §94361; and the State Bar Act, Article 4 (Business and Professions Code §6060 and §6061).
Rules of The State Bar of California - Title 4, Division 1, Chapter 3, Rule 4.26
The State Bar Office of Admissions can evaluate a student's education to answer these questions:
Before submitting any documents you must register with the Office of Admissions so that your forms can be processed. Start your registration.
Once registered, you can file these forms to get your law study evaluation:
Following receipt of an application for either of the above evaluations, the law student will be advised in writing of his/her status. An evaluation generally takes three to four weeks to complete.
Foreign-educated law students SHOULD NOT use of any of these forms. File an application for registration as a foreign-educated general applicant. Related links
Law schools in California
Fixed-facility law study
Correspondence or distance learning law study
How do I study in a law office or judge's chamber?
Can I practice law with a foreign education?