Board Approves Testing Locations, Vendor for In-Person July Bar Exam

Board Approves Testing Locations, Vendor for In-Person July Bar Exam

The State Bar Board of Trustees has approved exam software and testing locations for the in-person July 2025 California Bar Exam as it continues efforts to improve the test-taking experience and find appropriate remedies for those impacted by issues experienced during the February exam.

"The State Bar is working tirelessly to ensure a smooth and reliable experience for July 2025 bar exam takers," Board Chair Brandon Stallings said.

Measures that were approved April 2-subject to authorization of the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) at its next meeting-included:

• An agreement with ExamSoft-a firm that provided similar services to the State Bar for two decades-to provide exam software.
• Pending approval by the CBE, site locations for the in-person exam include Anaheim, Chula Vista, Oakland, Ontario, Pasadena, Roseville, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Final authorization for the July 2025 bar exam vendor and site locations by the CBE is expected at its April 8 meeting.

Also during its meeting, the Board heard public comment from those who took the February bar exam and experienced a range of issues. Trustees discussed but postponed a vote on the CBE's recommendation to expand the Provisional Licensure Program as one remedy for impacted applicants.

"We have heard, and we recognize, that the experiences of many applicants in February fell short of our expectations," Stallings said. "We are committed as a Board to finding appropriate and fair solutions for those test takers."

The Board plans to schedule a special meeting to discuss the CBE's comprehensive set of proposed remedial measures after grading and score analysis is completed. It is anticipated the CBE will begin to shape those recommendations at its meeting on April 18.

At the April 18 CBE meeting, psychometrician Dr. Chad Buckendahl of ACS Ventures also will present initial grading results as well as recommended score adjustments for November experiment participants. In addition, Dr. Buckendahl is expected to provide recommendations on scoring adjustments for impacted February exam test takers.

In other related items, the Board heard updates on the process used to develop the bar exam multiple choice questions (MCQs) as well as a preliminary psychometric analysis of their performance and the ongoing grading process. Here are highlights:

• Before the exam, independent panels of lawyers conducted a series of qualitative reviews of the MCQs for content accuracy, cognitive complexity, potential bias, and alignment with the definition of reflection of minimum competency.  
• Post-exam analysis conducted with psychometricians included deeper review of item performance.
• The MCQs met the range of statistical criteria that are expected for a licensing exam with a strong reliability of 0.90, even higher than expected after the pre-test of questions in November.
• Grading of essay questions and the Performance Test is ongoing.

2017 Governance in the Public Interest Task Force (GIPITF) Reforms
In a separate discussion, the Board received background information on reforms initiated by the 2017 GIPITF, which was motivated by the then-pending separation of the trade association and regulatory functions of the State Bar effective January 1, 2018. The GIPITF conducted a comprehensive review of State Bar subentities to clarify roles, improve accountability, and streamline decision-making, resulting in standardized processes and a clearer division of responsibilities between committees and staff. As part of the subentity review process stemming from the 2017 GIPITF, the CBE's role was refocused to emphasize policy and oversight, as opposed to administrative functions.

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