Update note
The old flat MICRA cap is stale for 2026 prep
For 2026 prep, stop answering from the old flat $250,000 MICRA cap and switch to the AB 35 schedule framing.
Last verified March 24, 2026
Reviewed by Mahtab Mansour, DDS on April 25, 2026
What changed
AB 35 replaced the old flat $250,000 MICRA noneconomic-damages cap with a rising schedule. If your prep still treats the old flat number as the current California answer, that prep is stale.
Why it matters for exam prep
- MICRA is one of the easiest stale-headline traps because the old number was memorized so widely.
- Current California prep should frame MICRA as an updated schedule, not a frozen historical figure.
What to purge from old summaries
- "MICRA is still a flat $250,000."
Primary source
A56AB 35 / MICRA noneconomic-damages schedule. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB35