California Bar Exam Pass Rate Falls to Five-Year Low in July 2026

-Editorial

The State Bar of California reported that 48.3% of applicants passed the July 2026 General Bar Examination, marking the lowest July passage rate in five years and a decline from the previous year.

According to results released by the State Bar, 3,838 of the 7,942 applicants who took the two-day General Bar Examination received passing scores, compared with a 54.8% passage rate in July 2025.

An additional 216 applicants passed the one-day Attorneys’ Examination, representing 49.4% of the 437 individuals who took that test. The passage rate increased from 43.4% in July 2025, while the number of applicants reached its highest level in six years.

Combined, 4,054 applicants passed the two examinations and will generally become eligible to practice law in California after completing the remaining licensing requirements.

State Bar Executive Director Laura Enderton-Speed congratulated successful applicants and acknowledged the preparation required to complete the examination process.

“Your success is a testament to the dedication and persistence you brought to your studies and preparation,” Enderton-Speed said in a statement.

The results showed differences between first-time applicants and those retaking the General Bar Examination.

First-time applicants accounted for 67.7% of those tested, while repeat applicants represented 32.3%. The proportion of repeat applicants increased from 26.1% in July 2025.

Among first-time applicants, 64.7% passed, compared with 69.7% the previous year. The passage rate for repeat applicants was 14.1%, up from 12.4% in July 2025 but still the second-lowest rate for that group in five years.

Passage rates also varied according to the number of previous attempts. Applicants taking the examination for a second time recorded a 19.3% passage rate, compared with 17.9% for third-time applicants and 7.7% for those making their fourth or subsequent attempt.

California’s mean scaled score on the Multistate Bar Examination, the multiple-choice portion of the test, was 1377, below the national average of 1407. The California score was the state’s lowest in five years.

The national average also declined from 1424 in July 2025. Other states, including Florida, New York, and Texas, reported lower passage rates compared with the previous year.

Preliminary results indicated that graduates of American Bar Association-accredited law schools in California recorded the highest passage rate among first-time applicants, at 78.1%.

First-time applicants from ABA-accredited law schools outside California had a 70.6% passage rate, while graduates of California-accredited law schools recorded 31.1%.

Applicants from California unaccredited law schools had an adjusted passage rate of 45.8%, compared with an unadjusted rate of 41.7%.

Among repeat applicants, graduates of ABA-accredited California law schools recorded a 23.4% adjusted passage rate, compared with 17.2% for graduates of ABA-accredited institutions outside the state.

The State Bar said the school-specific statistics remain preliminary and could change after law schools verify the information associated with their applicants.

The July examination also included scoring adjustments for 47 applicants based on their performance during the November 2024 Special Session. Six applicants passed because of those adjustments.

Without the adjustments, the overall General Bar Examination passage rate would have been 48.2%, rather than the reported 48.3%.

California administers the General Bar Examination twice annually, in February and July. The two-day examination includes multiple-choice questions developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, five essay questions, and a performance test assessing applicants’ ability to apply legal knowledge to practical situations.

The one-day Attorneys’ Examination includes the written portions of the General Bar Examination and is available to attorneys who have practiced law in good standing for at least four years in another U.S. jurisdiction.

A limited number of applicants who previously held California law licenses but resigned or were disbarred also took the Attorneys’ Examination as part of efforts to return to legal practice.

Applicants who pass either examination must satisfy additional admission requirements before receiving authorization to practice law in California.