CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM OUTLINES & SUBJECT GUIDE
This is the master outline hub for the California bar exam. The California exam tests the same core body of American law covered in our universal, treatise-depth outlines below. Rather than duplicate that material, this page links you straight to the single authoritative outline for each subject, plus California-specific resources where the state's law departs from the national rules.
Most U.S. jurisdictions test the seven MBE subjects (multiple choice) and, in Uniform Bar Exam and many essay states, the additional MEE essay subjects. For California's exact current format — whether it administers the UBE, its own essays, the MBE, and any state-specific components — and for the transition to the NextGen bar exam (which all jurisdictions adopt by July 2028), see the California Bar Exam Guide.
I. MBE SUBJECTS (UNIVERSAL OUTLINES)
The seven Multistate Bar Examination subjects — tested in every U.S. jurisdiction except Louisiana. Each links to a full treatise-depth long outline (with a one-page cheat sheet inside):
- Contracts & Sales
- Torts
- Constitutional Law
- Criminal Law & Procedure
- Civil Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
II. MEE / ESSAY SUBJECTS (UNIVERSAL OUTLINES)
Additional subjects tested on the Multistate Essay Examination and many state essay exams:
III. CALIFORNIA-SPECIFIC DISTINCTIONS
California is a non-UBE jurisdiction and several subjects (especially Evidence and Civil Procedure) differ markedly from the national rules. Study the universal outline first, then layer the California departures:
- California Contracts Distinctions
- California Torts Distinctions
- California Evidence Distinctions
- California Real Property Distinctions
- California Constitutional Law Distinctions
- California Criminal Law & Procedure Distinctions
- California Civil Procedure Distinctions
California also tests subjects with no MBE/MEE equivalent — Community Property and Professional Responsibility — covered in the California section of the wiki.
IV. HOW TO USE THESE OUTLINES
Start with the universal long outline for each subject to master the black-letter law, drill the one-page cheat sheet for rapid review, then — for California — confirm any state-specific rules and the current exam format in the California Bar Exam Guide. Bookmark this page as your California study home base.