How many times can you take CA bar exam? Kim Kardashian vows to ‘keep studying’
Kim Kardashian says her dream of becoming a lawyer isn’t over despite her failure to pass the California Bar Examination in July.
How many times can she take the notoriously challenging test?
“I’ve shared so much of this journey with you, and this summer I documented some of the final two weeks of studying — the ups, the downs, and everything in between,” the reality television star, actress and Skims co-founder wrote in the caption to an Instagram video posted Sunday, Nov. 16.
“On November 7th, I found out I didn’t pass the bar,” Kardashian said. “It was disappointing, but it wasn’t the end. This dream means too much to me to walk away from, so I’m going to keep studying, keep learning, and keep showing up for myself until I get there.”
How hard is the California bar exam, and is there a limit how many times can you retake it?
Here’s what to know:
What is the State Bar of California?
Created in 1927, the State Bar of California is an arm of the California Supreme Court that licenses attorneys in the state and enforces rules of professional conduct for those lawyers.
The bar licenses nearly 270,000 attorneys in California and investigates complaints against them.
It also administers the California bar exam twice a year .
Do you have to pass California bar exam to work as a lawyer?
In order to practice law in California, you must pass the California bar exam as well as the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, according to the State Bar of California.
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination is a “two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice examination that is administered three times per year,” the National Conference of Bar Examiners said.
The test is designed to “measure candidates’ knowledge and understanding of established standards related to the professional conduct of lawyers,” the conference said.
Applicants to the California State Bar also must pass a background check for their “moral character.”
What does the California bar exam involve?
The California bar exam is administered twice each year — in February and July, the State Bar of California said.
The exam, which takes two days to complete, involves five one-hour essay questions, a 90-minute performance test and 200 multiple-choice questions.
How many times can you take the bar exam in California?
There is no limit to the number of times someone can take the California bar exam, according to LegalUWorld., a legal education site offering bar exam classes, books and study aids.
Other states limit the number of times people seeking to be licensed as attorneys can get tested. Applicants in Iowa get only two chances to pass that state’s bar exam, while those in Idaho can take the test up to six times.
How hard is the California bar exam?
The California bar exam is “one of the most difficult bar exams to pass in the United States,” according to JD Advising, a bar examination preparation service.
In February 2021, only 37% of all test-takers passed the California bar exam, even though the score required to pass was dropped in 2020, JD Advising said.
Applicants must score at least 1,390 points out of 2,000 to pass.
“This has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I made it through.” Reddit user Agreeable_Message254 wrote in a Nov. 8 post in the CABarExam subreddit. “I passed, first time. I am so proud.”
“I’ll be honest, this past month has been a struggle with trying to get adequate sleep because of reoccurring nightmares that I failed,” Reddit user POming117 wrote in a Nov. 1 post..
How many people pass the California bar exam?
In February, about 65% of the 4,231 people who took the California bar exam passed, the bar said.
Figures for the California bar exam on July 29-30 were not available as of Tuesday, Nov. 18.
Why does Kim Kardashian want to be a lawyer?
Kardashian told The Guardian that she was inspired to become an attorney by her father. Robert Kardashian, who was a member of OJ Simpson’s legal defense team., died in 2003.
Kim Kardashian has advocated for the release of more than a dozen inmates from prison, including an Alabama woman put behind bars for a non-violent drug charge, BBC News and CBS News reported.
“I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society,” Kardashian told The Guardian.
Kardashian began an apprenticeship with a San Francisco law firm in 2019, People magazine previously reported.
In 2021, Kim Kardashian revealed she had passed the first-year law student version of the bar exam on her fourth attempt.
Kardashian announced in May that she had completed a “rigorous” legal study program.
“Six years ago, I embarked on an unconventional path to pursue my dream of becoming a lawyer,” Kardashian wrote in a May 22 Instagram post. “It wasn’t easy, and it took longer than planned, but I never gave up.”
Reality TV star plans ‘more studying’ to pass the bar
Kardashian’s next step toward become a licensed California attorney is passing the state’s bar exam.
She shared a video via Instagram post of her crying while trying to prepare for the California bar exam in July.
“Every time I feel like I’m a step ahead, something happens to try to stop me from doing this,” Kardashian said in the video. “A part of me just wants to stop. I just feel like my brain’s gonna explode and I still have so much more to go.”
A day before taking the test, Kardashian said she felt “really good about everything.”
On Nov. 7, Kardashian posted to Instagram Stories that she’d learned that she did not pass.
“Six years into this law journey, and I’m still all in until I pass the bar. No shortcuts, no giving up — just more studying and even more determination,” Kardashian said in the post.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How many times can you take CA bar exam? Kim Kardashian vows to ‘keep studying’."