Candidates for a 25th Judicial District judge vacancy will be interviewed on Sept. 8 at the Finney County Courthouse. Gavel
Sacramento, California – In an unprecedented move that could reshape the path to legal practice in California, more than 200 bar exam scores have been revised following widespread disruptions during the February 2025 administration of the test.
The State Bar of California acknowledged serious and widespread technical failures that marred the February exam, the first in the state to utilize a hybrid model for administering the test. For hundreds of aspiring lawyers, the test day was not only stressful but structurally compromised. System crashes prevented access to the exam itself. In some cases, examinees were graded on someone else’s work. And for test takers granted accommodations due to learning or health conditions, promised support systems simply failed—resulting in shortened time windows, denied resources, and a fundamental breach of equity.
“This exam was marred by widespread technological, environmental, and proctor issues causing unacceptable disruptions for some test takers,” the California State Bar admitted in a public statement.
The fallout has been far-reaching. After students filed two lawsuits against Meazure Learning, the private company contracted to administer the bar exam, the Committee of Bar Examiners re-evaluated its scoring procedures. Previously, the Bar averaged two scores for applicants whose written responses were reviewed a second time. Now, under revised rules, the higher of the two scores is counted. This adjustment, quietly enacted without requiring California Supreme Court approval, led directly to the additional 230 passing scores.
The impact of these changes is not only personal but institutional. California, home to one of the most rigorous bar exams in the country, finds itself navigating how to maintain high standards while responding to failures in execution. Critics warn that such recalibrations could undermine public trust in the credentialing process. “We’re changing the rules after the fact,” said one attorney familiar with the situation, who expressed concern that the rush to correct mistakes may inadvertently dilute the standard the bar exam is meant to uphold.
For the test takers most directly affected, the story is more immediate. Many who believed their legal careers had stalled now find themselves with a path forward. The Bar has also offered examinees the option to retake portions of the exam in July, an effort to give candidates some agency over how they proceed. Still, the process remains fraught.
Among the most troubling findings from the February test were those involving examinees with accommodations. Multiple reports indicated that test takers entitled to extra time never received it due to software malfunctions. Others were denied access to semi-private testing spaces or assistive technology, such as speech-to-text programs. Even bathroom and medication breaks were shortened due to strict, and sometimes malfunctioning, camera-monitoring policies. In essence, the very systems designed to ensure fairness functioned as instruments of exclusion.
The California Bar has since requested that the state’s Supreme Court extend a provisional licensure program first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. If approved, the program would allow unsuccessful February applicants to practice law temporarily under supervision while they await the resolution of their applications. As of publication, the Court has not ruled on the proposal.
