How hard is the bar exam?
The bar exam is hard, but most people who prepare properly pass. In 2025, 84.1% of first-time takers from ABA-approved law schools passed, and 92.2% of 2023 graduates passed within two years. Difficulty depends a lot on the state: in July 2025 the overall pass rate was 55% in California and 70% in New York. Most people study 400 to 600 hours over 8 to 10 weeks.
What makes it hard is volume and speed, not trick questions. On the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is 200 multiple-choice questions in six hours, 175 of them scored, so you have about 1.8 minutes per question. On top come six essays (MEE) and two performance tasks (MPT). The MBE counts for 50% of the score, the essays 30% and the performance tasks 20%.
Your passing score depends on where you sit. UBE jurisdictions set minimums between 260 and 270 out of 400; New York is 266. Some states, including California, do not use the UBE at all, and pass rates vary a lot between states.
The exam is also changing. The NextGen bar exam, built around seven lawyering skills such as legal research, legal writing and client counseling, had its first sitting in July 2026 in 10 jurisdictions. NCBE lists 12 more for July 2027, and 52 jurisdictions in total have adopted it, almost all starting by July 2028. Check which version your state gives in your test year.
| Group | Pass rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First-time takers, 2025 graduates of ABA-approved schools | 84.1% | ABA, March 2026 |
| 2023 graduates, within two years | 92.2% | ABA, March 2026 |
| New York, July 2025, all takers | 70% | Jurisdiction results reported by the ABA Journal |
| California, July 2025, all takers | 55% | Jurisdiction results reported by the ABA Journal |
| Utah, July 2025, all takers (highest) | 86% | Jurisdiction results reported by the ABA Journal |
- 1Look up your state's format and passing score, and whether it gives the UBE, the NextGen exam or its own test.
- 2Block 8 to 10 weeks of full-time study, or longer if you study part-time, on a calendar.
- 3Learn the rules of the most tested subjects first, using short outlines and flashcards for elements and exceptions.
- 4Do MBE questions every day at about 1.8 minutes each and review every miss.
- 5Write practice essays and at least a few full performance tests under time.
- 6Take a full simulated exam two to three weeks out, then put your remaining time into the weakest subjects.
- 7Protect sleep and a rest half-day each week. Fatigue costs points on a two-day exam.