California Bar Examination: Instructions for Essay Questions, Performance Test . And Multiple Choice Questions.Effective with administration of the July 2017 California Bar Examination the format of the examination will be constructed as follows: General Bar Examination. As explained below, the two-day exam now consists of five one-hour essays, one 90-minute performance test, and 200 multiple-choice questions. The first step in the California Bar application process is to register with the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California. The California Bar Exam has three parts given over two days: five essay questions, the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and one performance test. You want to study for about 2 months. Spend 3 days per subject that appears on both multiple choice and essays. I took and passed the Feb 2019 CBX Attorney exam, on the first try, while working full time, and being out of law school more than 20 years. California allows 60 minutes for each essay.