Bar Passage Archives | Association of American Law Schools

Law graduates share online bar exam experiences

28 October 2020

ABA JOURNAL — Approximately 30,000 people took the exam, and it’s believed to have been the first professional licensing exam administered remotely, according to Judith Gundersen, president of the NCBE. In an email to the ABA Journal, she said it appears that more than 98% of applicants had no software issues.

Many law graduates report internet and software issues with New York’s online bar exam

28 October 2020

BLOOMBERG LAW — More than 40% of law school graduates who took the recent online bar exam in New York said they encountered tech problems during the test, according to a new survey from a pair of state lawmakers who want to let lawyers in training ditch the exam.

Florida administers online bar exam

21 October 2020

REUTERS — Law graduates seeking licensure in Florida finally got their chance to take the bar exam this week, after months of repeated delays sparked by everything from a summer surge in coronavirus cases to a primary election to software glitches. The online bar exam was “successfully administered” to 3,137 examinees on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Online bar exams in several states experience technical and privacy issues

21 October 2020

THE MARKUP — Michigan, like many states around the country, had chosen a software company—in this case, ExamSoft—to administer the test and “proctor” it remotely. One student had to track down a computer that could run the software, which films test-takers through their computer’s camera, and the whole thing felt a bit creepy.

California bar examinees report technical problems related to facial recognition software

15 October 2020

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE — Required by state shelter-in-place rules, online testing raised concerns of a level playing field – those better off were more likely to have quiet space and stable internet connections – and of specific discrimination against students of color because of the software’s use of facial recognition software.

ACLU issues bias and privacy warnings regarding California’s online bar exam

15 October 2020

WESTLAW TODAY — With the California bar exam just days away, the American Civil Liberties Union has renewed privacy and bias warnings over the use of software from ExamSoft for the mostly online exam.

A look at the state of the bar exam amid the pandemic and legal profession reforms

6 October 2020

NPR — In less than a week, law school graduates across America will be taking the bar exam. Bar officials have spent months scrambling to figure out how to administer the mass test during the coronavirus pandemic.

Opinion: The bar exam still has consumer protection value

6 October 2020

BLOOMBERG LAW — U.S. Army judge advocate Thomas N. Wheatley discusses why the bar exam should remain as the legal industry’s standard for professional competence. He says it may be imperfect, but it hones “practice-ready” skills, including rapid information synthesis, methodical application of the law, and clear articulation of a soundly reasoned answer.

California Bar approves temporary law licenses in place of bar exam for new law school graduates

1 October 2020

BLOOMBERG LAW — The California State Bar’s Board of Trustees approved a plan that would grant temporary licenses to recent law school grads for less than two years.

Delays in California bar exam result in frustration and anxiety among law graduates

1 October 2020

SAN FRANSISCO CHRONICLE — Samuel Humy graduated from Cornell Law School this year and moved to California. With a job lined up with the Santa Clara County Public Defender Office, he planned to take the California State Bar exam over the summer and start work in early August as a lawyer.