ABA Journal, California’s Recent Bar Exam disaster Casts Doubt on the Feasibility of Off-Site Exams:

Is technology ready for the bar exam?

California thought so. The cash-strapped state bar, citing financial concerns, chose to develop its own test designed to be taken remotely and at test centers, a move that was projected to save $3.8 million.

But the February launch of the test, written by Kaplan Exam Services and administered by Meazure Learning, was a disaster. Much of the tumult stemmed from tech troubles, including glitches cutting and pasting answers, uncertainty if and when answers were saved, and being kicked off the internet. The savings were a pipe dream. Instead, the move online resulted in scoring errors, finger-pointing lawsuits, resignations, furious candidates and projected costs of approximately $5.6 million.

The debacle has also led to questions about whether technology is capable of doing what California had been hoping to do. According to individuals interviewed by the ABA Journal, the answer is far more nuanced than go/no go.

“Which tech are you talking about?” says Greg Sarab, CEO of Extegrity, a testing software provider.

To administer a bar exam, several types of software are used, each handling specific tasks—ranging from registering for the exam, delivering the exam securely, proctoring and monitoring remotely, offering IT support and collecting answers, experts say.

Some systems operate fairly seamlessly, but others are trickier, particularly those involved in delivering the high-stakes exam remotely, like those that maintain the test’s security and remote proctoring.

“I definitely worry about the tech given California’s experience,” says Deborah Jones Merritt, a professor emerita at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law who has worked with several jurisdictions on updating their bar exams.

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