A Primer On The California Baby Bar
CDTA students are required to take the California First-Year Law Students (FYLSX), also known as the California “Baby Bar” Exam. The examination includes both essay and multiple-choice questions and is administered in one day. All law students who have successfully completed one year of legal studies are eligible to apply for the First-Year Law Students’ Examination.
The California Baby Bar is administered in Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas in June and October annually. Examinees have four hours to complete four essay questions and three hours to complete one hundred multiple-choice questions.
Credit for law study completed after passing the First-Year Law Students’ Examination is governed by the Business and Professions Code and Rule 4.31 of the Admissions Rules. Rule 4.31 mandates that an applicant who is required to pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination will not receive credit for any law study until the applicant passes the exam. After an applicant becomes eligible to take the exam, the applicant must pass within the first three consecutive test administrations. If the applicant passes subsequent to that, credit will be received only for the first year of law study.
The Baby Bar tests examinees on three subjects: Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts. Knowledge in detail of California law is not required, and answers based upon legal theories and principles of general applicability are acceptable. Articles l and II of the Uniform Commercial Code should be used where relevant.
An applicant’s raw multiple-choice score will equal the number of items answered correctly. Through a process known as “equating,” the multiple-choice raw scores are converted to a scale with a theoretical maximum of 400 points.
An applicant’s assigned grade on an essay question can range between 40 and 100. Total raw essay scores can, therefore, range between 160 and 400 points.
An applicant’s total score on the examination is the sum of the applicant’s scaled scores on the multiple-choice and essay sections. Thus, equivalent weight is given to each of the two sections in arriving at the total scale score. A total scaled score of 560 or higher is required to pass the examination.
Results from the June administration of the First-Year Law Students’ Examination are released in mid-August and from the October administration in mid-December.
CDTA students study and prepare for this test regularly, especially utilizing weekends to emphasize their development of test-taking skills. CDTA students have a 65% FYLSX pass rate, one of the highest pass rates in the State of California. Learning and developing skills to prepare for and pass the Baby Bar Exam places students in the best position to ultimately pass the real thing, the California Bar Exam.
The California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) is a 21st Century law school tailored to meet the needs of working people. Any lawyer must study and know the law. We believe that practical experience in tandem with legal knowledge is the best road to a successful, rewarding, and prosperous legal career. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.