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California Bar Examination Syllabus
California's state-specific bar exam administered by the State Bar of California for attorney licensure.. The complete California Bar Examination outline — 8 subjects, 33 chapters and 158 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
California Bar Examination subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
5 chapters · 26 topics · 28 sub-topics
Contracts and Sales (UCC Article 2)4 chapters · 19 topics · 18 sub-topics
Torts4 chapters · 18 topics · 24 sub-topics
Constitutional Law4 chapters · 20 topics · 16 sub-topics
Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure4 chapters · 18 topics · 21 sub-topics
Evidence (California & Federal)4 chapters · 20 topics · 19 sub-topics
Real Property3 chapters · 14 topics · 18 sub-topics
California Practice Subjects (Wills, Trusts, Community Property, Business & Professional Responsibility)5 chapters · 23 topics · 24 sub-topics
California Bar Examination flashcard decks
488 question-and-answer cards across 8 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Civil Procedure (California & Federal) — 60 cards
- Contracts and Sales (UCC Article 2) — 66 cards
- Torts — 50 cards
- Constitutional Law — 71 cards
- Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure — 60 cards
- Evidence (California & Federal) — 72 cards
- Real Property — 51 cards
- California Practice Subjects (Wills, Trusts, Community Property, Business & Professional Responsibility) — 58 cards
How to work through the California Bar Examination syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Civil Procedure (California & Federal) carries 26 topics while Real Property carries 14. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for California Bar Examination.
The ~150 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
California Bar Examination syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the California Bar Examination syllabus?
California Bar Examination covers 8 subjects: Civil Procedure (California & Federal), Contracts and Sales (UCC Article 2), Torts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, Evidence (California & Federal), Real Property and California Practice Subjects (Wills, Trusts, Community Property, Business & Professional Responsibility). Together they contain 33 chapters and 158 named topics.
How many topics does the California Bar Examination syllabus contain?
The full California Bar Examination outline breaks down into 33 chapters, 158 topics and 168 sub-topics. Civil Procedure (California & Federal) is the largest single subject with 26 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole California Bar Examination syllabus?
Roughly 150 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 7 weeks.
Are there California Bar Examination flashcards?
Yes — 488 question-and-answer flashcards across 8 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this California Bar Examination syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the California Bar Examination syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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