To say last week’s February California bar exam didn’t go smoothly would be a gross understatement. The technical meltdown has garnered not only local legal, but national mainstream media, attention. (See, e.g., Orlando Mayorquín in the New York Times: “Problems With New California Bar Exam Enrage Test Takers and Cloud Their Futures”; Karen Sloan for Reuters: “After California bar exam chaos, state poised to nix remote testing”; Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times: “After exam fiasco, California State Bar staff recommend reverting to in-person exams”; excellent California legal reporting by Cheryl Miller in The Recorder included “Deans Ask California High Court to Provisionally License Grads Who Fail February Exam,” “Law School Deans, Key Lawmaker Urge California Supreme Court to Act on Bar Exam Mess,” and “State Bar Offers Exam Retakes but Few Answers About Testing Fiasco“; and by Malcolm Maclachlan in the Daily Journal was “Bar exam may return to in-person format after technical failures” and “California Bar exam failure sparks lawsuit, legislative inquiry.”)
Today, the Supreme Court — which regulates the State Bar, including attorney admissions (see, e.g., here, here, here, here, and here) — issued this statement:
“The court is deeply concerned by the troubling reports of technical failures, delays, and other irregularities in last week’s administration of the February 2025 California Bar Examination. The court regrets this situation and apologizes for the disappointment, stress, and frustration experienced by some applicants. At present, the complete scope and causes of the problems are still being determined. Last week, the court asked the State Bar, in conjunction with the vendor responsible for administering the exam, to provide an expedited, detailed report regarding the problems encountered by applicants. This information is crucial in informing how the court will provide appropriate remedies for affected applicants who deserved and expected better. In the interim, the court directs the State Bar to plan on administering the July 2025 California Bar Examination in the traditional in-person format.”
