More than 200 individuals who sat for California’s bar exam in February will now see their scores upgraded from “fail” to “pass” following the approval of new grading adjustments by a California Bar committee.
This change affects 230 participants of the exam, as part of the State Bar of California’s efforts to address the issues stemming from the problematic February test, which suffered from technical and logistical challenges. The complications led to several lawsuits, including at least two initiated by test takers and one filed by the state bar against the exam administration company.
With the changes approved on Friday, the exam’s overall pass rate jumped from 56% to 63%, nearly double the state’s historical average of 35%.
General view of The State Bar of California on January 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Certain state Bar trustees have voiced concerns about some of the exam’s suggested solutions and the resulting increased pass rate, emphasizing the bar’s responsibility to shield the public from unqualified legal professionals.
The Bar said it faced the difficult task of finding “fair solutions” that maintained the exam’s integrity. The Bar “would never take any steps to detract from its public protection mission,” it said in a statement.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Bar of California.
Reuters contributed to this report.
