The California State Bar's new exam for prospective lawyers was a disaster, with complaints from many test takers. Bar staff now recommend using the previous system.

California is likely to return to a fully in-person bar exam after the state's rollout of its new test was marred by widespread technical problems during its debut last week.

Many aspiring lawyers could not access the test and cited delays or other issues. A lawmaker has called for an investigation.

Technical glitches, proctoring chaos and system failures derailed California’s newly launched bar exam on Tuesday, forcing the State Bar to offer make-up tests for affected examinees on March 3 and 4.

The California Supreme Court has said nothing publicly about the problems that have plagued the February bar exam.

A trio of test takers on Thursday filed what looks to be the first lawsuit over California’s problem-plagued February bar exam, alleging that exam vendor Meazure Learning failed to provide a functioning test platform despite ample warning of technical troubles.

The company administering California’s February 2025 Bar Exam is facing a proposed class of test takers for “failing spectacularly” to run the licensing exam.