Florida Bar exam gets new online exam date set for October
The Florida Bar exam has been rescheduled for Oct. 13 after the online test set for August was canceled just days before it was supposed to take place.
The exam format changed numerous times in the past few months. First, the in-person test scheduled for July 28 and 29 was canceled due to COVID-19 health concerns. The intensive exam was then moved to an Aug. 19 virtual format in July by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
Then, the online exam was canceled on Aug. 16 after a Miami Herald article on test takers’ complaints that the software being used for the remote exam caused data breaches and performance issues on their computers.
Now, the test for prospective lawyers will be held virtually on Oct. 13, with potential to continue on Oct. 14 for examinees who need accommodations.
The exam will be administered using ExamSoft software. Originally, the July virtual test was going to be taken using software from ILG Technologies, which test-takers reported issues with.
While the test now has a new date, some believe test-takers shouldn’t have to take the exam in order to become attorneys after all the changes.
Lawyers filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court on Aug. 20 asking that law students who could not take the recently canceled August Florida Bar exam be allowed to practice law immediately.
More than 100 attorneys signed on to the petition proposing an emergency rule that would allow those who signed up for the exam to become licensed attorneys after a period of supervised practice, without needing to take the test.
On Monday, The Florida Supreme Court issued an order creating a program that would allow some people signed up for the August exam to work in law temporarily under the supervision of licensed attorneys until they pass the Bar exam. This program would end 30 days after the February 2021 Bar exam results are released.