Kim Kardashian’s path to becoming a lawyer continues to test her endurance. After six years of legal study, the reality star confirmed that she did not pass the California Bar Exam, the final step toward earning her license.
She shared the news on Instagram, saying she came “so close” to passing.
She wrote, “No shortcuts, no giving up, just more studying and even more determination.”
The exam results arrived nearly six months after her law school graduation in May.
Kardashian, 45, has taken the long road into law. She began her studies in 2019 under California’s Law Office Study Program, which allows students to apprentice under licensed attorneys instead of enrolling in an accredited law school. Before qualifying for the full bar, she had to pass the state’s First-Year Law Students’ Exam, known as the “baby bar.” That process took four tries and two years of repeated study before she finally passed in 2021, sharing the milestone publicly with fans.
The California Bar Exam remains one of the toughest in the country, often passed by less than half of all examinees. The test spans two days and includes multiple-choice questions, essay prompts, and a practical performance exam. Roughly 16,000 people take it each year, and many do not succeed on their first attempt. Kardashian’s attempt this year was her first full bar sitting. She said the near-pass motivates her to keep studying until she clears it completely.
Her legal interest began after she helped free Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. That experience sparked her advocacy for criminal justice reform, eventually leading her to meet with President Donald Trump in 2018 to discuss clemency cases. She has since worked with legal teams to push sentencing reform and continues to use her platform to highlight wrongful convictions.
Kardashian said she still plans to pursue law full-time once she earns her license.
“Falling short isn’t failure, it’s fuel,” she wrote.
Despite the setback, she remains committed to completing her legal journey — a goal inspired by her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian. After six years of study and one of the hardest exams in the country, her determination now defines her more than the result itself.
