This Formula Shows the Importance of Each 5-Point Increment on the California Bar Exam

To pass the California Bar Exam, you need an overall scaled score of 1390.

That could look like a scaled score of 1390 for the written portion and 1390 for the MBE. These are generally referred to as “passing scores” since they put you on track to pass.

But how do the raw scores on your essays and PT convert to scaled scores? What do you need for a “passing score” for an essay or PT?

In answering those questions, it turns out there’s quite a sensitive correlation between the written raw scores and the written scaled score.

That is to say, EACH 5-point uptick gets you MUCH closer to passing the California Bar Exam. In fact, if your written score is in the low/mid 1300s, you’re MUCH closer to passing than you might think.

Here’s how…

Raw written score needed to “pass”

First of all, a “passing score” for an essay or PT is a raw score of approximately 60-63.

Formula for converting raw written score to scaled written score

Here’s what the bulletin for unsuccessful applicants for July 2022 California bar takers says:

And in July 2024:

In February 2026:

These formulas reveal a very important point about the value of every 5-point increment on the written portion:

Using the 2022 formula above as an example, we see that the multiplier is 4.5926. Note that the formula will vary slightly with each exam. But here, for every 5 raw points, that adds about 22.5 to your scaled score.

Using the 2024 formula, the multiplier is 3.9892, so every 5 raw points gives you just about 20 in scaled score (19.946 to be exact). In February 2026, every 5 raw points influenced just over 20 scaled points.

We can make a back-of-napkin estimation that 5 raw points historically come out to be worth about 20 scaled points or more, or 4 times the raw points.

If we plug in some illustrative numbers, we see the difference more clearly and what that means for California bar takers:

This means that, yes, you should target at least an average of 60-63 on the written portion (although you could raise/lower this target depending on your MBE), and also recognize the value of each 5-point uptick on the essays and the PT.

Just by getting 5 more points on two essays or just 5 more points on the PT, you can turn a so-so written score into a passing score!

If your written score was somewhere in the 1300s, you’re much closer to passing than you might think.

I call this the “5-point insight”

You could easily gain these highly leveraged points—simply by realizing this 5-point insight and tweaking something small in your essay or PT.

It also reveals something crucial about performance tests: A 5-point swing on the PT affects 40 scaled points or more. A 55 vs a 65 on the PT is a difference of 80+ scaled points. Yet PTs very often get neglected even though you get one shot at it for a whopping 14.3% of your grade (twice that in the Attorneys’ Exam). You must master the PT for a significantly better chance at passing the California Bar Exam. It’s part of the Tripod Approach.

In fact, you could be passing the California Bar Exam just by making SMALL improvements. Internalizing even ONE good insight could apply across ALL five of your essays for +25 points, which could give your scaled score a 100+ point boost.

That’s the power of the 5-point insight.

Examples of things you could adjust in your essay and PT preparation:

• Simply exposing yourself to more PTs (neglecting the PT is a common mistake). You could just try one every Tuesday. Remember that just an extra 5 points on the PT could spell the difference between failing and passing. More in this interactive PT cheat sheet.
• Ensuring you identify relevant issues in an essay (issues are king)
• Improving your presentation
• Structuring your IRAC better