The California State Bar has initiated an independent investigation into the troubled rollout of its revamped February bar exam after test takers flooded a board meeting with complaints about severe technical and logistical failures.
During a tense two-hour public session, more than 90 frustrated examinees detailed their struggles with the botched exam, demanding corrective actions such as adjusted scores, alternative licensing pathways, and even a complete waiver of the test requirement. Some went further, calling for top officials to step down.
“I feel cheated and disrespected,” one test taker declared, addressing the board. Another examinee lambasted the organization’s handling of the exam, calling it a display of “stunning incompetence.”
The exam’s rollout was marred by technical glitches, security lapses, and functionality issues, including a copy-and-paste tool that failed to work. Some candidates couldn’t log in at all, while others faced distracting proctors and unexpected delays.
Although preliminary data suggests most examinees were able to complete the bulk of the test, the State Bar has acknowledged the severity of the issues and is now scrambling to mitigate the fallout. While no immediate scoring or licensing changes were approved, officials assured test takers that their concerns were being taken seriously.
In response to the debacle, the State Bar has scheduled a limited retest later this month and is allowing any of the 4,300 test takers who fail the February exam to retake the test in July at no cost. Meanwhile, the California Supreme Court has ordered a return to fully in-person testing for the July exam, forcing a rushed search for venues and a new exam provider after the State Bar moved to cut ties with its current vendor.
The shift to a hybrid test format, meant to reduce costs, has now resulted in a major crisis—one that has left thousands of aspiring attorneys questioning the integrity of the licensing process.
