Baby Bar Exam vs Bar Exam

The baby bar exam is the nickname for California's First-Year Law Students Examination (FYLSX). Kim Kardashian catapulted this otherwise niche legal exam into the limelight when she celebrated her successful attempt in a post to her then 70.7 million followers. And with a 21% pass rate for that administration, it's certainly an achievement worth celebrating.

Passing the baby bar exam meant that Kim could “keep up with” her legal studies in California until she’s eligible to take the full bar exam. Yes, the baby bar exam and the bar exam are two entirely separate exams, and this article will explain the difference.

Details	Bar Exam	Baby Bar Exam
Eligibility	Law School Graduates	California Law Students
Structure	MBE®, MEE®, and MPT® administered over 2 days	4 Essays and 1 MCQ set administered in 1 day
Jurisdictions	All UBE jurisdictions	California
Subjects	MBE - 7, MEE - 12	3
Fees	Varies by state	$624
No. of attempts	Varies by state	3 (for law study credit)

*Uniform Bar Examination (UBE®) is used in place of the "bar exam" because most jurisdictions have adopted it. Details vary for non-UBE jurisdictions.

What is the Bar Exam?

The bar exam assesses a candidate's readiness to practice law effectively and ethically. Bar exams are developed and administered by a jurisdiction's supreme court or board of bar examiners. However, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) develops the UBE.

In the US, most jurisdictions have adopted the UBE, which was designed to standardize qualifications and increase score portability between jurisdictions, making it easier for lawyers to transfer from one jurisdiction to another.

Still, some jurisdictions maintain their state-specific bar exam, which may or may not use components of the UBE. Furthermore, as of 2021, Wisconsin is the only US state not requiring candidates to pass the bar exam to practice law.

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What is the Baby Bar Exam?

California's First-Year Law Student's Examination (FYLSX), colloquially known as the baby bar, is not a prerequisite for admission to the California Bar. Instead, it serves as a checkpoint, ensuring that students attending unaccredited law schools have a solid understanding of key legal principles before continuing their studies.

Do you have to take the Baby Bar exam?

You must take the baby bar exam if you:

Are completing their first year of law school towards a Juris Doctorate (JD) at an unaccredited law school
Are completing their first year of study under a lawyer or judge through the Law Office Study Program
Have not completed two years of college but are currently attending a law school accredited by the a Committee of Bar Examiners or the American Bar Association (ABA)

You may take the baby bar exam up to 3 times to receive credit for your legal education up to that point. However, passing the exam after 3 failures will only give you credit for your first year of law study.

You do not have to take the exam if you’ve completed a minimum of 60 semester hours (90 quarter units) from an ABA or California-accredited law school.

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Bar Exam vs Baby Bar Exam - Requirements

Requirements for the bar exam and baby bar exam vary because they are administered by different governing bodies. Below we cover the requirements for each exam and how to take it.

Requirements take the bar exam

Requirements to take the bar exam vary dramatically depending on the jurisdiction. For example, 4 states—California, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Oregon—do not require candidates to have a law degree to sit for their bar exams.

However, most jurisdictions require examinees to have graduated from an ABA-accredited or state-board-approved law school with a JD. Jurisdictions also vary where foreign legal education is concerned. You can find general information about your jurisdiction's requirements to sit for the bar exam by visiting your state board's website.

Steps to take the bar exam also vary by jurisdiction, but all involve providing documentation that you've met the criteria to sit for the bar exam, paying requisite fees, and submitting an application before the deadline.

Requirements to take the baby bar exam

To sit for California's baby bar exam, you must register as a law student through The State Board of California website. Registration is only available online. The California Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) will verify that you have, or will have, completed 1 year of law study prior to admission to sit for the baby bar.

You are responsible for submitting the required documents and making requisite payments by the filing deadlines. Deadlines for 2024 have not been released. However, baby bar exams are administered in June and October. Check the State Bar of California Dates and Deadlines page for up-to-date information.

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Bar Exam vs Baby Bar Exam - Exam Format, Subjects, Fees

While there is some overlap between content, the exam structure, cost, and structure of the bar exam and the baby bar exam vary dramatically.

Baby Bar exam format and subjects

The baby bar exam is administered online or at Prometric test centers twice a year, once in June and again in October. Examinees have 8 hours to complete 4 essays and 100 multiple-choice questions.

Detailed knowledge of California Law is not required. Remember, this bar exam is not designed to assess your ability to practice law but to measure the knowledge you've gained during your first year of legal education. The baby bar assesses an examinee's knowledge and understanding of three subjects:

Contract Law
Criminal Law
Torts

Task	Time Duration	Break Time (After Exam)
Essay	60 minutes	10-minute
Essay	60 minutes	10-minute
Essay	60 minutes	10-minute
Essay	60 minutes	45-minute lunch
50 Multiple Choice	90 minutes	10-minute
50 Multiple Choice	90 minutes	End of Exam

Baby bar fees

Baby Bar Exam Fees
Application Type	Fee
First-Year Law Students' Exam	$624
First Late Filing Fee	$25
Second Late Filing Fee	$200
Laptop computer fees	$153
Late laptop computer fee	$15

Bar exam - exam format, subjects, fees

All jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE administer the same bar exam, meaning that the exam format and subjects will be the same (see table). However, every jurisdiction will have unique fees. Non-UBE jurisdictions may also have different subjects and formats, check the appropriate state board of bar examiner or supreme court website for details.

Check out these resources for more information on the bar exam:

UBE Format and Subjects
Component	Weight	Format	Subjects
MEE	30%	6, 30-minute essay questions administered over two 3-hour sessions	Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates, Secured Transactions
MPT	20%	2, 90-minute tasks that simulate real-world lawyering assignments	Covers application of legal reasoning over pure knowledge
MBE	50%	200 multiple-choice questions administered over two 3-hour sessions	Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, Torts

Overlapping Subjects - Bar Exam and Baby Bar Exam

All 3 subjects found on the baby bar are also tested on the MEE and MBE components of the UBE. Even if you don't take the UBE, it is highly likely that these foundational legal subjects will be tested on your jurisdiction’s bar exam.

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