The
February
administration
of
the
California
bar
exam
is
so
broken
that
they’re
offering
a
free
July
test
to
everyone
who
fails.
This
comes
after
they
already
offered
refunds
to
everyone
struggling
with
the
catastrophic
launch
of
the
new
exam
structure
that
takes
the
test
outside
the
NCBE
monopoly
and
uses
Kaplan
prepared
questions
for
a
test
administered
by
Meazure
Learning.
Despite
the
trouble
they’ve
faced,
California’s
effort
to
reinvent
the
bar
exam
was
born
out
of
necessity.
The
existing
procedure
—
beholden
to
NCBE
rules
requiring
the
administrators
to
rent
out
pricey
in-person
venues
—
drove
the
licensing
organ
into
the
red
and
without
a
drastic
change,
the
exam
would
continue
hurtling
toward
bankruptcy.
But
a
reform
that
probably
needed
a
year
or
two
to
implement
effectively
received
a
matter
of
months
and…
here
we
are.
Venues
missing,
practice
tests
not
working,
and
communication
vague
at
best.
So
now
we’re
at
the
BOGO
stage:
Specifically,
the
Board
approved
$3.1
million
in
the
budget
to
support
fee
waivers
for
the
July
2025
bar
exam
to
eligible
February
2025
bar
exam
takers
and
authorized
staff
to
develop
the
eligibility
framework,
with
general
parameters
being
those
who
withdrew
from
or
fail
the
February
2025
bar
exam,
after
good
faith
efforts.
Recall
that
this
whole
thing
is
supposed
to
be
about
SAVING
money,
not
losing
it.
And
someday
it
will
be.
I
continue
to
be
the
Cal
bar
optimist
who
believes
this
will
ultimately
make
for
a
better
licensing
exam
(putting
aside
whether
or
not
the
bar
exam
is
a
good
idea
in
the
first
place).
But
for
now,
it’s
going
to
drag
the
examiners
down
a
bit
longer
as
they
try
to
work
out
the
kinks.
Earlier:
California
Bar
Exam
Disaster
Reaches
Its
‘Offer
Everyone
A
Refund’
Stage
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
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Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
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