SAN FRANCISCO – The State Bar of California announced in San Francisco Wednesday that the California Supreme Court approved its proposal to shorten the bar exam for admission to the legal profession from a three-day process to a two-day test.

The new two-day exam will be used for the first time in July 2017.

Law school graduates must pass the exam to be admitted to the State Bar and thus allowed to practice law in California.

The State Bar, headquartered in San Francisco, regulates lawyers and is an administrative arm of the state Supreme Court. It develops and administers the bar exam, sets codes of professional conduct for lawyers, and investigates complaints of attorney misconduct.

The California bar exam is considered one of the toughest in the nation, according to the State Bar.

The change to a two-day test was previously approved by the agency’s committee of bar examiners and board of trustees, but needed the nod from the state high court to become final.

State Bar President David Pasternak, a Los Angeles lawyer, said, “We are pleased that the Supreme Court has approved this move toward greater efficiency. Years of careful study have shown that the new format will ensure that the exam remains valid, fair and reliable.”

The new two-day exam will have five one-hour essay questions and one 90-minute performance test on the first day.

On the second day, candidates will take the Multistate Bar Examination, which given in most other states. It has 200 multiple-choice questions.

The State Bar now has more than 250,000 members, of whom 185,500 are actively practicing law in California.

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