California Bar Exam Grading

About California Bar Exam Grading

The State Bar of California, a state agency, recruits licensed California attorneys to grade essay and performance test answers on the California Bar Exam. Graders attend orientation and calibration sessions held by video before grading, and new graders start as apprentices who fill in when a grading panel has a vacancy. The State Bar states pay of $725 for apprentice preparation, orientation and three calibration meetings, plus $4 for each essay or performance test response graded. Payout method and timing are not published, and the State Bar does not say whether grading itself is fully remote.

Who can apply

You must be an active State Bar of California licensee in good standing, admitted at least one year before the exam, who passed the California Bar Exam on the first or second attempt and has no affiliation with a law school or bar review course. Graders must attend every calibration meeting, and apprentices may grade little or nothing unless a vacancy comes up. Recruitment runs twice a year, with interest forms opening in May for the July exam and November for the February exam, so the next window is November and the form may not be live at other times.