Failed California Bar Exam July 2025? Your February 2026 Retake Plan

The July 2025 California bar exam had an overall pass rate of 54.8% out of 7,362 examinees. Repeaters passed at 12.4%.

If you didn't pass, you're not starting from scratch. You know the law. The problem is you don't know how to take the test.

California gives you a huge advantage: Your essays are in your Applicant Portal RIGHT NOW (removed December 5). Most states make you wait 4-6 weeks to mail essays. California gives them immediately so you can start improving today.

Here's your step-by-step plan to pass February 2026.

STEP 1: Download Your Essays Today (November 7)

California gives you immediate essay access. Use it.

Log into admissions.calbar.ca.gov and download all 5 essays + PT before December 5 when they're removed.

You'll see raw scores (40-100 scale) for each essay. California uses this scale:

• 65+: Passing level
• 55-64: Below passing
• 40-54: Significantly below passing

Which essays scored lowest? Those are your weak topics.

70-80% of failures are essay-related. If your essays were in the 50s-60s, that's where you lost the exam. Good news: essays improve fastest with specific feedback.

See What Went Wrong

Upload your lowest-scoring essay. Get instant feedback on:

• What rules you missed
• Where your analysis was weak
• What to fix to earn more points

No signup required. California gives you essays immediately - huge advantage.

STEP 2: Learn Why You Failed

You can know all the law and still fail. Passing isn't about knowing the law - it's about knowing HOW TO TAKE THE TEST.

5 essays in 3 hours = 36 minutes each. Under pressure, you need to write essays that EARN POINTS, not just recite rules.

The stack of blue books problem: Graders read 7,362 essays. If yours looks like everyone else's (generic headings, flashcard recitation), you don't earn extra points.

You need to differentiate yourself. Bar prep courses like Barbri and Themis don't teach this.

Differentiation Technique 1: Party Names in Headings

Most people write: Battery (just the cause of action, underlined)

You should write: A Committed Battery Against B When A Struck B Without Consent (sentence structure with party names woven in)

Result: You haven't added much content, but you've differentiated yourself from the stack of blue books and earned more points. Your heading shows application, not just identification of the issue.

Differentiation Technique 2: Intertwine Law with Facts

Most people write: "Battery is intentional harmful or offensive contact with another person without consent. This is relevant because..." (flashcard recitation)

You should write: "When A struck B on the face without B's permission, A committed the intentional harmful contact that constitutes battery under common law, demonstrating both the intent to make contact and the lack of consent required for the tort." (intertwines black letter law with the actual prompt)

Result: Shows you can APPLY law, not just memorize it. Graders see understanding and application, not just recitation. This separates 55-60 point essays from 70-75 point essays.

Differentiation Technique 3: Make Your Structure Clear

Graders read hundreds of essays per day. Make it easy for them to grade you:

• Signal transitions ("Turning to the second issue...")
• Use subheadings for complex analyses
• Show your reasoning step-by-step

BarScore tells you exactly what to improve - not generic advice like "follow IRAC better." You'll see specific feedback like "You missed the consent issue" or "Your causation analysis needs the but-for test."

Practice makes this automatic. By essay 3-5, it feels natural. By essay 10-15, it's automatic.

The key: Instant feedback. If you write Monday and get feedback Friday, you can't iterate fast. You need feedback NOW.

STEP 3: Get Instant, Specific Feedback (Not Generic Barbri Comments)

Best way to pass: Practice the EXAM, not just memorize material.

BarScore gives you feedback in 15 seconds:

• What rules you missed
• Where your analysis is weak
• What to fix to earn more points

NOT generic feedback like:

• "Follow IRAC better"
• "Add more analysis"

Those don't tell you WHAT to fix.

Barbri/Themis: Submit Monday → Wait 3-7 days → Get "add more analysis" → Practice 1 essay/week

BarScore: Submit anytime → Get feedback in 15 seconds → Practice daily

If you're working full-time (2 hours/night), you can't wait a week for feedback.

When you're consistently scoring high 70s on BarScore, you're ready. Model answers never hit 90s. It's about consistent performance.

STEP 4: Register for February 2026 (Deadline January 1)

February 24-25, 2026 - Register by January 1 at calbar.ca.gov

3.5 months to prepare. Enough time with a focused plan.

STEP 5: Practice with Instant Feedback (2 Hours/Night)

Weeknights (2 hours):

• Write 1 essay (60-90 min)
• Upload to BarScore → Get feedback (15 sec)
• Review what to fix (30 min)

Weekends (6-8 hours):

• 2-3 essays with feedback
• 100 MBE questions
• 1 PT practice

Monthly goal: 15-20 essays with instant feedback

Why this works: Instant feedback lets you practice daily. Barbri's 3-7 day wait = only 1 essay/week. BarScore = 15-20 essays/month while working full-time.

STEP 6: Study Law + Write Essays Together (Not Separately)

Wrong: Study torts Monday → Wait till Thursday to write essay → Forgot material → Wasted time

Right: Study torts Monday → Write torts essay Monday night → Get instant feedback → Fix it Tuesday → Repeat until you score well → Move to next topic

Why this works: You learn to write passing essays, not just memorize rules. BarScore's instant feedback lets you iterate fast.

STEP 7: Track Progress Until Consistently High 70s

BarScore shows:

• "Likely to pass" (75+)
• "Needs work" (70+)
• "Unlikely to pass" (<70)

When you're consistently scoring high 70s across 15-20 essays, you're ready. Model answers never hit 90s. It's about consistent performance, not a perfect score.

Test day is 5 essays in 3 hours. BarScore's instant feedback teaches you to write under pressure.

STEP 8: Do Full Simulations (Final 3 Weeks)

January: 2-3 essays/week + 100-150 MBE/week + 1 PT/week

February 1-21: Full simulations

• 5 essays in 3 hours
• 1 PT in 90 minutes
• Upload to BarScore to see scores

February 22-23: Rest

February 24-25: You're ready. You know how to take this exam.

Why BarScore Works When Barbri/Themis Didn't

Barbri/Themis problem:

• Generic feedback ("follow IRAC", "add more analysis")
• 3-7 day wait
• 1 essay/week maximum
• Points out mistakes but doesn't help you earn points

BarScore's solution:

• Feedback that helps you EARN POINTS (not just lists mistakes)
• You don't need to be perfect - you need to earn enough points to pass
• 15 second feedback
• 15-20 essays/month while working full-time
• Tells you exactly what to do to improve your score

If you already have Barbri/Themis: Use their lectures for substantive law. Use BarScore for instant essay feedback that helps you earn points. Don't pay $3,000 again for the same approach that failed.

Start Today

1. Download July essays (admissions.calbar.ca.gov, removed December 5)
2. Upload lowest-scoring essay to demo grader above
3. Register for February 2026 (deadline January 1)
4. Start free 3-day trial

Why February: Material fresh (3-4 months), licensed 6 months faster (April vs November). Repeater pass rate is 12.4%, but that's using the same approach that failed. With BarScore's instant feedback + differentiation techniques, your odds are significantly better.

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You know the law. You need to learn how to APPLY it with differentiation techniques.

By February 24: 15-20+ essays with instant feedback, differentiation mastered, full simulations done. Consistently high 70s = ready.

Start Free 3-Day Trial - No credit card. Practice unlimited California essays.

Try Demo - Upload July essay to see what went wrong.

February 2026 is achievable. You know what didn't work. Now you know what will.