ABA Journal, Furious Bar Candidates Square Off With State Bar of California in Wake of Flubbed Exam:
For two hours, February bar candidates unleashed their fury about the chaos surrounding last week’s administration of California’s new bar exam and demanded remediation, including an offer of provisional licenses, a lowering of the pass score and automatic passage during a March 5 meeting of the State Bar of California Board of Trustees.
Testimonies from examinees detailed delayed start times, rude proctors, technical glitches, grammatical and factual errors in the questions, rampant cheating, and a host of distractions—including proctors arguing and fellow test-takers screaming out of frustration. More than 90 test takers spoke ….
Reuters, California Bar Approves Bar Exam Probe as Angry Test Takers Sound Off:
The State Bar of California on Wednesday launched an independent investigation of its February bar exam, a newly created test that was marred by widespread technical and logistical problems.
The state bar’s board of trustees approved the retention of an outside investigator following two hours of public comment from bar examinees who expressed frustration and anger over the faulty rollout of the state’s new exam.
The Recorder, Remedies for Botched Bar Exam? Not So Fast, State Bar Says:
In their first meeting since last week’s bar exam meltdown, California bar leaders said applicants will have to wait for a testing expert to review the results before deciding if a lower passing score or a scoring boost is justified.
Law360, California Bar Orders Investigation Of Flawed Exam:
“We don’t go into this exam certain that we’re going to pass, but we do go into the exam trusting that the state bar will provide us with a fair shot to pass,” one applicant told the board Wednesday. “The bar placed financial desires above the importance of upholding the integrity of a high-stakes exam; it recklessly disregarded the time, money and preparation applicants pour into this exam; and allowed applicants to endure two days plagued with foreseeable technical and procedural issues and one comment on remedial measures.”
After hearing scores of public comments at its March 5 meeting, primarily from test takers reporting serious problems they encountered during the February 2025 California Bar Exam, the #StateBarCA Board directed the general counsel to retain an independent investigator to conduct… pic.twitter.com/9NcUkS33Mv
— State Bar of California (@StateBarCA) March 7, 2025
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
- California Bar Exam Suffers Catastrophic Meltdown: ‘I’ve Never Had This Much Despair And Hopelessness’ (Feb. 27, 2025)
- The California Bar Exam Fiasco: Is Provisional Licensure The Appropriate Remedy? (Mar. 1, 2025)
- New York Times: California Bar Exam Fiasco Enrages Test Takers And Clouds Their Futures; Chemerinsky Calls For Provisional Licensure (Mar. 3, 2025)
- 17 Deans Ask California High Court To Provisionally License Grads Who Fail February Exam And Scrap New Kaplan-Written Questions And Revert Back To In-Person Exams In July (Mar. 4, 2025)
- California Supreme Court Reverts Back To In-Person Bar Exam In July (Mar. 5, 2025)
- Law Profs: California State Bar Must Be Held Accountable For Its Catastrophic Failures (Mar. 6, 2025)
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