Kim Kardashian pauses bar exam plans until 2027 after multiple failed attempts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian has made a significant decision regarding her legal aspirations after encountering setbacks in her journey to pass the California Bar Exam.
Last November, Kim confirmed of falling short of passing the bar exam, expressing gratitude to her supporters while maintaining that the setback is only a temporary pause and does not diminish her long-term commitment to becoming a lawyer.
Kim Kardashian delays bar exam pursuit
Kardashian is reportedly taking a break from pursuing the Bar Exam after failing her attempt in 2025. Sources indicated that she skipped the February 2026 exam and does not intend to sit for the July session either. Instead, she is expected to resume her efforts in 2027, even though candidates are typically allowed two attempts each year.
This decision comes after she took the full bar exam only once, in July 2025, where she did not pass. However, she took the California “baby bar” exam, a requirement for entry into her legal apprenticeship program, three times before successfully passing it on her fourth attempt in 2021.
The reality star, who also portrays a lawyer in 'All’s Fair,' revealed that she did not pass the Bar exam in November following her July attempt. Kardashian wrote via her Instagram Story, announcing the news, "Well… I’m not a lawyer yet, I just play a very well-dressed one on TV.”
She further added, "Six years into this law journey, and I’m still all in until I pass the bar. No shortcuts, no giving up — just more studying and even more determination.” The decision to step away has not come as a surprise to those closely following her legal journey, particularly after she candidly acknowledged in December that the setback had shaken her "confidence."
Kardashian told Time Magazine. “I took a minute to process that, and instantly, when I got my results, I didn’t feel good about it. I was really uncomfortable and not confident for a while. You get the results on a Friday, and I knew Sunday morning they were going to be live on the internet."
She further said, "I wanted to mention it first and let people know that it didn’t go my way.”
Kim Kardashian reflects on legal struggles and personal toll
Kardashian has previously also opened up about her demanding study routine during an episode of 'The Kardashians,' where she became visibly emotional while describing the intensity of her preparation. She tearfully shared that she felt she was having a “mental breakdown” due to the strenuous studying required for the test.
She further admitted, “I’m absolutely gonna cry cause it’s exhausting,” adding that she had “hit a wall” with her preparation. Kim also spoke about the physical toll of the process, explaining, “I threw my back out, and it’s, like, every time I think I get to another step, something pulls me back,” adding that she could “hardly walk” and “hardly sit.”
The Skims founder first announced her decision to study law in a 2019 interview with Vogue, explaining that she was inspired by “seeing a really good result” in the case of Alice Marie Johnson, whom she helped secure release in 2018.
Since then, she has remained open about the challenges of pursuing a legal career, a path also followed by her late father, Robert Kardashian. She has also been candid about her early setbacks, including failing the “baby bar” exam three times before passing on her fourth attempt.
During a 2021 episode of 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians,' she reacted to failing the exam for the second time, saying, “I failed! I failed,” and adding, “This is really annoying.” At the time, she described the result as “pretty much the same thing … [but] a little bit worse” than her first score.
