Bar Exams

The Bar Exam: Remember It Could Be Worse

Before you complain about your bathroom break, just remember that last year's test was an all-around epic fail.

By Joe Patrice on July 28, 2015 9:55 am

As you begin your bar exams, it’s worth keeping some perspective. Yes, this is going to be a grueling ordeal, but it could always be worse. We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that last year at this time, the whole goddamned computer system crashed when people tried to turn in the day’s work.

For those who tuned it out because you didn’t have time in between your summer associate artisanal Scotch tasting and your fifth Broadway excursion in as many weeks to care about the plight of July 2014 bar examinees, here’s what happened to the bulk of aspiring lawyers around the country taking the exam on software provided by ExamSoft, according to just a few of the ATL tipsters from around the country:

“Mayhem in Chicago. No one’s Illinois bar exams are uploading to ExamSoft. ExamSoft’s support line is giving everyone a busy signal. Mass confusion everywhere.”

“Total disaster for many bar examinees today. We were all told to go home and upload our files or we would get a zero. Software crashed. Website crashed. Tech support phone number disconnects you when you call for help. And we were forced to pay for the privilege of using this POS. Here’s a TLS thread where you can read input from multiple users.”

“Check out the @ExamSoft Twitter feed. No one can upload their bar exam files, all over the country. And we were forced to pay them $100 to boot!”

Think about that before you complain about your bathroom break — last year’s test was an all-around epic fail. It was Vietnam, New Coke, and the Chevy Chase Show all wrapped into one Earth-swallowing vortex of suck. By the way, has anyone else considered the fact that New Coke was considered the worst ad campaign in history before we heard the accusations and troubling testimony from their pitchman? In its proper historical context, their ad campaign was, “We made a new chemical concoction that we want you to drink, starring Bill Cosby.” Bad mojo.

At the time of the great bar exam debacle — nicknamed “Barghazi” — David offered these words of encouragement:

To everyone suffering through what appears to be the biggest bar exam disaster that I can remember — yes, there have been earthquakes, fainting people, puking people, and pregnant women going into labor, but nothing on this massive, nationwide scale — you have our sympathies. We hope you can (eventually) upload your exam and get some rest, and we wish you good luck on the rest of the test.

So consider your blessings and good luck, folks.

Earlier: The Biggest Bar Exam Disaster Ever? ExamSoft Makes Everyone’s Life Hard
Would-Be Lawyers Take To Twitter To Scream At ExamSoft Over #Barghazi