California bar exam pass rate

43.9%First-time bar pass rate

The pass rate for first-time takers was 43.9 percent on the February 2026 General Bar Examination.¹²

The details

First-time takers: 37.1 percent of the 3,931 applicants who completed the exam were first-time takers.¹
All takers: 30.8 percent of all 3,931 exam takers passed, February 2026.¹²
Exam: February 2026¹

The sources we read do not say: ultimate pass rate.

July 2026 California results were not yet posted. NCBE rounds the same February 2026 figures to 44% first-time and 31% overall.

State Bar Announces February 2026 Bar Exam Results, The State Bar of California, checked 1 November 2026
Bar Exam Results by Jurisdiction, National Conference of Bar Examiners, checked 1 November 2026

Checked 1 November 2026. "Secondary" marks a source used only because the official page could not be read.