Cal. Supreme Court directs State Bar to return to in-person testing for July 2025 exam
On Wednesday, the State Bar Board of Trustees was to consider Cal Bar staff’s recommendation to return to in-person testing for the July 2025 Cal Bar Exam.
Then the Committee of Bar Examiners was to meet on March 14 and make a final recommendation on the matter.
In a dramatic move, the California Supreme Court, the final word on all things Bar Exam, spoke today. Here’s what the Court said:
The California Supreme Court on Tuesday issued the following statement about the administration of the February 2025 California Bar Examination:
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.”
Emphasis mine.
So, yes, the Board of Trustees will meet, and the Committee on Bar Examiners will meet, but the decision has already been made about the July exam: it’s in person, so that means paper fact patterns and scratch paper will return. Party like it’s 2018!
There are other issues to consider, especially about the February 2025 applicant pool. But this issue, at least, has been resolved.
