Persons Taking and Passing the 2019 Bar Examination by Source of Legal Education

Note: This chart was updated on 7/16/2020

* California does not recognize US attorneys taking the General Bar Examination as being from either ABA-approved or non-ABA-approved law schools. This number of applicants (813 taking, 509 passing) is therefore omitted from either category. California’s “US Attorneys Taking the General Bar Exam” category is composed of attorneys admitted in other jurisdictions less than four years who must take, and those admitted four or more years who have elected to take, the General Bar Examination.

Applicants under California’s four-year qualification rule who did not earn JD degrees (47 taking, 5 passing) are not included in either the ABA-approved or non-ABA-approved category. California’s four-year qualification rule allows applicants to take the General Bar Examination through a combination of four years of law study without graduating from a law school.


† California did not report 2019 data for persons taking and passing the General Bar Examination with education obtained by law office study. (As of 2016, California no longer reports statistics for categories with fewer than 11 takers.)

[apss_share networks = ‘print,email’]

Download and print the official publication copy.

  • Bar
    Bar Exam Fundamentals

    Addressing questions from conversations NCBE has had with legal educators about the bar exam.

  • Online
    Online Bar Admission Guide

    Comprehensive information on bar admission requirements in all US jurisdictions.

  • NextGen
    NextGen Bar Exam of the Future

    Visit the NextGen Bar Exam website for the latest news about the bar exam of the future.

  • BarNow
    BarNow Study Aids

    NCBE offers high-quality, affordable study aids in a mobile-friendly eLearning platform.

  • 2023
    2023 Year in Review

    NCBE’s annual publication highlights the work of volunteers and staff in fulfilling its mission.

  • 2023
    2023 Statistics

    Bar examination and admission statistics by jurisdiction, and national data for the MBE and MPRE.