Law Schools

So It Turns Out The Online Bar Exam Totally Sucked, Like Quantifiably

Don't believe the hype coming from bar examiners.

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The official image of 2020 bar examiners.

The Florida Bar Exam went this week and was, by most accounts, more successful than the debacle the week before. It’s not really surprising that technology would improve with every run — it’s quite literally why we all asked for a series of stress tests and got laughed at — but it’s nice to see that this one worked a little better. There remains no excuse to run a test that puts anyone in a bind, but we’ll extend the modicum of credit that’s due here.

Because the tests the week before were truly disastrous and no amount of spin can cover that up.

Sam Skolnik over at Bloomberg Law has the numbers from a survey conducted by New York State lawmakers Brad Hoylman and Jo Anne Simon.

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.

The test takers said the tech trouble stemmed from internet issues, test software problems or both. Three in four of the nearly 500 people surveyed also found the experience to be “negative,” including 37% who called it”extremely negative.”

But remember, you’ve got to translate a 75 percent disapproval rating into bar examiner speak. For Judith Gundersen of the NCBE that’s, “Overall, the remote exam was a success.”

This is why lawmakers like Simon and Hoylman are so important. Even after this debacle has concluded — for now — they’re continuing to fight the fight to get this class an emergency diploma privilege program to eliminate the rank unfairness we’ve put these applicants through. If you’re in NY, pressure your representatives to join the diploma privilege legislation they’re proposing. If you’re in other states, get your lawmakers to propose comparable legislation. This is thoroughly broken and the bar examiners are shrugging it off as “overall … a success.”

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N.Y. Bar Exam Takers Report ‘Negative’ Online Experience [Bloomberg Law]

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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