California First-Year Law Student Exam

The State Bar of California’s First-Year Law Students’ Examination (FYLSX) (often called the “baby bar”) is required for certain first-year law students—especially those at State Bar–unaccredited registered schools, Law Office Study Program students, and some students at accredited schools who lack the undergraduate-credit exemption. Students who have advanced to the second year at an ABA- or California-accredited law school with at least 60 semester (or 90 quarter) undergraduate units are generally exempt. Confirm eligibility in Title 4 of the State Bar Rules and on the CalBar admissions site.

Students who must take the FYLSX generally cannot receive credit for further law study until they pass. Passing within the administrations allowed by rule can preserve credit for intervening study; failing beyond those limits typically preserves only first-year credit. Apply through the State Bar Applicant Portal.

Format and scoring

As of the current CalBar description, the FYLSX is administered in June and October and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions testing Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts (essay questions are no longer part of the exam). Applicants typically choose a morning or afternoon session at a testing vendor site. The minimum passing scaled score remains 560 out of 800. See CalBar’s dates and deadlines for the next administration.