CSLB exam pass rate & how many times you can retake it
CSLB does publish a pass rate for the Law & Business exam — 57% of 17,737 candidates passed in FY 2022/23, in Table 8 of its 2024 Sunset Review Oversight Report to the Legislature. What CSLB does not publish is a passing score: its own instruction is that you will be told the percentage of correct answers you need at the test site. The retake rules are published: wait 21 days between attempts, and retake as many times as you need within the 18 months your application stays valid.
Does CSLB publish a pass rate?
Yes — in its sunset review to the Legislature, which is why so few prep sites have it. Table 8 of CSLB's 2024 Sunset Review Oversight Report gives the overall pass rate for the Law and Business examination for four fiscal years:
| Fiscal year | Candidates | Overall pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2019/20 | 14,844 | 52% |
| FY 2020/21 | 16,724 | 58% |
| FY 2021/22 | 25,061 | 54% |
| FY 2022/23 | 17,737 | 57% |
CSLB, 2024 Sunset Review Oversight Report, Table 8: Examination Data (Law and Business examination). CSLB — 2024 Sunset Review Oversight Report (PDF), Table 8: Examination Data →
These are overall pass rates across all attempts, not first-attempt rates; CSLB does not break out first-time candidates. Your individual score report shows only PASS or FAIL — the pass rate is a board-level statistic, not something you are told on the day.
A pass rate is not a passing score. "57% passed" means 57 of every 100 candidates passed. It does not mean you need 57% correct. Sites that quote a single "CSLB passing score" are conflating the two.
What score do you need to pass?
CSLB does not publish one. Its instruction to candidates is: "You will be informed at the test site about the percentage of correct answers needed to pass each examination." No CSLB document states a figure in advance.
Third-party prep sites do state figures, and they disagree: 65%, 70% and 72% all appear, none of them citing a CSLB document, and one source puts the exam at 40 questions rather than the commonly reported 115. PrepPass does not state a passing score for this exam.
What we do state is our own bar. We call you practice-ready at 70% or better on a full timed mock of our question bank. That is PrepPass's bar for our own questions, not the exam's passing score — we set it where a candidate who clears it has consistently shown the material, not where CSLB draws its line, because CSLB has not told anyone where that is.
CSLB retake facts
How many times can you retake the CSLB exam?
There is no fixed cap on the number of attempts. CSLB's published rules work like this:
- You can retake the exam as many times as needed while your application is valid.
- You must wait 21 calendar days between attempts.
- Your application stays valid for 18 months from the date CSLB accepts it. You have to pass all required exams within that window.
- If you don't pass within 18 months, the application becomes void and you must reapply and pay the fees again. (If you test within the last three weeks before that void date, that attempt is your last chance — you can't reschedule past the deadline.)
How much does it cost to retake?
The one-time application processing fee ($450 to CSLB) is not charged again for a retake within your 18-month window. Each exam attempt does carry the PSI exam fee of Paid to PSI (confirm current) (2025), paid to PSI when you reschedule. So the main cost of failing is time — and another Paid to PSI (confirm current) per attempt.
The best way to pass on the first try
Retakes cost time and money, so the goal is to pass the first time. Since CSLB does not tell you the bar in advance, the reliable move is to practice until you are comfortably clear of any plausible one — we call 70% on a full timed mock of our bank practice-ready. PrepPass has free CSLB practice questions with answer explanations and a full timed mock exam — no signup required.
Want the full picture of the difficulty and the 7 topic areas?
See how hard the CSLB exam is →Frequently asked questions
What is the CSLB exam pass rate?+
CSLB publishes it in its sunset review rather than on its exam pages. Table 8 of CSLB's 2024 Sunset Review Oversight Report gives the Law and Business overall pass rate as 52% of 14,844 candidates in FY 2019/20, 58% of 16,724 candidates in FY 2020/21, 54% of 25,061 candidates in FY 2021/22, 57% of 17,737 candidates in FY 2022/23. Those are overall pass rates across all attempts, not first-attempt rates.
How many times can you take the CSLB exam?+
There is no fixed limit. You can retake as many times as needed within the 18 months your application stays valid, with a 21-day wait between attempts.
How long do you have to wait to retake the CSLB exam?+
At least 21 calendar days between attempts, per CSLB.
What happens if you fail the CSLB exam?+
You can reschedule and retake it after 21 days by paying the Paid to PSI (confirm current) PSI exam fee again. As long as you pass within the 18-month validity of your application, you don't have to reapply.
What score do you need to pass the CSLB exam?+
CSLB does not publish one. Its own instruction is: "You will be informed at the test site about the percentage of correct answers needed to pass each examination." Third-party sites variously claim 65%, 70% and 72%; they disagree with one another and none of them cites a CSLB document. PrepPass does not state a passing score for this exam — our own practice bar is 70% on a full timed mock of our question bank, which is our bar, not CSLB's. CSLB shows your result on screen as PASS or FAIL immediately after you finish.
Pass rates, retake and application rules verified against:
CSLB — Examinations FAQ (cslb.ca.gov) →CSLB — After Your Application Is Accepted (cslb.ca.gov) →CSLB — Step 7: Studying for the Examination (cslb.ca.gov) →CSLB — 2024 Sunset Review Oversight Report (PDF), Table 8: Examination Data →Last updated: September 2026