Online Florida Bar exam canceled days before scheduled test date. What happens next?
The Florida Bar exam was canceled late Sunday night after students complained of security and performance issues with the online test software. The exam, which was scheduled for Aug. 19, will be moved to an unspecified date in October.
Prospective lawyers complained that the software being used for the remote exam caused data breaches and messed with their computers. After a Miami Herald article on test takers’ concerns was published on Friday, the exam has been canceled.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners posted a notice on its website late Sunday night stating that the test would not go forward as planned and that administering a “secure and reliable” remote bar exam would not be possible.
The board stated that the October exam date will be announced in the coming weeks and that people signed up for the August test can choose to take it in October or can postpone taking it until February 2021.
The board will also create a “supervised practice program” to allow individuals to practice the law under the supervision of a certified attorney that will begin in mid-September.
The high-pressure exam was first moved online July 1 after COVID-19 health concerns raised by students. A sit-down test was originally scheduled for July 28 and 29, but the Florida Board of Bar Examiners moved it to an Aug. 19 virtual format.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 8:14 AM.