california bar essay grader

Pass the Essays, Pass the Bar

The written portion of the California Bar Exam accounts for 50% of your grade. Our services focus exclusively on the essays, providing insider feedback, tips, and insight gained by our team of former California Bar Exam graders.

Countdown to the next California Bar Exam

How It Works

1. Formulate

Formulate responses to practice essay questions under timed conditions.

Receive and review insider grading and feedback within 72 hours

Track scores, feedback, & IRAC performance to gauge progress

Our services.

• Practice Essays
• Online Seminars
• Failed Exam Review

Developed by former bar exam graders.

BarGraders Packages were specifically developed by former California Bar Exam graders to help you pass the essays. We've combined our most popular and effective services into packages designed to meet the varying needs of our testers.

Cram Session

This special program is just what you need to focus your studies for the next bar exam. Includes a Failed Exam Review with a former California bar exam grader, our Online Seminar Series, and 10 Practice Essays.

Time is of the essence, start today!

First-Timer: Essay-Plus Program

The First-Timer Essay-Study Program combines 20 Practice Essays with all 13 modules of our Online Seminar Series. Our seminar series will help you master BarGraders' 5-step technique for writing passing Bar answers, and will teach you about commonly tested issues and common cross-over subjects. Put this new strategy into practice with 20 Practice Essays.

Repeater: Essay-Plus Program

The Essay-Plus Program combines 30 Practice Essays with a Failed Exam Review where a former California bar exam grader will review and analyze your answers from a failed bar exam. Our former bar graders will help you understand your strengths and pinpoint weaknesses in your writing style and approaches. They will also help you formulate a strategy to make the next bar exam your last. Put this new strategy into practice with 30 essays.

Repeater: Essay-Ultimate Program

The Essay-Ultimate Program combines 40 Practice Essays with all 13 modules of our Online Seminar Series and a Failed Exam Review. This package provides our three flagship services at an incredible value.

More than just a raw score.

Practice Essays are the core of the BarGraders service specifically designed to help you prepare for the challenges of exam day.

Patent-Pending Technology

Using our patent-pending technology, formulate and submit essay responses under simulated exam conditions.

Simulated Testing Environment

BarGraders provides a 1 hour timed environment for each practice exam to help you prepare for the challenges of exam day.

72-Hour Turnaround Time

Within 72 hours, receive a model response, scores, feedback, and an IRAC performance breakdown.

Insider Feedback & Performance-Tracking

Understand and apply insider feedback and track your performance on a subject-by-subject basis.

Learn from insiders.

Learn a subject-by-subject approach to writing passing California Bar Exam Essays from the insiders — former California bar exam graders. Each module walks you through the company's 5-step technique designed to help you write passing Bar answers. This technique is then applied to an actual question so you can see it in action. Each module also reviews commonly tested issues, as well as common cross-over subjects.

Available Modules

• Introduction & Essay Approach Overview
• Business Associations
• Civil Procedure
• Community Property
• Consitutional Law
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Professional Responsibility
• Real Property
• Wills & Trusts

Gain invaluable insight from former Bar Exam graders.

Work directly with a former California bar exam grader to understand your failed bar exam. Find out what went wrong and what you can do to correct it and move forward. These 1-on-1 sessions are typically conducted via Skype or a phone call to minimize disruptions to your study schedule.

This review will take an in-depth look at your essay answers and may include:

• Identifying why you receiving a failed score
• Evaluating your IRAC techniques
• How to write for the bar exam, not for law school
• Study techniques for repeaters, including time management
• Failed Exam Review sessions typically last 45 minutes

Meet 1-to-1 with former California Bar Exam graders.

Schedule an in-depth study session with a former California Bar Exam grader. These 1-on-1 sessions are tailored to meet your individual needs and are typically conducted by Skype or over the phone.

Focus areas may include:

• Solidifying your IRAC techniques
• Study techniques, including time management
• Collaborating on a game plan going forward

Our Graders

At bargraders, you benefit directly from our experience and knowledge. our team has decades of experience grading the bar exam and has graded thousands of bar exam essays..

Review and provide realistic grading and feedback on your Practice Essays

Our online seminar was developed by our team of former California Bar Exam graders and uses a subject-by-subject approach to writing passing California Bar Exam Essays Identify weaknesses in your approach and writing style

Provide constructive and meaningful feedback on how to improve your approach and IRAC techniques

Give you insider tips to help improve your scores

Start our program anytime. Work at your own pace and time frame.

Why choose bargraders.

Insider Feedback

Don't settle for a simple pass or fail. Receive constructive and realistic feedback and use our insider's knowledge to help you refine and improve your essay writing skills.

72-Hour Turnaround

Submit your essay response and receive scores and feedback within 72 hours.

Web-Based Practice

Traveling between bar review courses is stressful and cumbersome. Instead, practice from anywhere and at a time that works with your schedule. Just login, take an exam, and get insider feedback.

Performance Tracking

BarGraders provides informative charts and graphs that will help you track your overall performance as well as your IRAC strengths and weaknesses on a subject-by-subject basis.

Realistic Simulation

We provide a one-hour timed environment per exam question to help you prepare for the challenges of exam day where you'll answer 3 questions in 3 hours. It's the perfect environment to practice typing essays.

Testimonials

Law firm solution, bargraders law firm solution is specifically designed for firms with multiple associates taking the california bar exam. firm-wide subscriptions allow multiple accounts, ensuring any associate in your firm can get essay exam help when they need it. contact us today to learn more..

Location Flexibility

BarGraders Practice Exams are taken online, allowing your associates to prepare from any location, at any time.

Graded by Experts

Former California bar exam graders review, grade, and provide feedback for each exam submitted within 72 hours

Firm-wide Tracking

Performance Tracker

Associates can chart their progress and identify strengths and weaknesses by subject or by skill set.

Information & Resources

Essay Trainer

View a complementary schedule outlining study strategies and goals

Practice Essay Demo

Watch the BarGraders Practice Essay Demo and evaluate before you buy

Sample Graded Essay

View a graded practice essay and see our graders in action

Helpful Links

CA Bar Exam Admissions

MBE Registration

About BarGraders

Bargraders has helped students from most of the law schools in the nation pass the california bar exam., the written portion of the california bar exam accounts for 50% of your score. pass the essays, pass the bar., despite diligent studying and knowledge of black letter law, writing passing bar exam essays is the biggest obstacle most examinees face., our technology platform tracks your performance per subject for each element of the irac., frequently asked questions.

Your Bar Exam tutor and prep course options are limitless. Whom do you trust?

Ditch the group classes! Take the guided path to bar success with former grader and trusted law professor Jay Bijlani. Your Esquired bar exam prep course ALWAYS includes tutoring with – and only with – Jay!

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The Best Bar Exam Prep Course Comes with Firsthand Knowledge.

What does the bar grader want? How do I improve my scores? Get inside the head of the bar grader and prepare with confidence. Who else but a former bar grader and law professor would best understand the California Bar Examination’s notorious “minimum competence” standard?

Founded by a former bar grader for multiple exam administrations and who has been a tutor for over 14 years, Esquired will teach you trusted methods and effective strategies toward clear goals for your bar success through one of three programs, each consisting of personal tutoring. No matter which program you choose, you work personally with former California bar grader Jay Bijlani and NO ONE else. Never be outsourced to a “trained” team member!

Unlock Your Bar Exam Success with Personalized Tutoring from Jay Bijlani!

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Your Prescription for Passing the Bar Exam.

Replace fear and misinformation about the bar exam with confidence and competence, and then prove how you can lawyer on the essay, performance test and MBE sections. 

How do you get there? Esquired deconstructs the bar exam and the “minimum competence” standard from the perspective of a bar grader and provides a carefully engineered, holistic program for success. Your program has you in mind: your strengths, your weaknesses, your learning preferences. You, Esq.!

The Fundamentals of Bar Exam Success.

Defined goals and step-by-step approaches.

From the start, understand clearly what it takes to pass the bar exam and how to target the specific skills involved. 

First, skip the  self-proclaimed “experts” and blogs loaded with “tricks.” Learn directly from a former bar grader what it takes to be Esquired: What do the bar graders want to see on the essays and performance test? How do you raise your MBE score?

Then, use sophisticated approaches that target those defined competencies and skills across multiple subjects.

Substantive Law Designed for the Bar Grader's Eyes

Feel confident with the depth and breadth of law you are using. 

Efficient study demands comprehensive and logically constructed substantive law and other materials.  Forget distilling rules from inconsistent lectures and written materials. 

With complete consistency in substantive law structuring and terminology, all of your resources and feedback work together to promote your understanding and memorization of the rules for the essays and MBEs. 

Best of all, work with rules that are keyed to how the bar grader would hope to see them presented.

Formative Assessment

Learn where you stand with meaningful feedback given by a former bar grader.

Jay Bijlani incorporates multiple tools for your improvement. For example, on all submitted assignments, he provides a realistic bar score and detailed, pinpoint written comments identifying each problem and showing you how to fix it. During face-to-face, one-on-one sessions, Jay uses interactive exercises to target deficiencies in law and skill on all three portions of the bar exam.

Knowing you have a former bar grader and law professor at your side, focus on your weaknesses and celebrate your progress and strengths throughout.

Accountability

Know how to spend your time wisely. 

Preparing fully for the bar exam presents a variety of challenges, including: understanding and memorizing substantive law; practicing a substantial number of essay, PT and MBE questions; considering family and work obligations; staying motivated. 

Maintain the delicate balance from start to finish so you do not fall behind.  Stay on track with Esquired.

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The California Bar Exam

Our comprehensive california bar review course offers everything you need to succeed on your bar exam..

Themis Bar Review can help you pass the bar!

Our nationally renowned bar review course has a few features we'd like to take a minute to brag about.

Published pass rates

We're the only national bar review provider that publishes pass rates every year. Take a minute and check out our students' success on their bar exams.

Proven teaching methodology with a history of success

Our successful approach embraces the best practices in online education pedagogy. Five years and counting. Looking for references? We've got thousands. Most of them are practicing attorneys now.

On-demand video lectures taught by world class professors

Take classes around your schedule, not ours. And with great teachers like Pamela Karlan , John Jeffries , and Sherman Clark .

UWorld's MBE QBank

Included with all Themis Bar Review courses, this robust question-based learning tool uses dynamic visuals and active-learning methods to help you master difficult legal principles and successfully analyze fact patterns on the MBE.

Directed Study ™

Daily task schedule from day one of your studies up to the bar exam. Need to take a few days off? No problem. Directed study will adapt to work around your schedule to keep you on track.

Flex Study ™

So you can brush up on your favorite topics. (Or least favorite as the case may be)

Flexible online learning platform

Works around your schedule and on your devices. On the web or for your iPad or Android tablet, plus e-reader outlines. Watch a short demo about these course features!

Unmatched customer service

Our entire team of bar exam gurus is standing by to help in any way we can. Please feel free to give us a call anytime. We're friendly.

Dedicated Essay Grader

You’ll receive personalized essay grading from one, dedicated attorney. By tracking patterns in your writing and evaluating your progress, your essay grader will work with you to target your weaknesses and hone your writing skills.

California Attorney Bar Review Course

The online video course is designed to prepare attorney applicants for the California Attorney Bar Exam. Qualified applicants are only required to take the written portion of the exam consisting of five 1-hour long essays and one 90-minute performance test.

The Themis California Attorney Bar Review course provides applicants with a substantive law overview for all subjects; HD video lectures summarizing relevant law; subject-specific essay workshops showing approaches on how to write and organize the most frequently tested essay topics; and a performance test workshop explaining the performance test, testable documents, time management, and organizational approach.

The course includes a detailed homework and study schedule that can be customized based on the applicant's work obligations, unlimited essay grading with a dedicated essay grader, and access to a team of academic attorneys to answer any substantive law or study strategy questions.

The cost of the course is $1695 + a $30 book shipping fee.

To discuss the course in more detail and develop a study plan based on your specific situation, contact Brian Sacks to set up a time to talk.

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Bar Exam Format

The California Bar Exam is a 2 day exam consisting of the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), five essay questions and one California Performance Test.

California Performance Test

The CA Performance Test is a 90 minute skills-based exam designed to test an applicant's fundamental lawyering skills by applying law in a closed-universe library to a file of specific facts, usually in the form of a memorandum or letter. Themis California Bar Review includes everything you need to master the California PT.

California Essay Exam (CEE)

California's five essay questions test on the following subjects: Business Associations (Agency, Corporations, and Partnerships), Civil Procedure (Federal Rules and California), CA Community Property, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence (Federal Rules and California), CA Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Remedies, Torts, Trusts, and CA Wills and Succession.

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

The MBE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that test the following areas: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts & Sales, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. Of the 200 questions, 175 are scored questions and 25 are unscored pre-test questions. The pre-test questions are indistinguishable from the scored questions so applicants are advised to answer all questions.

Subjects Tested

California subjects.

• Business Associations (Agency, Corporations, and Partnerships)
• Civil Procedure (Federal Rules and California)
• Community Property (California)
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law and Procedure
• Evidence (Federal Rules and California)
• Professional Responsibility (California)
• Real Property
• Wills and Succession (California)

MBE Subjects

• Civil Procedure
• Contracts & Sales
• Criminal Law & Procedure

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• Sep 24, 2019

Breaking down Essay Grading by the California Bar Exam

If you are gearing up to take the February 2020 California Bar Exam, you may be wondering how the California bar essay portion is graded. California recently made some changes to their bar exam going from a three day examination period to two days. Day one is the written portion of the exam and consists of 5 one-hour essays and one 90 minute Performance Test.

California divides the graders into six groups, each consisting of 12 experienced graders and up to 4 apprentice graders. Both groups are supervised. The graders assign a raw score to each essay on a scale from 40 – 100. The State Bar of California has explained, “in order to earn a 40, the applicant must at least identify the subject of the question and attempt to apply the law to the facts of the question. If these criteria are not met, the answer is assigned a zero.” We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume you want to hit a score of 65 and above. That’s exactly what our inexpensive materials are geared to accomplish.

A score of 55 is designated as a below passing paper . The applicant missed or incompletely discussed two or more major issues. The applicant had a weak or incomplete analysis of the issues addressed and the overall organization was poor.

A score of 60 is a slightly below passing paper . The applicant may have missed or incompletely discussed one major issue. Discussion of all issues was incomplete and organization of the issues was poor.

A score of 65 is an average passing paper . Applicant had a lawyer-like discussion of all major issues and missed some minor issues. Overall paper could have been better.

A score of 70 is a slightly above average paper . Applicant had a lawyer-like discussion of all major issues and missed some minor issues. Paper could have been better, but analysis and reasoning warrants more than a 65. Well organized paper.

A score of 75 is a distinctly above average paper . Applicant discussed all major issues in a lawyer-like fashion and discussed the ancillary minor issues. Overall, a well organized paper.

A score of 80-85 is unusually complete and thorough paper. Applicant discussed all major and minor issues in a lawyer-like fashion and very well organized.

Components used for grading include: organization/format, issue spotting, rule statement, and analysis. A passing paper will have use of headings and IRAC used to organize issues discussed. Issues are generally discussed in a logical order. A passing paper will discuss all the main issues, but may fail to discuss some of the minor issues. A passing paper will have clear rule statements that may be stated verbatim or in your own words that blend some of the concepts into one statement. Rules are correctly applied to the facts of the case and there is infrequent discussion of both sides of an issue, but paper still discusses major issues raised from the fact pattern.

We hope this gives you a better idea of what a passing (65 and above) paper looks like. Feel free to head to our sample page to see a CBB sample of Civil Procedure. All subjects are organized in the same fashion and are specifically geared towards a passing score of 65 and above.

Recent Posts

February 2024 California Bar Exam Essay Predictions

Thank You, Cal Bar Bible Subscribers: A Special Shoutout to Feedpost!

Conquering the California Bar Exam: A 3-Month Study Plan for Success

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5 Proven Tips to Help You Pass the California Bar Exam

• Maureen MacManus
• CA Bar Exam , Essays , MBE

While any bar exam is difficult, California’s is notoriously difficult. In our state, you must maneuver challenging California-specific laws—and face a higher cut score higher than most other jurisdictions. 

The good news is that initial statistics suggest that the California Supreme Court’s decision to lower the cut score (from 1440 to 1390) may lead to higher pass rates. The October 2020 overall pass rate was about 61%—up about 20% from July 2019. However, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security.

Under the intense pressure to pass the California Bar Exam, many test-takers falter under pressure. But d on’t worry! You can remedy these issues and even pass your second or third time with the right approach.

Here are 5 proven tactics—based on our 10+ years of experience successfully training students—to help you pass.

1. Write for the grader using properly formatted headings.

Communication is all about keeping your audience front of mind when writing.  And as someone taking the bar exam, you generally know what point you’re trying to make, but you may fail to make that entirely clear for the bar grader. 

As you proofread your essay or grade your own practice essays, you naturally read between the lines and fill in gaps of reasoning that you don’t realize are there.

Bar graders don’t give you the benefit of the doubt (trust us, we know former bar graders). 

This is why you must always use formatted headers for every legal issue and sub-issue.

Make sure you differentiate your headers to let the grader know that you know duty is a sub-element of negligence.  Our approach is to make:

• a main legal issue header bolded
• a sub-issue underlined
• a sub-sub-issue italicized

By following this formula, it’s easier for the grader to give you the points you deserve.

Essays written with the most clarity score the most points. Guaranteed. 

Interested in free bar essay feedback from our team of CA Bar instructors? Submit a request here.

2. Practice studying actively (don’t just rely on flashcards).

Studying to pass the California Bar Exam can be enjoyable. You rock out on your headphones while studying MBE flashcards… while sitting across from a fellow J.D. who’s reading outlines.

But did you know that simply reading information isn’t the best way to encode it in memory? 

While reviewing flashcards and memorizing outlines, you may be avoiding closed-book, timed essay writing—which falls under the category of “active learning.” Passive learning, like reading outlines and flashcards, is one of the least effective ways to learn.

Learn the law by using it. That means diving into those essays, practicing performance tests, and also getting detailed substantial feedback on your essays afterward.  You’ll learn more from bombing a practice essay than you ever would from reading your outline for the millionth time. So study smarter, not harder.

3. Learn the fundamental components of MBE questions (don’t just “pick and pray”).

Did you know that every MBE answer choice has three components? 

If you know these components, you can quickly eliminate wrong answers to reduce any unnecessary guesswork. Each MBE answer choice has three parts: 

• The result 
• The connector
• The reasoning

The result is the answer to the question: What happens with these facts? 

For example, the result might be that a law is unconstitutional. You can narrow down your answer choices when you determine with the result matches the category of the question.

So, if the result has something to do with the Constitution, but it’s clearly a Torts question , cross that distractor answer off—and move on.

The Connector

The connector is the smallest part of the answer choice, yet it might be the most important. 

It sets the condition for the result to be true or false. Think of words like “if,” “because,” or “unless.” 

Pay close attention to what connectors the examiners use, because if you read too quickly, you could get tripped up.

The Reasoning

The reasoning is where your law knowledge and application skills really come in. 

It’s also where the examiners try to trick you the most. If a reasoning component contains a rule that isn’t quite right—for example, if it says that all relevant evidence is admissible—then trust yourself when you flinch at it. 

Often, examiners will include misstatements of the law in the reasoning section, making you second-guess your own knowledge. Don’t fall for it.

There are so many red flags that show up in the reasoning component of an MBE question— too many for a single blog post, but you can learn them all in our comprehensive MBE course, MBE DNA.

4. Don’t let test-day logistics get in your way (even when taking the bar online).

While no one is sure how long California’s Bar Examination will remain online, we know that the exam will be administered remotely in July 2021.

Though taking the bar examination at home definitely has some benefits—free parking, easy access to snacks during breaks, and an easy commute to the testing site— it also presents some challenges. After the October 2020 exam, a third of test-takers (more than 3,000) had their proctoring videos flagged for review. That said, only a small percentage of those test-takers actually received violation notices.

Take steps to avoid the stress of being flagged in the first place: Make sure that you follow instructions to the letter. Bookmark this page on the Cal Bar website and check it frequently for updates!

5. Follow a rigorous study formula.

Based on our experience, students who casually study don’t pass.  To increase your chance of passing the bar, we recommend a rigorous formula for studying, such as our comprehensive, online California Bar Exam course . 

And to serve the full range of students’ needs, we offer everything from hourly tutoring and a CA Essays workshop series to MBE DNA , a program for mastering every MBE topic (comes with our California Bar Exam course). Our faculty teach both students who are taking the CA Bar and those taking the UBE.

Visit the BarMD Shop + choose the right program for you >

Unsure of which program to select? You can always email [email protected]  or call 877-942-2763 .

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How Is The California Bar Exam Scored?

How Is The California Bar Exam Scored?:  If you are preparing to take the California Bar Exam, you may be wondering how the exam is scored.  In this post, we break down how California scores the bar exam!

UPDATE: California passed an order on January 28, 2021 that allows examinees who narrowly passed the California Bar Exam between July 2015 and February 2020 to be admitted to the state bar after completing 300 hours of supervised legal work (no second bar exam is required).

What does California test on the bar exam?

As of July 2017, the California Bar Exam is now a 2-day exam (instead of a 3-day exam).  Day one is the written portion of the exam and it consists of five one-hour essays and one ninety-minute performance test.  Day two of the California Bar Exam is the multiple-choice portion, or Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”).  On day two, you will have six hours to answer 200 multiple-choice questions.

How is the Multistate Bar Exam scored?

Of the 200 questions on the MBE, 175 of the questions are scored and 25 of the questions are “test” questions that the NCBE is evaluating for use on future bar exams.  However, there is no way to know which questions are the test questions, so you should answer every question as if it is a real question!

The scored questions are each worth 1 point.  The number of questions correct equates to a student’s “raw” score.  The National Conference of Bar Examiners scored the MBE.  The NCBE uses an undisclosed statistical formula to convert a raw score into a “scaled score.”  California appears to convert this score reported by the NCBE onto a 2000-point scale (where a “perfect” score on the MBE is 2000 in California).  The State Bar of California has indicated that “MBE raw scores are converted to scale scores to adjust the results for possible differences in average question difficulty across different administrations of the examination.”

On July 16, 2020, the California Supreme Court announced that it was permanently reducing the passing score by 50 points, from 1440 to 1390. On August 10, 2020, the California Supreme Court issued an order stating that the 1390 passing score would not be applied retroactively to past exam takers. Thus, beginning with the October 2020 bar exam, the passing score is 1390.

This equates to an approximate scaled score of 139 out of 200 questions on the MBE portion of the California Bar Exam.  If you are wondering how many questions you need to answer correctly to obtain a scaled score of 139,  check out this post  where we break down the math for you!

Because the two scores—the written score and the multiple-choice score – are averaged together, a 139 or 1390 is not the minimum required to pass the California Bar Exam.  For instance, if you score higher on the written portion, that would decrease the score you need on the multiple-choice portion to pass (and vice versa).

How are the California essays and performance test scored?

Practicing attorneys grade California essays and performance tests.  California divides the graders into six groups, each consisting of 12 experienced graders and up to 4 apprentice graders.  A member of the Examination Development and Grading Team and a member of the Committee of Bar Examiners supervise each group.  The graders spend some time “calibrating” their grading to ensure that all given scores comport with the same standards.

The graders assign a raw score to each essay on a scale from 40 to 100. For performance tests, the raw score scale is from 80 to 200.  The State Bar of California has explained, “in order to earn a grade of 40, the applicant must at least identify the subject of the question and attempt to apply the law to the facts of the question.  If these criteria are not met, the answer is assigned a zero.”

There is a total of 700 possible raw points for the written portion of the California bar exam (100 points for each essay and 200 points for the performance test).  This total raw score is “scaled” to equate the total possible points on the written portion with the total possible points on the MBE portion (2000 total points possible, as discussed above).  Each portion of the bar exam – the written portion and the multiple-choice portion – is worth 50% of the total score.

What total score do I need to pass the California Bar Exam?

California multiplies the MBE scaled score (out of 2000 possible points) by .50. The converted written score is also multiplied by .50 (also out of 2000 possible points).  These scores are then added together. To pass, these combined scores need to total at least 1390.

Will I receive my score?

California does not tell successful applicants their essay scores, performance test score, or MBE score. Successful applicants do not receive copies of their answers following the exam.  Only unsuccessful applicants receive their scores on each essay and performance test. They also receive their MBE scaled score and their percentile rank for each of the seven MBE subjects.  Unsuccessful examinees will also receive their percentile rank for their performance on the MBE compared to other California Bar Exam examinees.  They can obtain copies of their essay answers shortly after California releases results.

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• Bar Exam Outlines : Our comprehensive and condensed bar exam outlines present key information in an organized, easy-to-digest layout.
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Bar Exam Calculator

One-timers’ ca bar exam score calculator.

ARE YOU WAITING FOR RESULTS? WANT TO KNOW IF YOU PASSED THE CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM?

Enter your essay, PT and MBE scores in the Exam Score column to calculate your approximate scaled written and scaled total score. Our calculator is calibrated after the results and scaling are officially released for each administration of the bar exam. Updating our algorithm with the newest data sets; which utilizes a systematic computational analysis of all past exams.

Want to start studying to be safe.. but are waiting for results? If you’ve passed… you get your MONEY BACK!

Enter your scores:

Free Exam, Essay and PT Results Review with Instructor

Would you like to review your past exam(s), in detail, with an instructor and/or grader? Complete the free trial sign up and give us a call to schedule your free exam results review.

Guideline of the Grades You May Receive

40  – While this score is possible, it is extremely unlikely. This score is only given if the student barely wrote anything.

45  – Extremely poor answer, almost missed what subject the examiners were testing. The student did not demonstrate an understanding of the essay or the subject matter. It is also pretty tough to get this score.

50  – Very poor.

55  – Needs much improvement, but hit some issues.

60  – Not quite passing, but not too bad. Some improvement is needed.

65  – The student demonstrated a sufficient understanding of the essay and discussed the facts and the law well enough to pass.  A passing answer.

70  – Very good answer. Well organized and nicely discussed.

75  – Close to flawless. The answer contained creative arguments, hit the main issues hard, and discussed everything very well.

80  – While reading it the grader was in awe, it was that good.

100  – The top 2 answers selected to be on the California State Bar’s website.

MBE Scores: Raw vs. Scaled

• The percentage needed for a passing MBE score in California is 69.5% (1390/2000 or 139/200) is the scaled score. Being that 25 random questions are dropped; a raw score of 1220/1750 or 122/175 is needed.
• For a more accurate determination of your score, take advantage of One-Timers’ MBE Test Simulator. (The average score of your last two MBE timed exams given to you by One-Timers should be a pretty fair indicator of how you scored on the actual MBE.)

Scaling Information

• The Committee of Bar Examiners utilizes a scoring procedure designed to ensure the level of difficulty of the exam remains unchanged from previous administrations of the exam. The statistical technique, called scaling, converts scores on the written section (essay questions and PT) to the MBE scale measurement. Converting the total written raw scores to the same scale of measurement as the MBE adjusts for possible differences in average question difficulty and grading across different administrations of the exam.
• On the written section of the exam, applicants were initially graded on a basis of 700 maximum possible points. An applicant could earn up to 100 raw points on each of the five essay questions and up to 100 raw points on the PT. The grade on the PT is doubled in the calculation of the total raw written points. The scores obtained on the written section of the exam are then translated to the 2000-point MBE scale. An applicant’s total score is the scaled MBE score multiplied by .50 plus the converted score on the written section multiplied by .50.
• The committee of bar examiners utilizes a grading procedure designed to ensure the level of difficulty remains “unchanged” from one administration of the exam to another. As such, California can only publish its scaling method after the results are released. Thus, there is no way for the calculator to be 100% accurate.  

Attorney Applicants

• Enter a score of 1390 in the MBE section of the calculator

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California Bar Exam graders

Hoping someone can help me settle a dispute: are people who become graders for the CA bar exam generally approached/solicited to apply -OR- do they typically get hired just by submitting an application? A few friends are debating this and one friend understands that people are approached/solicited based in part on a high score ("you don't do it for the money you do it bc it's a mark of prestige that you were solicited to do it"). Another friend has heard that the people who become graders are more likely to have applied proactively and are often chosen based on connections/ass-kissing.

The cal bar website says: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Examinations/Exam-Administration/Becoming-a-Grader

Please advise.