Is this too big an ask —- bar examiners capable of human responses? I’ll let you decide.
I have written and passed two bar exams, but that was a long time ago and not worthy of this discussion. However my two children have taken bar exams and passed them in the last 15 years. So, I consider their experiences relevant, particularly about issues of the performance of bar examiners. Their experiences were completely different. One of them experienced no memorable issues with bar examiners, and the other one nearly had to abandon ship because of inept bar examiners.
So when I read an article about the NY State Legislature urging updated methods and responsibilities for bar examiners to address emergencies, it caught my attention. The article, link below, describes the very unfortunate incident that flagged the issue about the adequacy of bar examiners in NY State, which I am sure many of you knew about already because it got a lot of press at the time. However, situations do not have to be quite this dramatic for it to be obvious that bar examiners need to up their games.
Here is what happened to one of my kids. In what should be an anticipated situation, the computer software failed in the exam room AND the bar examiners had no idea how to fix the problem or even who to call for help. The Bar Association office was closed for the week (which also was a factor in the situation described in the article), and no one was available to troubleshoot with the technology provider, which happened to be in another part of the country. So, what to do? Call mom and dad, right? My husband and I were on a road trip, but my husband knew a guy (my husband always knows a guy!), and the guy was able to contact another guy who was able to contact the head of the Bar Association office and that guy got permission for our kid to complete the bar exam by writing the answers in blue book pages —— but only on one side of the page and NOT in the margins because the bar examiner was “Johnny on the Spot” to deliver the admonishment that nothing on the back of the page or in the margins would be read or considered. So, afterthoughts in response to a question, as brilliant as those thoughts might be, were worthless.
It is stressful enough to write a bar exam, and there is a reason why none of us ever want to write another one. So, adding additional stress because of ill prepared bar examiners, the inability to call on the Bar Association for assistance, and the utter nonsense of imposing stupid rules on a handwritten exam book rises to the level of cruel and unusual treatment and should be prohibited on constitutional grounds.
I urge you to read the article and then find out if the bar association where you are licensed has similar problems that need to be addressed —- like in the next three weeks before the July bar exams. Other governing bodies should follow the example of the NY State Legislature, and it should not take a near death during the bar exam to initiate such changes. It should not be asking too much for bar examiners to be capable of “human responses” as noted in the article.
Our kid made it through. All ended well. My husband knew a guy who knew a guy, and those guys performed well. But, let’s face it, all test takers do not have dads who know a guy who knows a guy.
It is time to stop throwing up new challenges for a profession that is already too challenging for young lawyers. We can do better. Let’s hope we do.
Here’s the article: https://abovethelaw.com/2026/06/so-maybe-bar-examiners-need-an-actual-plan-for-emergencies
