Kim Kardashian Fails the California Bar Exam

Kim Kardashian will for sure "SKIM(S)" those law textbooks a few more times ... 'cause she didn't pass the bar exam on her first try ... but she's ready to try again!

The reality star and mogul revealed on her Instagram Saturday she failed the tough test ... writing in her post she's not a lawyer -- she just plays one on TV!

Kardashian says she's six years into her law journey, but she still hasn't passed the bar -- and, she's going to keep plugging away at it ... adding she won't take any shortcuts, she'll simply keep on studying.

She thanks everyone for supporting her ... adding, "Falling short isn’t failure - it’s fuel. I was so close to passing the exam and that only motivates me even more."

A source close to Kim tells TMZ .. she decided to share the news before the results were public on Sunday because she's been so open about her journey the entire time -- and knew fans would be super interested.

We've followed this saga closely ... sharing video of Kim's intimate graduation from law school -- she was the only person in her class -- after she studied for years. She passed the "baby bar," one of two tests needed to become a lawyer in Cali, way back in 2021.

Kardashian channeled her confidence about the test and her possible success earlier this month while appearing on "The Graham Norton Show" to promote her new TV show, "All's Fair." She took the bar in July.

She told Norton she sees law as the next phase of her career, too ... believing she'll ultimately become a trial attorney.

The law's in Kardashian's blood, of course ... her father Robert was a well-respected L.A. attorney who even served on O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team" of lawyers during the infamous murder trial in 1995.

While she felt pretty confident, it probably helped she's been busy working to keep her mind off the results ... 'cause she's been on a world tour to promote her new legal drama -- one which saw Sarah Paulson put her hands all over Kim's famous posterior.