# 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.

Published: 2026-03-24
Last verified: 2026-03-24
Reviewed by: Mahtab Mansour, DDS on 2026-04-25

## 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

- `A56` AB 35 / MICRA noneconomic-damages schedule. <https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB35>