California Bar Exam Scoring Changes Shift Hundreds from Fail to Pass

In a significant development, the State Bar of California has announced that over 200 examinees from the February 2025 bar exam will now be reclassified from failing to passing status due to newly approved scoring adjustments. This change raises the overall pass rate from 56% to 63%, notably higher than the state's historical average of 35% .

The adjustments involve recalculating scores for borderline candidates by using the higher of two essay reads, rather than averaging both. This decision follows widespread technical and logistical issues during the February exam, which marked the debut of a cost-saving hybrid format without traditional national components. The exam faced platform crashes, error messages, and screen lags, leading to multiple lawsuits and $6 million in additional costs for corrective measures .

Further controversy arose when it was revealed that artificial intelligence was used to draft over 20 multiple-choice questions for the exam. The California Supreme Court, unaware of the AI's involvement, has since ordered greater oversight, mandating all future exam questions undergo review and cost-benefit analysis .

In response to the exam's failures, the State Bar has taken several corrective actions, including lowering the raw passing score and "imputing" results for those unable to complete parts of the exam. Additionally, the bar has requested the California Supreme Court to extend provisional licensure for affected candidates, allowing them two years to pass the exam while working under supervision .

This situation underscores the challenges and complexities involved in modernizing professional licensure examinations while ensuring fairness and integrity.

*Sources:
*https://www.newsweek.com/california-bar-exam-changes-hundreds-scores-fail-pass-2080421