California Bar Exam Pass Rates for Foreign Lawyers and LL.M.s, 2022–2026

Short answer. Foreign-trained candidates pass the California Bar Exam at between 13% and 26% in a normal sitting. In February 2026, 22.2% of foreign-admitted attorneys and 17.8% of LL.M.-route graduates passed, against 30.8% for all takers (February 2026 statistics report). In July 2025 the figures were 18.2% and 13.4%, against 54.8% overall and 84.4% for first-time takers from California ABA-approved law schools (July 2025 statistics report). Across all candidates, the strongest predictor in the State Bar's data is whether it is your first attempt. The month you sit matters much less than the headline rates suggest.

Applies to: the current two-day exam, which is expected to run through the February 2028 sitting. All rates come from the State Bar's General Statistics Reports for July 2022 to February 2026. July 2026 results are due on November 6, 2026; the detailed report for that sitting usually follows about two months later. We checked every figure on September 24, 2026 against the official source linked beside it or under its table; derived figures are marked as our arithmetic.

California Bar Exam pass rates 2022–2026: every sitting

The State Bar publishes a General Statistics Report after each administration (exam statistics index). The table covers everyone who completed the two-day General Bar Exam (the "GBX"). "First-timers" are candidates taking the California exam for the first time; "repeaters" have taken it before. The one-day Attorneys' Exam is reported separately, and we come to it below.

The February 2026 results release printed a first-timer rate of 43.9%; the revised report shows 44.0% (February 2026 results release).

Three patterns hold across every normal sitting from 2022 to 2026:

1. July sittings pass 51% to 55% of candidates. February sittings pass 31% to 34%.
2. First-timers pass at 65% to 70% in July and at about 44% to 45% in February.
3. Repeaters pass at 12% to 29%, whatever the month.

Why February is always lower than July

The exam is not graded more strictly in February. The passing score is 1390 out of 2000 in both sittings (Grading page). The difference is who sits. First-timers make up 67% to 74% of July candidates but only 29% to 30% of February candidates through February 2025, and 37% in February 2026 (GBX pass-rate summary; February 2026 report). Most U.S. law students graduate in the spring and sit in July, so the February pool is weighted toward repeaters.

February also has a larger share of foreign-trained candidates: 33.0% of all GBX takers in February 2026, against 19.8% in July 2025 (February 2026 report; July 2025 report). Because foreign-trained candidates pass at lower rates, that alone pulls the February average down.

The February 2025 exception

Do not use February 2025 as a baseline. That exam replaced the NCBE's MBE with new multiple-choice questions, most of them from Kaplan, and was delivered remotely and in test centers by Meazure Learning. The State Bar later disclosed that some of the questions had been developed with the help of AI (State Bar release, April 21, 2025). A significant portion of candidates had technical problems during the exam. The California Supreme Court responded with an order of May 2, 2025 that lowered the raw passing score to 534 and approved imputed scores for candidates who could not complete sections, and with orders of June 11, 2025 that imputed Performance Test scores for every unsuccessful candidate (February 2025 bar exam notices; Supreme Court release, June 11, 2025). The pass rate was announced as 55.9% on May 5, 2025 and later revised to 63.6% (February 2025 results release; February 2026 results release). Foreign attorneys passed at 51.5% and LL.M.-route candidates at 41.2% in that sitting, more than double their normal rates (February 2025 report).

From July 2025 the exam returned to the NCBE Multistate Bar Examination (July 2025 results release). It was also given in person again, with ExamSoft for the written day (February 2025 bar exam notices; State Bar release, April 3, 2025). The July 2025 and February 2026 numbers are therefore the right baseline for anyone planning the February 2027, July 2027 or February 2028 sitting.

Pass rates for foreign attorneys and LL.M. graduates, 2022–2026

Who is in each cohort

The State Bar reports two groups of foreign-trained candidates.

• Foreign attorneys are applicants admitted to practice in a jurisdiction outside the United States. They cannot choose the one-day Attorneys' Exam. The July 2025 report's footnote says: "Attorneys admitted in foreign jurisdictions must take the General Bar Exam" (July 2025 report). The February 2026 report says the same in its definitions (February 2026 report; State Bar knowledge base). A Chinese, Korean or Japanese lawyer is in this group.
• Foreign-educated, JD-equivalent plus one year of U.S. education is the LL.M. route. The February 2026 report defines the group as nonattorney applicants "who completed their law study, equivalent to a U.S. JD degree, outside of the United States, and completed one year of additional education through a U.S. JD or LLM program" (February 2026 report). This is the Rule 4.30(A) path described on our foreign-lawyer eligibility page.

Both groups take the same two-day exam as everyone else.

Note on July 2023: in that report the U.S.-attorney row is blank and the foreign-attorney row shows only 223 takers, against 600 in February 2023 and 742 in February 2024. The table appears to be mislabeled, so we leave out its foreign-attorney figures rather than guess. The LL.M.-route row is shown as printed. The foreign-trained share in each row is our arithmetic from the report's own counts.

Four things stand out.

The range in a normal sitting is 13% to 26%. Foreign attorneys slid from 26.0% in July 2022 to 18.2% in July 2025, then recovered to 22.2% in February 2026. LL.M.-route candidates went from 20.8% to 13.4% and back to 17.8% over the same sittings. July 2025 was the low point for both groups.

The cohort is larger than in 2022. 651 foreign attorneys completed the July 2022 exam; 1,106 completed July 2024 and 1,003 completed July 2025, so July peaked in 2024. February cohorts keep growing: 600 in 2023, 742 in 2024 and 926 in 2026. Over the last twelve months (July 2025 plus February 2026) foreign-trained candidates made 2,753 of 11,293 GBX sittings, or 24.4% (GBX pass-rate summary; July 2025 report; February 2026 report).

About one in six passed in July 2025. Adding the two groups, 244 of 1,457 foreign-trained candidates passed (183 foreign attorneys and 61 LL.M.-route candidates), which is 16.7% (July 2025 report).

The State Bar does not publish nationality. The closest figure is that 240 of the 425 first-time foreign attorneys in February 2026, or 56%, identified as Asian (February 2026 report, Table 6).

First-timers versus repeaters in the foreign cohorts

The reports split each cohort into first-timers and repeaters. This is where the most useful pattern appears.

Sources: the statistics reports linked in the previous table. In July 2025, 135 of 552 first-time foreign attorneys passed, 48 of 451 repeat foreign attorneys, 49 of 261 first-time LL.M.-route candidates and 12 of 193 repeat LL.M.-route candidates (July 2025 report).

In the normal sittings since 2022, first-time foreign attorneys passed at 22% to 33% and first-time LL.M.-route candidates at 16% to 29%. Repeaters in both groups passed at 6% to 24%. The July 2025 repeat rates (10.6% and 6.2%) are the lowest in the series. First-time rates have also fallen. First-time foreign attorneys passed at about 32% to 33% in July 2022 and February 2023, but at 22% to 27% in every normal sitting since then.

How the foreign cohorts compare with everyone else

Sources: July 2025 report; February 2026 report.

One more comparison matters. In July 2025, attorneys licensed in another U.S. state who took the same two-day General Bar Exam passed at 67.8% (July 2025 report). Foreign attorneys, who are also experienced lawyers, passed at 18.2%. Years of practice are not the problem. The gap is specific to reading and writing legal English under time pressure, to the U.S. common-law framing of the questions and to the exam's format. That is our reading of the data, not a State Bar finding; the reports do not explain causes.

The Attorneys' Exam is not an option for foreign lawyers

Can a foreign lawyer take the shorter one-day exam instead? No. Rule 4.3(C) of the Rules of the State Bar limits the Attorneys' Exam to applicants admitted to the active practice of law in a United States jurisdiction for at least four years immediately before the exam (Title 4 rules PDF; Attorney Applicants page). The Attorneys' Exam is Day 1 only: the same five essays and Performance Test, with no MBE.

Its pass rates are still worth knowing, because they show how hard the written day is even for U.S.-licensed lawyers.

Sources: Attorneys' Exam pass-rate summary; February 2026 report.

Experienced U.S. lawyers writing only the written day pass at 43% to 57% in a normal sitting. For a foreign lawyer, the written day is half of the total score and is graded to the same standard.

What predicts passing

The State Bar's reports do not say why people pass. They do show which groups pass, and the pattern is stable from 2022 to 2026. Here is what the data supports, followed by our own judgment where the data stops.

1. Whether it is your first attempt

This is the biggest measured gap. In July 2025 all first-timers passed at 69.7% and all repeaters at 12.4% (July 2025 report). The State Bar's results release put the repeaters' average at 5.1 attempts (July 2025 results release). Inside the foreign cohorts the July gap has the same shape: 24.5% against 10.6% for foreign attorneys and 18.8% against 6.2% for the LL.M. route.

In February the gap inside the foreign cohorts is much smaller. In February 2026, first-time foreign attorneys passed at 23.8% and repeaters at 21.0%. In February 2023, LL.M.-route repeaters (23.5%) even did slightly better than first-timers (20.2%) (February 2023 report). We do not have an average attempt count for February. But the July 2025 figure of 5.1 attempts tells you the July repeat pool is dominated by long-term repeaters. The practical rule: your first attempt is your best statistical chance. Prepare for it as if it were your only one. Do not sit "to see what the exam is like".

2. Where you studied law, and what that really measures

First-time takers from California ABA-approved schools passed at 84.4% in July 2025 and 62.9% in February 2026. First-time LL.M.-route candidates passed at 18.8% and 19.1% (July 2025 report; February 2026 report).

In our view, a JD does not make someone a better lawyer than a Korean or Chinese attorney with ten years of practice. It gives three years of reading U.S. cases in English, three years of writing timed exams in the IRAC form (issue, rule, application, conclusion) and hundreds of practice multiple-choice questions. An LL.M. gives one year, often in specialized courses. The State Bar's Guidelines require an LL.M. of at least 20 semester units with one professional responsibility course covering the ABA Model Rules; the 12 units in bar-tested subjects are "suggested, but not required" (Guidelines PDF). In our judgment, an LL.M. that meets only these minimums can leave a candidate with few of the 13 tested subjects covered and no timed-exam practice.

Your preparation has to replace what a JD supplies: reading speed in legal English, the essay form California graders reward and the fact patterns the MBE repeats. Our subject guides are written for that gap.

3. The month you sit matters less than you think

The overall rates say July is easier. For foreign-trained candidates the data says otherwise. Foreign attorneys passed at 23.6% in February 2024 and 21.1% in July 2024, then 18.2% in July 2025 and 22.2% in February 2026. LL.M.-route candidates passed at 19.3% in February 2024 and 18.8% in July 2024, then 13.4% in July 2025 and 17.8% in February 2026 (February 2024 report; July 2024 report; July 2025 report; February 2026 report). Across all normal sittings since 2022, foreign attorneys passed at 22% to 24% in February and at 18% to 26% in July. LL.M.-route candidates passed at 18% to 22% in February and at 13% to 21% in July. There is no July advantage for these two groups.

Choose your sitting by preparation time, not by the overall pass rate. If you are applying for February 2027, the application opens on October 1, 2026, the timely deadline is November 2, 2026 and the final deadline is January 4, 2027 (Dates and Deadlines). Our application guide walks through each step.

4. Scoring mechanics: 1390, the second read and one grade step

The total score is the MBE scaled score times 0.50 plus the written scaled score times 0.50, on a 2000-point scale. You pass at 1390. Below 1350 you fail. From 1350 to 1389 your written answers get a full second read, and the average of the two reads must reach 1390 (Grading page).

The written day has five essays and one Performance Test. Each is graded from 40 to 100 in five-point steps; the Performance Test score is doubled, giving 700 raw points. Those raw points are converted to the MBE scale with constants that change each administration. For July 2025 the conversion was: written scaled score = raw score × 3.9900 − 328.79 (July 2025 Unsuccessful Applicant Bulletin).

Here is our arithmetic with those July 2025 constants. An average of 65 on the seven written units (five essays plus the double-weighted Performance Test) is 455 raw points, which converts to about 1,487. An average of 60 is 420 raw points, which converts to about 1,347. If your MBE scaled score is near 1390, the written half must also reach about 1390, which needs about 431 raw points, an average just above 61. In practice, the difference between passing and failing is often one grade step, from 60 to 65, on two or three of the seven answers. A 65 answer is not a brilliant answer. It is an organized one, with headings, the main issues found and the rule applied to the facts.

5. Professional Responsibility and the California-law subjects

Thirteen subjects can appear on the essays; seven of them are also MBE subjects and six are essay-only: Business Associations, Community Property, Professional Responsibility, Remedies, Trusts and Wills (Scope page). Professional Responsibility appeared on each of the last three exams: July 2025, February 2026 and July 2026 (July 2025 questions and answers; February 2026 questions and answers; July 2026 questions).

The essay-only subjects are the ones an LL.M. rarely covers. Community Property is California law from start to finish, and the Wills and Succession content map lists the California Probate Code sections you must know (Community Property content map; Wills and Succession content map). For every other question, the Scope page's default rule is worth memorizing: "Unless a question expressly asks you to use California law, you should answer according to legal theories and principles of general application" (Scope page). Recent draws show the mix. February 2026: Real Property, Contracts, Professional Responsibility, Civil Procedure and Community Property, plus a Performance Test. July 2025: Trusts, Torts, Business Associations, Constitutional Law and a Professional Responsibility and Criminal Law crossover, with a Performance Test advice letter. Full outlines for all 13 subjects are on our subjects page.

6. Avoidable point losses on exam day

Some points are lost before grading starts. You type the essays and the Performance Test in ExamSoft's Examplify on your own laptop. You must complete a mandatory mock exam by the published deadline, or you will be required to handwrite. Your answer files must be uploaded by noon Pacific on the day after the exam, or 10 points are deducted from your written scaled score (Laptops page; July 2026 Admittance Ticket Bulletin). Because the written score counts for half the total, your total drops by 5 points (our arithmetic): a 1394, which passes, becomes a 1389, which fails unless the second read raises it. Bring a physical government-issued photo ID; a passport is accepted and digital IDs are not (July 2026 Admittance Ticket Bulletin).

Day 2 is the MBE: 200 questions in two three-hour sessions of 100, answered on a paper Scantron sheet with a pencil (July 2026 exam page). That is 1.8 minutes per question. Non-native readers who have not practiced at that pace run out of time and leave questions unanswered.

What the numbers cannot tell you

The reports stop at group rates. Four further factors follow from the exam's format rather than from the statistics. This is our judgment, not State Bar data, and all four can be learned:

• Reading speed in legal English. The MBE and the Performance Test are reading tests before they are law tests.
• Essay structure. Graders reward headings, one issue per paragraph and IRAC every time. Continuous prose in the civil-law style scores lower with the same knowledge.
• Coverage of the essay-only subjects, especially Professional Responsibility, Community Property and Remedies.
• A fixed weekly rhythm of reading, practice questions, review and a timed mock, planned backward from the exam date.

None of these needs a JD. They need time and the right materials, which is why we built AntCABar around them.

What this means for the February 2027 and July 2027 sittings

Three sittings are expected to remain in the current format: February 23–24, 2027 (posted), July 27–28, 2027 (expected under the Supreme Court's last-Tuesday rule, not yet posted) and February 2028, expected to be the last (not yet posted) (Dates and Deadlines; Administrative Order 2026-07-15-01). From July 2028 California administers the NextGen UBE with no California component in July 2028 or February 2029 (State Bar notice, July 15, 2026). A California component could follow no earlier than July 2029; the Court has asked the Committee of Bar Examiners for a recommendation by February 26, 2027, and nothing is approved yet (Administrative Order 2026-07-15-01; State Bar notice, July 15, 2026). The NextGen passing score must be "equivalent to" 1390 out of 2000 but has not been set (Administrative Order 2026-07-15-01). No pass-rate data for NextGen in California will exist until after July 2028.

A foreign-trained candidate who starts with February 2027 has three attempts in a format with years of published statistics, including the eight sittings analyzed here. Everything on this page applies to those three sittings. Our exam overview tracks the transition.

For July 2027, Rule 4.61 and Appendix A project an application opening on March 1, 2027, a timely deadline of April 1, 2027 and a final deadline of June 1, 2027; none of these is posted yet (Title 4 rules PDF; Appendix A).

The pass rates also put a price on a repeat attempt. Rule 4.3(B) makes anyone admitted as a lawyer in any jurisdiction an "attorney applicant", so foreign attorneys pay attorney-applicant fees even though they take the General Bar Exam (Title 4 rules PDF; Appendix A). Each further sitting therefore costs at least $1,803 for a foreign attorney ($1,650 exam fee plus $153 laptop fee) and at least $1,031 for an LL.M.-route general applicant ($878 plus $153), before travel, because the exam is given only in person in California (July 2026 exam page). Measured against that, a structured first attempt is the cheapest option. Our plans and pricing are built for a single, well-prepared sitting.

California versus New York for foreign-educated candidates

Many readers are choosing between the two states. In July 2025, 3,587 foreign-educated candidates sat the New York bar exam (36% of 9,931 candidates) and 46% passed, with first-timers at 54% and repeaters at 29% (New York Board of Law Examiners, July 2025 results). In California in the same month, 16.7% of 1,457 foreign-trained candidates passed (July 2025 report). The two exams differ in format and passing standard, so the rates are not directly comparable. But anyone choosing California should know the gap exists and plan for it.

How to read the State Bar's statistics reports

If you want to check these numbers yourself, five things help.

• Where. Every report is on the State Bar's exam statistics index.
• Timing. Results come first: July 2026 results are due on November 6, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific, a time set by a Board action of July 16, 2026, with the public pass list the next business day (July 2026 exam page; Board meeting summary, July 16, 2026). The detailed report with the foreign cohorts follows about two months later; the July 2025 report carries data as of January 6, 2026 (July 2025 report).
• Revisions. Reports are revised. The February 2025 report was revised on August 8, 2025 and the February 2026 report on June 18, 2026. Always use the latest version.
• Redaction. Statistics for groups with fewer than 11 completers are not shown (February 2026 report).
• Classification. The February 2026 report notes that about two percent of attorney applicants, U.S. and foreign, are counted under general-applicant subcategories because they registered as general applicants before being licensed elsewhere, and says this practice "will be discontinued in future reports" (February 2026 report). Small shifts between reports can come from this, not from real change.

We will update this page when the July 2026 statistics report is published.

Frequently asked questions

What is the California Bar Exam pass rate for foreign lawyers?

In February 2026, 22.2% of the 926 foreign-admitted attorneys who completed the General Bar Exam passed. In July 2025 it was 18.2% of 1,003. First-time foreign attorneys passed at 23.8% and 24.5% in those two sittings (February 2026 report; July 2025 report). The February 2025 figure of 51.5% reflects court-ordered scoring adjustments after a failed exam administration and is not a normal baseline.

What is the pass rate for LL.M. graduates on the California Bar Exam?

The State Bar reports LL.M.-route candidates as foreign-educated applicants with a JD-equivalent degree plus one year of U.S. legal education. They passed at 17.8% in February 2026 (370 took the exam) and 13.4% in July 2025 (454 took it). First-time takers in this group passed at 19.1% and 18.8% (February 2026 report; July 2025 report).

Why is the February pass rate so much lower than the July pass rate?

Mostly because of who sits. First-time takers are 67 to 74% of July candidates but only 29 to 37% of February candidates, and first-timers pass at far higher rates (GBX pass-rate summary; February 2026 report). February also has a larger share of foreign-trained candidates: 33.0% in February 2026 against 19.8% in July 2025. The passing score, 1390 out of 2000, is the same in both sittings (Grading page).

Do foreign-trained candidates do better in July or in February?

The State Bar's data does not show a July advantage for them. In normal sittings since 2022, foreign attorneys passed at 22% to 24% in February and at 18% to 26% in July. LL.M.-route candidates passed at 18% to 22% in February and at 13% to 21% in July (see the cohort table above for each report). Choose your sitting by how much preparation time you have, not by the overall pass rate.

Can a foreign attorney take the one-day California Attorneys' Exam?

No. Rule 4.3(C) of the Rules of the State Bar limits the Attorneys' Exam to applicants admitted in a United States jurisdiction and in active good standing for at least four years immediately before the exam (Title 4 rules PDF). Every State Bar statistics report states that attorneys admitted in foreign jurisdictions must take the two-day General Bar Exam (February 2026 report).

Why was the February 2025 California Bar Exam pass rate so high?

The February 2025 exam replaced the NCBE's MBE with new multiple-choice questions, most of them from Kaplan, and was delivered remotely and in test centers by Meazure Learning (State Bar release, April 21, 2025). A significant portion of candidates had technical problems. The California Supreme Court lowered the raw passing score to 534, approved imputed scores and later ordered Performance Test scores to be imputed (February 2025 bar exam notices; Supreme Court release, June 11, 2025). The pass rate was announced as 55.9% on May 5, 2025 and revised to 63.6% after those remedies (February 2025 results release; February 2026 results release). Treat it as an outlier.

How many times do repeat takers sit the California Bar Exam?

In July 2025, 1,921 repeaters completed the exam and 12.4% passed. The State Bar's results release put their average at 5.1 attempts (July 2025 results release). In that sitting, repeat foreign attorneys passed at 10.6% and repeat LL.M.-route candidates at 6.2% (July 2025 report). In February 2026 the repeat rates were higher: 21.0% and 17.3% (February 2026 report).

Will the pass rate change when California moves to the NextGen bar exam in July 2028?

Nobody knows yet. The Supreme Court's order of July 15, 2026 requires a NextGen passing score equivalent to the current 1390 out of 2000, but the numeric score has not been set and there will be no NextGen results until after the July 2028 sitting (Administrative Order 2026-07-15-01). NextGen starts in July 2028, so February 2028 is expected to be the last sitting in the current format (State Bar notice, July 15, 2026; Administrative Order 2026-07-15-01).

What to do next

• Check your route and documents on our foreign-lawyer eligibility page.
• Read the exam overview for the format, the 1390 standard and the 2028 transition.
• Follow the application guide before the November 2, 2026 timely deadline for February 2027.
• Start with the subject guides, beginning with Professional Responsibility.
• Compare plans and pricing for a single, well-prepared sitting.

Sources

• State Bar, exam statistics index
• February 2026 General Statistics Report, revised June 18, 2026 (PDF)
• July 2025 General Statistics Report, data as of January 6, 2026 (PDF)
• February 2025 General Statistics Report, revised August 8, 2025 (PDF)
• July 2024 General Statistics Report (PDF)
• February 2024 General Statistics Report (PDF)
• July 2023 General Statistics Report (PDF)
• February 2023 General Statistics Report (PDF)
• July 2022 General Statistics Report (PDF)
• General Bar Exam pass-rate summary, November 7, 2025 (PDF)
• Attorneys' Exam pass-rate summary, November 7, 2025 (PDF)
• State Bar announces February 2026 bar exam results, May 1, 2026
• State Bar announces July 2025 bar exam results, November 7, 2025
• State Bar announces February 2025 bar exam results, May 5, 2025
• State Bar, February 2025 bar exam notices
• State Bar release, Board approves testing locations and vendor for in-person July 2025 bar exam, April 3, 2025
• State Bar release, CBE recommends scoring adjustments for the February 2025 exam, April 21, 2025
• California Supreme Court approves additional bar exam remedies, June 11, 2025
• State Bar, Grading of the California Bar Examination
• July 2025 Unsuccessful Applicant Bulletin (PDF)
• State Bar, Scope of the California Bar Examination
• State Bar, Attorney Applicants
• State Bar knowledge base, Foreign Admitted Attorneys
• Community Property content map (PDF)
• Wills and Succession content map (PDF)
• Rules of the State Bar, Title 4, Division 1 (PDF)
• Guidelines for Foreign-Educated General Applicants with a First Degree in Law (PDF)
• State Bar, Dates and Deadlines
• Appendix A, Schedule of Charges and Deadlines
• State Bar, July 2026 California Bar Exam page
• State Bar, Laptops for the Bar Exam
• July 2026 Bar Exam Admittance Ticket Bulletin (PDF)
• California Supreme Court Administrative Order 2026-07-15-01, S296951 (PDF)
• State Bar notice, bar exam to be administered beginning July 2028, July 15, 2026
• Board focuses on the Supreme Court's NextGen order, July 16, 2026
• February 2026 questions and selected answers (PDF)
• July 2025 questions and selected answers (PDF)
• July 2026 questions (PDF)
• New York Board of Law Examiners, July 2025 results press release (PDF)