california bar contracts essay

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• Past Exams The State Bar of California releases past exam essay questions and selected answers from 2012 onward.
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SAMPLE CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM PAST GRADED ESSAYS

For more information about why BarEssays.com is an essential study supplement for the California Bar Exam essays, read our FAQ: -- CLICK HERE TO READ THE BARESSAYS FAQ

This page includes a small sample of material from the BarEssays.com essay database - a few of our real graded essays from past California Bar Exams. The BarEssays.com essay database contains 3000+ essay examples, including both high and low scoring essay answers to more than 150 different essay questions.

Unlike the examples on the current page, the BarEssays search engine will also provide the related essay question next to each graded example. The search engine allows you to browse essays by subject, essay score, handwritten/typed essays or examination year. The search engine dramatically cuts down your study time by its efficient search function.

-- CLICK HERE FOR A SCREEN SHOT OF OUR SEARCH ENGINE

Sample California Bar Exam Past Essays

February 2015 Question 1 Contracts Score 75

February 2015 Question 1 Contracts Score 55

July 2016 Question 1 Civil Procedure Score 75

July 2016 Question 1 Civil Procedure Score 55

February 2017 Question 1 Wills Score 70

February 2017 Question 1 Wills Score 55

Optimize Your California Bar Exam Prep.

MBE Smart Sheets

“Smart” Attack Sheets for the MBE Subjects Concise breakdowns of the law for each subject that were created for memorization & review in the weeks and days leading up to the exam. Designed to be used in tandem with our Priority Outline, these Smart Sheets help you quickly memorize the important rules and topics with our signature priority color-coded system.

• Clear and concise rule statements.
• 6 to 10 pages of succinct explanation per subject.
• The most important rules at a glance with a color-coded Priority Rating (High/Med).
• A focus on the highly tested MBE topics and rules.

Not only that, these sheets quickly condense rule statements into clusters , helping you spot and analyze issues likely to be tested together thereby reinforcing your memory and triggering connections on test day.

MBE Smart Blocks™

Ultra-Condensed Visual Outlines

Their visual and concise nature helps to create a mental framework of the law tested for any given Topic, as well as to create a set of triggers for rule memorization that can be drawn upon on exam day. We find these are best utilized in the weeks and days before the exam. 

In the Smart Blocks you will find:

• Each subject organized visually into “Topic Blocks” that contain the related rules for a given topic.
• Ultra-short rule statements for easy memorization.
• Key legal issues to consider when working through practice questions.
• Color-coded Priority Ratings to focus on the most frequently tested rules.
• Visual elements to show how to apply specific legal concepts.
• Important Exam Tips .

Frequency Charts

for the CA Essay, PT, & MBE sections Our Frequency Charts catalog the number of times each rule or item has appeared on the bar exam, and helps to further identify topics that are worth devoting your precious study time on.

The Frequency Charts:

• Are sorted from most to least tested .
• Include bar charts to visually see how often items are tested.
• Can be used as a checklist to make sure you’re studying ALL of the important subjects & rules .

Plus, each Frequency Chart contains unique features.

CA Essay Frequency

• Contains cross-references to the page numbers in our Priority Outline to provide easy access to refresh your memory on the extended model rule statements.
• Is sorted from most to least tested , BOTH overall and within each subject area.

MBE Frequency

• Shows the testing frequency of each subject & topic category .
• The number of questions to expect for each topic (based upon the official MBE subject matter outline).

CA PT Frequency

• Bar chart of how often each PT Task has been tested.
• Breakdown of the Tasks tested on every California PT since 2002.
• Is sorted by overall frequency (from most to least tested).

Printable Flashcards

A printable version of the flashcards is also available in PDF format for those who like to study in a paper hard-copy format.

Step 3.  Practice

The Perfect Practice Materials .  Use the most current & relevant practice materials for YOUR bar exam study. 

Studying the law is one thing, but you’ll also need practice to pass.  To that end, we have developed smart study tools and licensed real MBE, Essay, & PT Questions straight from the NCBE and California Committee of Bar Examiners.

California Essay Practice

Real Practice Essays

You must actually practice writing essays to do well on the Essay Section!  No matter how painful.  We recommend writing at least 1-2 essays per subject area.

SmartBarPrep gives you access to actual Past California Bar Essays .  Use these to practice writing essays under timed conditions.

• Real CA Essay Questions for 22+ years (over 250 essays spanning Feb. 2000 – Feb. 2024).
• Two full Sample Answers for every essay . These answers received high grades by passing examinees, and are perfect to grade yourself to see how your answer measures up.
• Clickable table of contents to easily find a particular Subject, Essay Question, or Answer. The Essays are organized in reverse chronological order by subject tested.  That way you can see the most recent essays first or click on a particular essay for a subject you want to work on.

California PT Practice

Real Practice PT’s

The California Performance Test (PT) is often an overlooked section of the exam, despite the fact that it accounts for decent portion of your score.  With that in mind, we encourage practicing at least 1 question per Task type.

In our PT Practice Materials , we’ve made that easy by organizing past PT’s by Task so you can easily jump into practice.

• Real newer current-format California PT exams (14 questions from July 2017 – Feb. 2024).
• Plus two Selected Examinee Answers for each California PT included.
• Real MPT exams for 22+ years (over 100 questions from July 1997 – Feb. 2024). These mimic the current newer-format California PT’s and are excellent for practice.
• MPT Point Sheets that the bar exam graders use to score MPT questions so you can grade yourself.
• A clickable Table of Contents to easily find a particular Task Type, PT Question, Selected Answer, or Point Sheet. The PT questions are organized by Task in reverse chronological order, so you can start with the newest questions first.

MBE Practice

Four Practice Exams

Each Practice Exam includes 100 questions from six MBE subject areas: 

• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law and Procedure
• Real Property

Note :  Civil Procedure was not tested on the MBE until February of 2015, and for that reason is not included in this study set.  But rest assured, we have you covered with our Civil Procedure Mini Practice Exam (see below).

Detailed Explanations for the 400 Practice Questions

Explanations are essential to effective MBE Practice.  If you do tons of questions, but never review explanations of why your answer was correct or incorrect, then you’re missing the point of doing the practice questions in the first place.

Knowing why your answers were incorrect or incorrect will propel your studying to the next level.  This will not only solidify your MBE knowledge, but also eliminates any wild guess (that resulted in a correct answer) from being bypassed and not reviewed.

Civil Procedure Mini Practice Exam

Test your knowledge of Civil Procedure with 56 Official MBE Questions , including the first ever actual used Civil Procedure questions released.

PLUS, included are the official answer explanations written by the NCBE for each question – including the ones just released in 2019 and 2020.

Mini Practice Exams by Subject

Each mini-exam includes 30 MBE Questions drawn from recent exams.  The mini-exams are grouped individually by subject area, followed by an Answer Key.

Each group of questions is prefaced by the official Subject Matter Scope Outline released by the NCBE.

There are no explanations for these sets, but they are the most recent questions released by the NCBE and are the closest thing to the actual MBE questions still used on the test today .

Each Smart Study System Package Also Includes:

Integrate Our Guides With Your Bar Review Course

While our study guides are intended to be your go-to resource for passing the bar, they are also designed for integrated use along with popular courses like BarBri, Themis, BarMax, and Kaplan.

Our Priority Outlines, Smart Sheets, and study tools integrate well with review courses because each is arranged in terms of frequency and topic, saving you the hassle of trying to figure out which rules are the most important to study.

SmartBarPrep has helped thousands of examinees pass the bar exam since 2011!

“I passed the bar!  I wanted to thank you for the amazing outline.  Your outline was all I read for the essay portion, and it really helped me out.  It was very organized and it had all the rules that I needed for the essays.  Thank you again and have a great day.” Arezoo B. Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law (Passed California bar exam using SmartBarPrep).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can i see a sample.

Sure… you can see samples of our California bar exam study materials here .

Is there a guarantee?

Yes… If after reading through our outlines and study guides, you aren’t happy for any reason, just email us within 30 days of purchase and you’ll receive a full refund.*  We obviously don’t think it’ll come to that, but if you’re even the least bit worried, then put your mind at ease.

*When 30-Day Guarantee is Not Applicable

NO REFUNDS are given under any circumstances for the portion of any purchase relating to MBE Practice Questions because of the nature of the materials.  We unfortunately cannot issue refunds for the MBE Practice Question amount, as substantial per student licensing fees must be paid to the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) for providing access to such materials.

When will the February 2025 materials be released?

The updated February 2025 bar exam study materials will be released in early December 2024.  [Note: The exact release date depends on when the most recent exam is released, so that we can update the priority & frequency statistics.]

If you purchase the current July 2024 version now, we will automatically send you the February 2025 materials for FREE when they are released.

If I purchase now, will you send me the February 2025 materials?

Yes, we will automatically send you the February 2025 materials for FREE when they are released.  You will immediately receive the July 2024 materials to get a head start studying.

What is the access period (how long can I access the materials)?

Smart Flashcards – Access Period

Access Period for All Other Study Materials

With the exception of the Smart Flashcards, all of our study materials are delivered in standard digital PDF format.  Once downloaded, you can use the materials as long as you wish.

However, the link to download the materials usually expires at 6 months from your purchase (for security reasons) – we can reactivate the download links in certain circumstances if you email us.  For that reason, we suggest that you download the materials on your computer or device.

What is the format?

With the exception of the Smart Flashcards, all of our study materials are an instant digital download in PDF format.  Unfortunately, we do not provide any materials in hard-copy paper format.  However, there are no restrictions on printing, so you would be able to print the outlines and study guides yourself.

You can use any PDF reader software to view the PDF files.  If you need a PDF reader software, you can download Adobe Reader for free here .

Can I print the outlines?

Yes, there are no restrictions on printing out copies of the materials for your personal use.

How long will it take to get access?

Immediately, since the files are downloadable.  After your purchase, you will be emailed a unique link to access and download the files.

What subjects are covered?

SmartBarPrep’s study materials cover the subjects tested on the California Bar Exam Essays and Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).  See the full list of subjects below:

California Essay Subjects

• Partnerships
• Corporations
• Civil Procedure
• Community Property
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Professional Liability
• Wills & Estates

MBE Subjects

• Criminal Law & Procedure

Ready to Study Smarter? 

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California Bar Exam: Bar Exam Essay Tests

• Performance Test
• Multistate Bar Exam
• Business Associations
• Civil Procedure
• Community Property
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Professional Responsibility
• Criminal Law and Procedure
• Real Property
• Performance Test Questions
• Online Resources
• Bar Review Books
• Games and Flashcards

Bar Subjects

Each bar exam subject includes links to past exam questions and selected answers. 

Please bear in mind that these are not model answers, but actual answers to past exams that may include some errors. UC Law SF ID and password required.

• << Previous: Multistate Bar Exam
• Next: Business Associations >>
• Last Updated: Jan 24, 2024 4:31 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uclawsf.edu/ca-bar-exam

California Bar Exam details

A typical california bar exam is a 2-day exam.

California Bar Exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify with The State Bar of California Office of Admissions .

Please also reference the  NCBE Covid-19 updates page  for NCBE updates and individual jurisdiction announcements.

Bar exam details

• Three 60-minute essay questions (in the AM)
• Two 60-minute essay questions (in the PM)
• One 90-minute Performance Test (in the PM)
• Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM)

Subjects tested

• Constitutional Law
• Contracts/Sales
• Criminal Law/Procedure
• Federal Civil Procedure
• Real Property

California Essay Subjects

• Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations; and Limited Liability Companies)
• CA Civil Procedure
• CA Community Property
• CA Evidence
• CA Professional Responsibility
• CA Wills and Succession
• Plus all MBE subjects

California Performance Test

• “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
• A scaled score of 86 on the MPRE is required for admission.

Click here to learn more about the MPRE .

The MBE score is 50% of the total score, while the written portion accounts for the other 50%.

A passing score of 1,390 or greater on a 2,000 point scale is required based on the combined scores of the California Performance Test, the essay questions, and the MBE.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of mbe score.

California does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

California does not provide for admission on motion. Examination is required of all applicants. Attorneys who have been licensed in another jurisdiction for four years may be eligible to sit for the attorney exam (written exam only).

Foreign law graduates and lawyers

If you are a foreign law graduate or lawyer, you may already be eligible to sit for a U.S. state bar exam with your current credentials.

California operates a relatively open policy in permitting foreign law graduates or lawyers to sit the bar examination, and does not impose restrictions to admission on grounds of nationality or residence.

Learn more about U.S. bar exam eligibility and requirements for foreign law graduates, lawyers, and U.S. LL.M. students.

BARBRI Bar Exam Digest

We compile all of the information that you need to know about the dates, format, subjects tested, deadlines, fees and more - for each U.S. state - in the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest.

Download the Digest ›

Find the BARBRI bar prep course that’s built for you

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Candidates with a J.D. from a U.S. law school looking for the quickest, most efficient & effective course to pass any U.S. state bar exam

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Best for candidates without a J.D. from a U.S. law school looking for the most comprehensive bar prep or students who want more study time & flexibility

California Bar Signs $8 Million Kaplan Licensing Exam Contract

By Mike Vilensky

The California State Bar’s board signed an $8.25 million, five-year contract with Kaplan for the company to help develop a state-specific licensing exam to replace the national standardized test, the state bar said Tuesday.

The agreement authorizes Kaplan to create multiple-choice, essays, and performance test questions for the California Bar Exam, and develop study guides for faculty and students. The agreement will help aid the transition to remote and test center-based exam administration, the state bar said.

With the state bar’s admissions fund facing insolvency by 2026, the plan to replace the Multistate Bar Exam is expected to save up ...

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California State Bar Inks Deal With Kaplan for New Bar Exam

Under the terms of a five-year contract announced Tuesday, Kaplan and the state bar will split the costs of any potential copyright infringement suit challenging the new test.

August 13, 2024 at 08:04 PM

3 minute read

Legal Education

Cheryl Miller

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California’s state bar and Kaplan Exam Services have reached a five-year, $8.25 million deal authorizing the testing giant to write the Golden State’s future bar exam, the state bar announced Tuesday.

Kaplan will create the multiple-choice-questions portion of the test starting in February 2025. Kaplan-drafted essays and performance test questions are expected to appear in 2026.

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California finalizes deal to give its own bar exam

The State Bar of California has finalized a $8.25 million deal with test prep company Kaplan Exam Services to produce the state’s bar exam for the next five years, the attorney licensing body said on Tuesday.

Beginning in February, California will no longer use any test components developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and it will not give the NCBE's new version of the national bar exam set to debut in July 2026.

California is the nation’s second-largest bar exam jurisdiction behind only New York. Some 11,320 aspiring attorneys took California's bar exam in 2023.

Developing its own test will allow California to give its bar exam remotely or in test centers, instead of in large convention centers across the state—a change the state bar said is expected to save as much as $3.8 million annually. The national conference requires its tests to be administered in person.

Those savings will help the state bar’s attorney admissions arm—which is projected to overspend its revenues by nearly $4 million this year—remain solvent.

Steve Marietti, Kaplan’s chief commercial officer, said the company is “honored” to help California produce “qualified and practice-ready lawyers.”

A national conference spokesperson said on Wednesday that the organization has not seen the new agreement but will "continue to support" California's broader admissions activities including administering the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, which is a two-hour test on attorney ethics and professional conduct.

California unveiled the plan to create its own test in May with Kaplan set to produce only the multiple-choice portion of the test, akin to the NCBE's Multistate Bar Exam. That proposal was put on hold after national conference officials raised copyright concerns with any Kaplan-produced test.

But the state bar’s trustees signed off on an expanded proposal in July after state bar staff said they had addressed any copyright issues. The final agreement calls for Kaplan to write the essay and performance test portions of the exam in addition to the multiple-choice questions.

Thus far, 23 jurisidictions have said they will use the NCBE's NextGen bar exam, including Florida and Illinois.

The deal includes a cost-sharing provision for any litigation expenses incurred in potential copyright infringement cases, with the state bar’s cost capped at $6.75 million over the life of the contract, the state bar said.

The upcoming California exam will not “substantially modify” preparation for the exam and will be similar to the current test, the state bar added. Kaplan will no longer provide bar exam prep services in California as part of the agreement but will provide faculty and student study guides that the state bar will distribute for free.

“This historic agreement allows us to provide applicants with exam options that they prefer and also helps us close a significant deficit in the State Bar Admissions Fund,” said State Bar Board of Trustees Chair Brandon Stallings.

California forges ahead with plan to give its own bar exam in 2025

Copyright questions derailed Calif. plan to develop its own bar exam

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From all of us at JD Advising, good luck to all of the incoming 1Ls! Get a leg up on your classmates by enrolling in our free Law School Prep Course and learn the skills you’ll need to excel!

California Bar Exam Essay Highly Tested Issues

As you are preparing for the California Bar Exam, it is especially important to learn the rules that are tested over and over as they are likely to appear on the exam!  Below we discuss some of the most frequently tested issues on the California Bar Exam.  More information on each subject that could appear on the California Bar Exam is available in our FREE California Bar Exam Essay Guide !

Professional Responsibility

In the past 20 administrations of the California Bar Exam, Professional Responsibility was by far the most highly tested subject, having appeared at least once on almost every single exam (sometimes it shows up in multiple essays/performance tests on a single exam!).

Some of the issues that have appeared again and again on Professional Responsibility questions include fees , communications with clients , current client conflicts of interest , and the duty of competence .

A few things to keep in mind about Professional Responsibility on the California Bar Exam: first of all, it is frequently tested in conjunction with another subject.  It has appeared in Corporations questions and Community Property questions multiple times, but it could technically come up in any subject.  Although less common, we have also seen it tested within a Contracts/Remedies question.

Another thing to remember is that when Professional Responsibility is tested on the California Bar Exam, the call of the question often asks examinees to discuss the issues applying BOTH the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the California Rules of Professional Conduct.  So, it is very important that you learn both sets of rules!

Check out JD Advising’s California Bar Exam Essay Guide: Professional Responsibility for more information about how Professional Responsibility is frequently tested on the California Bar Exam!

Community Property

After Professional Responsibility, Community Property is the second-most tested subject on the California Bar Exam in the past 20 administrations.  Community Property is often foreign to examinees who attended law school outside of California as only 9 states are community property (as opposed to “equitable distribution”) states!  Community Property refers to the way in which married couples hold property and divide it upon death or separation.

Some of the common issues that appear frequently on Community Property questions include transmutations (written agreements altering the presumption as to how property is held), liability for debt , and separate/quasi-community property .

It is important to practice Community Property questions as there is a specific approach examinees need to take to ensure maximum credit on a Community Property question.  Each Community Property answer generally needs to begin with a broad overview of the community property system, including the definitions of community property, separate property, and quasi-community property (where applicable), as well as the effect of divorce (upon divorce or separation, community assets are divided equally unless a rule or agreement between the spouses requires division otherwise).

For more tips and tricks for Community Property questions, be sure to check out JD Advising’s California Bar Exam Essay Guide !

Contracts and Real Property are tied for third in the most-tested subjects in the past 20 administrations of the California Bar Exam.  When Contracts is tested on the California Bar Exam, examinees have been asked to apply general/majority laws rather than California-specific laws.

Some of the common issues that have appeared on multiple Contracts questions include contract formation , the parol evidence rule , duties/performance , and anticipatory repudiation vs. prospective inability to perform .

Contracts is often tested on its own, but has appeared as a cross-over subject.  When it is a cross-over question, Contracts has most often appeared with Remedies.  However, it has also been tested as a cross-over question with Real Property.

Like Community Property, there is some general introductory information that should almost always be included in a Contracts essay.  This includes whether the common law or Uniform Commercial Code applies and some basic information about contract formation.  It is important to practice Contracts questions so that you are familiar with this introductory information that should almost always be included!

For more information on the way Contracts is tested on the California Bar Exam, check out our California Bar Exam Essay Guide: Contracts !

Real Property

Real Property is another subject commonly tested on the California Bar Exam, showing up at the same frequency as Contracts.  Also, like Contracts, Real Property has always tested “general” law rather than California-specific rules.

Some of the recurring issues that have appeared on the Real Property questions include joint tenancies vs. tenancies in common , landlord tenant law (including the different kinds of tenancies, duties of each, and eviction issues), assignments and subleases , easements , and real covenants .

For more information on how Real Property is tested on the California Bar Exam (including links to practice essays!), check out JD Advising’s California Bar Exam Essay Guide: Real Property !

Civil Procedure

Civil Procedure is another favorite of the California Bar Examiners, appearing on the bar exam, on average, once per year.

When Civil Procedure is tested, we see the same issues tested over and over!  Therefore, it is crucial that you become comfortable with these issues that are most likely appear on the bar exam!  Some of these common issues include personal jurisdiction , subject matter jurisdiction , removal , the Erie doctrine , and claim and issue preclusion .

It is important that you learn both the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the California rules for the California Bar Exam.  The California Rules of Civil Procedure have only been tested twice: in July 2016 the question was entirely about the California rules and in July 2009 there was a small issue regarding the California Rules of Civil Procedure incorporated into a Real Property question.  Nonetheless, the California Bar Exam may begin to test the California rules more frequently, so it is important to be prepared for such a question!

Be sure to check out our California Bar Exam Essay Guide: Civil Procedure for more information about how Civil Procedure is commonly tested and some additional tips and tricks for Civil Procedure questions!

Constitutional Law

Constitutional Law also shows up about once per year on the California Bar Exam and it is another subject that often appears as a cross-over with other subjects.

Some of the issues that have been tested multiple times in Constitutional Law (and thus are important to study!) include Congress’ powers , such as the Commerce Clause and Establishment Clause, Due Process (both procedural and substantive), and the Equal Protection Clause, and Free Speech .

Even when it is not a major issue on an essay, we frequently see the issue of standing pop up in the sample answers released by the California State Bar.  Therefore, it is a good idea to always address any potential issue regarding standing, even if just briefly, if you see a Constitutional Law question on the bar exam!

To see more information about Constitutional Law on the California Bar Exam, check out our California Bar Exam Essay Guide: Constitutional Law !

Evidence is another subject that frequently appears on the California Bar Exam.  It is particularly tricky because the California Bar Examiners switch back and forth between testing the Federal Rules of Evidence and the California Rules (a few exams have asked examinees to address both the Federal and the California rules).  There are A LOT of differences between the different sets of rules that are especially important for examinees to learn to maximize their score on an Evidence essay!

The issues we see appear again and again on Evidence questions include Hearsay (where there are a lot of distinctions between the Federal Rules and the California rules!), Authentication , Impeachment , and Witness Testimony .

Something that appears at least as a sub-issue on almost every single California Evidence essay is Relevance .  Be sure to practice essays so that you are familiar with exactly how you should address Relevance on a California Evidence essay!

Check out the California Bar Exam Essay Guide: Evidence for more information!

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