Na této stránce
The California Bar Exam is given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July (Supreme Court order S296951). Rule 4.61 of the Rules of the State Bar fixes the application calendar (Title 4 rules PDF):
- Applications open on October 1 for a February exam and on March 1 for a July exam.
- The timely deadline is November 1 (February exam) or April 1 (July exam).
- The final deadline is January 1 (February exam) or June 1 (July exam).
- A deadline that falls on a non-business day moves to the next business day.
Late fees are $50 in the first window and $250 in the final window (Appendix A).
Only the State Bar's Dates and Deadlines page is authoritative. The NCBE's chart prints the generic "November 1 / January 1" dates, but the State Bar's next-business-day dates control. Dates marked "projected" below follow the rule but have not been posted. Last verified: September 24, 2026.
February 2027 (posted)
| Milestone | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | Thursday, October 1, 2026 | Dates and Deadlines |
| Timely filing deadline | Monday, November 2, 2026 (November 1 is a Sunday) | Dates and Deadlines |
| Late filing, $50 fee | November 3 to November 30, 2026 | Appendix A |
| Late filing, $250 fee | December 1, 2026 to January 4, 2027 | Appendix A |
| Final filing deadline | Monday, January 4, 2027 (January 1 is a holiday) | Dates and Deadlines |
| Testing accommodations request | January 1, 2027, which moves to Monday, January 4, 2027 | Testing Accommodations |
| ExamSoft registration and mock exam | Not yet posted. For July 2026, registration opened four weeks before the exam and the mock exam was due four days before it. | Laptops for Bar Exam |
| Admittance Ticket | About four weeks before the exam, in the Applicant Portal | Admittance Ticket Bulletin |
| Exam days | Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24, 2027 | Dates and Deadlines |
| Answer-file upload | Projected: noon Pacific on February 25, 2027, following the July 2026 rule of noon the day after the exam | Admittance Ticket Bulletin; Laptops for Bar Exam |
| Test sites | Not yet posted; see the July 2026 list on How to apply | California Bar Examination |
| Results | Not yet announced. February 2026 results were released on May 1, 2026, about 9.5 weeks after the exam, so expect early May 2027. | Results |
July 2027 (projected; not yet posted)
| Milestone | Date | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | Monday, March 1, 2027 | Rule 4.61 |
| Timely filing deadline | Thursday, April 1, 2027 | Rule 4.61 |
| Late filing, $50 fee | April 2 to April 30, 2027 | Appendix A |
| Late filing, $250 fee | May 1 to June 1, 2027 | Appendix A |
| Final filing deadline | Tuesday, June 1, 2027 | Rule 4.61 |
| Testing accommodations request | June 1, 2027 | Testing Accommodations |
| Exam days | Tuesday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 28, 2027 (anticipated) | Last-Tuesday rule in the order |
| Results | Not announced. July results come about 14 weeks after the exam (July 2026: November 6, 2026), so expect early or mid November 2027. | California Bar Examination |
One watch item: in January 2026 the State Bar approved business requirements for a new exam-administration vendor from 2027. No selection has been announced. Confirm the written-day software when the July 2027 exam page posts (Board and CBE, January 23, 2026).
February 2028 (projected; last sitting in the current format)
| Milestone | Date | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | October 1, 2027 | Rule 4.61 |
| Timely filing deadline | Monday, November 1, 2027 | Rule 4.61 |
| Final filing deadline | January 1, 2028 is a Saturday and a holiday, so expect Monday, January 3, 2028 | Rule 4.61 next-business-day rule |
| Exam days | Tuesday, February 29 and Wednesday, March 1, 2028 | Last-Tuesday rule in the order |
This is the last administration of the two-day exam with the MBE, and the last scheduled one-day Attorneys' Exam. The State Bar tells U.S.-licensed attorneys to take the Attorneys' Exam "no later than February 2028" (State Bar notice, July 15, 2026). Anyone who fails this sitting next faces the NextGen exam in July 2028.
July 2028 (first NextGen UBE)
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exam | NextGen Uniform Bar Exam, nine hours over 1.5 days, in person on NCBE's ITS platform on your own laptop. No California component. | State Bar notice |
| Exam days | Not posted. The order keeps the last-Tuesday rule, so expect the last week of July 2028. | Order S296951 |
| Sites | @the Grounds (Roseville), Oakland Convention Center, Ontario Convention Center. No Los Angeles-area site because of the Olympics, July 14 to 30, 2028. | Notices page |
| Fees | $145 NCBE technology fee ("currently"), on top of State Bar fees not yet published | Notices page |
| Passing score | Not set. NCBE lists California's NextGen score as "TBA"; it must be equivalent to 1,390 of 2,000. | NCBE California summary |
| Application deadlines | Not posted. Rule 4.61 would put them at March 1, April 3 (April 1 is a Saturday) and June 1, 2028. | Title 4 rules PDF |
February 2029 is also NextGen only. A California component can start no earlier than July 2029, and only if the Supreme Court approves the recommendation due February 26, 2027 (State Bar notice). See The 2028 NextGen change.
MPRE dates
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is required for admission. California needs a scaled score of 86 or higher and sets no time limit on when it was earned (State Bar MPRE). It is delivered on computers at Pearson test centers (NCBE MPRE).
| MPRE dates | Register by | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| November 12–13, 2026 | September 17, 2026 | $185 |
| March 23–24, 2027 | January 21, 2027 | $185 |
| August 18–19, 2027 | June 17, 2027 | $185 |
| November 4–5, 2027 | September 21, 2027 | $185 |
Source: NCBE MPRE registration; the $185 fee applies to all 2026 and 2027 administrations.
How results are released
Since the Board's action of July 16, 2026, results appear in the Applicant Portal at 4:00 p.m. Pacific on a Friday (previously 6:00 p.m.), and the public pass list is posted the next business day (Board action, July 16, 2026). Repeaters can usually register for the next exam on results day (July 2025 Unsuccessful Applicant Bulletin). July 2026 results are due on November 6, 2026 (California Bar Examination).
Other dates that matter
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| October 27, 2026 | First-Year Law Students' Examination (Route C candidates only) | Dates and Deadlines |
| November 6, 2026 | July 2026 results | California Bar Examination |
| November 30, 2026 | Committee of Bar Examiners report to the Legislature on a uniform exam (AB 484) | AB 484 |
| February 26, 2027 | Recommendation on the 2029 California component due to the Supreme Court | Order S296951 |
| 8 to 10 months before you want to be admitted | Recommended filing date for the moral character application; processing takes a minimum of 180 days from a complete application | Application Process |
Planning tips for candidates traveling from abroad
- File in the timely window. A late application costs $50 or $250 more and leaves less time for a visa appointment (Appendix A).
- Book travel only after the Admittance Ticket shows your test center; you may test only at the center printed on the ticket (Admittance Ticket Bulletin).
- Plan to stay until the answer-file upload deadline the day after the exam (Admittance Ticket Bulletin; Laptops for Bar Exam).
- Fingerprint cards and original certificates must be physically mailed to Los Angeles, so allow extra time for international mail (Fingerprint Instructions PDF; Proof of Admission and Good Standing).
The full application sequence is on How to apply, and every charge is on Fees.