California scraps new bar exam for July, adjusts scores on botched February test
May 5 (Reuters) - California will not administer its newly developed bar exam in July, after the state's Supreme Court on Friday ordered a return to the previous test following a disastrous rollout in February.
The California Supreme Court directed, opens new tab the State Bar of California to use to the Multistate Bar Exam — the 200-question multiple choice portion of the exam the state had used prior to the February test — for the upcoming July test.
The court said that it 'remains concerned over the processes used to draft' the multiple-choice questions that appeared on California's February exam, and it also cited in its decision the 'previously undisclosed' use of artificial intelligence in drafting some of California's February questions.
In the same order, the court approved several scoring adjustments requested by the state bar that are intended to address some of the various problems February examinees encountered on the attorney licensing test. The state bar on Friday told examinees that their results, which were originally scheduled to be released on Friday, would be pushed back to Monday as it worked to adjust scores based on the court's order.
A state bar spokesperson declined further comment on Friday about the court's decision.
California has the second-largest number of annual bar exam takers, behind New York. About 8,000 people typically sit for its July exam.
The court-ordered return of the MBE, which is developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, is the latest blow to California's efforts to break away from the national bar exam in a bid to cut costs. The February exam was administered both remotely and in-person and did not use any components of the national bar exam that the state has used for decades. That change was expected to save as much as $3.8 million annually by eliminating the need to rent out large event spaces, but examinees faced unprecedented technical and logistical problems.
The California Supreme Court in March ordered the July exam to be given in-person at testing centers, meaning that the upcoming test will have the same format and test components as before the development of California's own exam.
The state bar now projects that addressing the problems from February's exam will cost at least $2.3 million more than anticipated for July. State Bar Executive Director Leah Wilson on Friday said she will step down from that post in July, citing the botched rollout of the new bar exam.
The court's order sets the raw passing score for the attorney licensing exam at 534 — lower than the 560 score recommended by its standardized testing expert who looked at February's results. Raw pass scores can fluctuate each year and are converted according to a standardized scale. The order also directs the state bar to 'impute' scores for test takers who weren't able to complete significant portions of the two-day exam.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Elon Musk has PTSD & made a MISTAKE by helping Trump, his dad claims as he reveals verdict on what caused explosive feud
ELON Musk has "White House PTSD" and thinks he made a mistake by helping Trump get reelected, his dad has claimed. Errol Musk, 79, made the explosive remarks in Moscow, where he's set to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum organised by Putin's inner circle. Advertisement 9 Errol Musk claims his son Elon has 'PTSD from the White House' Credit: East2West 9 Musk Snr also believes the Tesla boss regrets helping Trump get reelected Credit: Reuters 9 Errol is currently in Moscow to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum Credit: East2West 9 Elon reportedly donated $288 million to Trump's 2024 campaign Credit: AFP It comes just days after his billionaire son's high-profile alliance with the US President imploded in a fierce online feud. The world's richest man — who reportedly donated $288 million to Trump's 2024 campaign and briefly served as a White House aide — has now turned on the president over his sweeping tax and spending bill. Elon even claimed on X that Trump was tied to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, though the post was later deleted and the White House dismissed the allegation outright. Their bromance is now beyond repair. Advertisement On Sunday, Trump confirmed to NBC that he has no interest in making amends: 'I would assume so, yeah,' he said when asked if their relationship was over. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' Now, the Tesla and SpaceX boss is said to be grappling with regret and fatigue from his turbulent stint in Washington. Musk Snr told Putin-controlled media: 'So at the moment, Elon is inclined to say that he's made a mistake.' 'Trump will prevail. He's the president, he was elected as the president. Advertisement 'Elon made a mistake, I think, but he's tired, he's stressed. He added: 'Five months of continuous stress, continuous, continuous stress, stress, stress. Trump crushes 'peace talk' hopes with Musk as he insists Elon has 'lost his mind' and 'vows to get rid of his Tesla' 'And then in the end, it's just him and Trump left… They still don't know what to do, so they fight with each other until they can come to normal conditions.' The South African businessman likened the split to a "marriage going wrong" and suggested his son was out of depth in the brutal political arena. Advertisement He told Russian outlet Izvestia: 'It happens in marriages, it happens in partnerships, it happens a lot . 'And people have to understand that at the moment, Elon is having second thoughts... 'He's not a great politician, he is still learning, he's a great tech innovator and so forth. 'But his politics is, as I've said before, is a swimming pool with no bottom, it's a swimming pool with no sides. Advertisement 'When you're in a swimming pool of politics, you've got to really know where to go. 'And he [Elon] doesn't realise that.' 9 Errol made the explosive claims on Putin-controlled media in Russia Credit: East2West 9 He said his son had a very stressful five months Credit: East2West Advertisement Errol added that Elon had been trying to "get everything right" with a recent bill, but clashed with Trump over what he saw as excessive Democratic spending concessions. 'But unfortunately, he doesn't realise that in order to get their votes in the Senate and the Congress, Trump has to do that,' he said. 'They are the only two people left in the arena… and they took to each other, which is understandable.' Errol's comments were made to Tsargrad TV — owned by Konstantin Malofeev, a businessman with alleged links to Russian military intelligence. Advertisement He praised Moscow, saying: 'Whoever designed this city is a true genius. These majestic buildings remind me of Ancient Rome.' He also dismissed Western portrayals of the Russian capital as 'nonsense.' 9 Trump and Musk's bromance fell through in a spectacular public feud online Credit: AFP 9 The feud erupted over Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' which proposed stripping billions in government subsidies from Tesla Credit: AP Advertisement Errol will speak at the Future Forum 2050, organised by Malofeev and Putin ideologist and 'philosopher' Alexander Dugin. Meanwhile, Russia appears eager to capitalize on Musk's estrangement from the US political elite. Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev cheekily offered to mediate peace talks between 'D and E' — Trump and Elon— 'for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment.' Another Kremlin loyalist, ex-space chief Dmitry Rogozin, publicly offered Musk asylum. Advertisement 'You are respected in Russia. If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us and become one of us,' Rogozin wrote. Russia would offer him 'reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity'.
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Putin plotting to blitz Ukraine with ‘vicious & unrelenting' revenge strike in days after Op Spiderweb, US insiders warn
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) VLADIMIR Putin is preparing a "huge, vicious and unrelenting" revenge assault on Ukraine just days after Operation Spiderweb, U.S. and Western officials have warned. Insiders said the Kremlin's full-scale retaliation for last week's stunning drone blitz on four key Russian airbases hasn't yet materialized - but it is coming very soon. 12 Western officials have warned that Vladimir Putin is plotting a major revenge assault on Ukraine Credit: AFP 12 Fire and smoke rise from the site where a Russian missile struck a residential area in Kharkiv on Saturday Credit: AP 12 Officials say the strikes could also aim symbolic Ukrainian targets 12 Footage of Operation Spiderweb showed Russian planes left burning on the runway The revenge strike will be "asymmetrical" and likely to feature a mix of drones and missiles aimed at symbolic Ukrainian targets - not just military assets, one U.S. official told Reuters. Another said the operation could begin within days. A senior Western diplomat added: "It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting. "But the Ukrainians are brave people." On Friday, Russia unleashed a fierce missile and drone barrage on Kyiv, killing at least six and injuring over 80, but American officials say this may only be the beginning. Russia's Defense Ministry called it a response to "terrorist acts" by Ukraine - but insiders say the real retaliation is still being assembled behind the scenes. U.S. officials believe the SBU — Ukraine's security service — may be directly targeted in the revenge strike. Carnegie Endowment analyst Michael Kofman told Reuters: "Most likely, they will attempt to retaliate against (SBU) headquarters, or other regional intelligence administration buildings. "In general, Russia's ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing — and attempting to do over the past month — is quite constrained." Putin plotting 'final killer offensive' to WIN Ukraine war despite Russian losses nearing 1 MILLION 12 PUTIN'S $7bn HUMILIATION The looming storm follows Operation Spiderweb - Ukraine's most daring covert strike yet. It was led personally by spy chief Vasyl Malyuk under the direct orders of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Over 117 kamikaze drones were launched from hidden mobile units disguised as everyday cargo trucks, slipped undetected into Russian territory. New footage released on Saturday by Ukraine's SBU shows an FPV drone lifting off from a lorry rooftop before smashing directly into a Russian bomber at the Belaya airfield. The strikes hit four strategic bases - Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo — torching aircraft capable of launching nuclear warheads. Ukrainian officials say 41 planes were destroyed or damaged. U.S. intelligence puts the figure closer to 20, with at least 10 completely destroyed - still a staggering blow to Russia's long-range bomber fleet. The $7billion damage, inflicted with zero boots on the ground, has left the Kremlin tyrant furious and determined to reassert its military dominance. 12 The SBU released new footage of the covert operation on Saturday Credit: Twitter 12 It showed a drone lifting off from what appears to be a transport vehicle before targeting Putin's bomber planes 'IT'S NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY' President Donald Trump revealed this week that he spoke directly with Putin on Wednesday. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the Russian despot told him "he will have to respond" to the drone attack. Speaking to reporters later, Trump added: "It's probably not going to be pretty. I don't like it. "I said: 'Don't do it. You shouldn't do it. You should stop it.' "But, again, there's a lot of hatred." Meanwhile, Russia's propaganda machine is framing the war as existential. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared Friday: "This is about the future of our children, of our country." 12 A view of destruction following the two-hour Russian attack on Kharkiv on Saturday Credit: Getty 12 A man stands amid rubble in destroyed house at residential district after Russian shelling in Kharkiv Credit: Getty BLITZ ALREADY UNDERWAY? While officials say the major strike is still to come, Ukraine is already reeling from a brutal few days of missile and drone attacks. On Friday, 400 drones and 45 missiles rained down on cities across the country. In Kyiv, explosions lit up the night sky near the Mother Ukraine monument. A fire tore through the 11th floor of a residential block in Solomyanskyi, and emergency crews rushed to save civilians trapped inside. Overnight into Saturday, Kharkiv suffered Russia's largest airstrike yet, killing three - including a baby and a 14-year-old girl - and wounding 21. 'We have a lot of damage,' Kharkiv's mayor Ihor Terekhov said. At least 18 apartment buildings and 13 homes were hit, with more strikes reported in Donetsk, Dnipro, Ternopil, and Odesa. Ukraine's Air Force said it shot down 174 out of 206 drones and nine missiles overnight. 12 Smoke billowing from a fire burning in a building after an airstrike in Kharkiv on Saturday Credit: EPA 12 Explosion is seen after Russian air strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday SUMMER OFFENSIVE BREWING Western analysts say Mad Vlad is not just seeking revenge - but a breakthrough. Reports from Ukrainian intelligence suggest up to 125,000 troops are massing near the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, with fears of a three-pronged summer assault to finally break the deadlock. The offensive is expected to focus on Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk in the Donbas - with plans to encircle key cities rather than slug it out street by street. Military analyst Konrad Muzyka told The Telegraph Russia's tactics have evolved: "We have seen the Russians shift to focused, small-unit attacks, often of just three to five men. "Company-size assaults of 50 to 100 men hardly ever happen anymore." But Ukraine, armed with drones and Western weapons, isn't backing down. Zelensky warned this week: "Even after all of Russia's horrific attacks, he is reportedly preparing yet more so-called 'responses.' "With every new strike, with every delay of diplomacy, Russia is giving the finger to the entire world."
The Herald Scotland
16 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Justice Jackson warns Supreme Court is sending a 'troubling message'
"It is particularly startling to think that grants of relief in these circumstances might be (unintentionally) conveying not only preferential treatment for the Government but also a willingness to undercut both our lower court colleagues' well-reasoned interim judgments and the well-established constraints of law that they are in the process of enforcing," Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote. Jackson was dissenting from the conservative majority's decision to give Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency complete access to the data of millions of Americans kept by the U.S. Social Security Administration. Once again, she wrote in a dissent joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, "this Court dons its emergency responder gear, rushes to the scene, and uses its equitable power to fan the flames rather than extinguish them." A district judge had blocked DOGE's access to "personally identifiable information" while assessing if that access is legal. Jackson said a majority of the court didn't require the administration to show it would be "irreparably harmed" by not getting immediate access, one of the legal standards for intervention. "It says, in essence, that although other stay applicants must point to more than the annoyance of compliance with lower court orders they don't like," she wrote, "the Government can approach the courtroom bar with nothing more than that and obtain relief from this Court nevertheless." A clock, a mural, a petition: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's chambers tell her story In a brief and unsigned decision, the majority said it weighed the "irreparable harm" factor along with the other required considerations of what's in the public interest and whether the courts are likely to ultimately decide that DOGE can get at the data. But the majority did not explain how they did so. Jackson said the court `plainly botched' its evaluation of a Trump appeal Jackson raised a similar complaint when the court on May 30 said the administration can revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans living in the United States. Jackson wrote that the court "plainly botched" its assessment of whether the government or the approximately 530,000 migrants would suffer the greater harm if their legal status ends while the administration's mass termination of that status is being litigated. Jackson said the majority undervalued "the devastating consequences of allowing the Government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly half a million noncitizens while their legal claims are pending." The majority did not offer an explanation for its decision. More Supreme Court wins for Trump In addition to those interventions, the Supreme Court recently blocked a judge's order requiring DOGE to disclose information about its operations, declined to reinstate independent agency board members fired by Trump, allowed Trump to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans and said the president can enforce his ban on transgender people serving in the military. Jackson disagreed with all of those decisions. The court's two other liberal justices - Sotomayor and Elena Kagan - disagreed with most of them. More: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson can throw a punch. Literally. The court did hand Trump a setback in May when it barred the administration from quickly resuming deportations of Venezuelans under a 1798 wartime law. Two of the court's six conservative justices - Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito - dissented. Decisions are expected in the coming weeks on other Trump emergency requests, including whether the president can dismantle the Education Department and can enforce his changes to birthright citizenship.
