Apologizing for 'frustration, confusion,' California offers refunds to February bar examinees
The State Bar of California is offering refunds to applicants registered to take February 2025 bar exam because of “scheduling challenges, poor communication and inconsistent messaging,” according to a post on its website. (Image from Shutterstock)
Updated: The State Bar of California is offering refunds to applicants registered to take February 2025 bar exam because of “scheduling challenges, poor communication and inconsistent messaging,” according to a post on its website.
The struggles ahead of the Feb. 25 and 26 launch of the new test written by Kaplan Exam Services “have caused a lot of frustration, confusion and anxiety,” according to the Feb. 14 post, acknowledging that information from the state bar and testing company Meazure Learning was not aligned.
“We apologize and will take action to improve our communication with test-takers immediately,” said Leah Wilson, the state bar’s executive director, in a statement.
Unlike the widely used Uniform Bar Examination and its components administered and developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the new test can be taken remotely and at test centers.
California tests the second-highest number of bar examinees, according to the NCBE, behind only New York. In 2024, 3,944 examinees took the California bar exam in February. But 5,100 signed up for this month’s test, according to a state bar spokesperson, 13% more than anticipated. Since the 100% refund policy was announced, the state bar had received about 600 requests to withdraw, according to the spokesperson, who updated the figure Feb. 20.
To handle the additional test-takers, the state bar added three test center sites last week—one in Los Angeles, one in Bakersfield, California, and another in Fresno, California, according to an excerpt of an email sent to students obtained by the ABA Journal. Additional in-person sites were added in other states, including those in the Central and Eastern time zones, according to the email.
Initially, the state bar’s board of trustees had estimated that the new exam could save the California bar up to $3.8 million in exam-related expenses, according to an August 2024 press release.
Updated Feb. 21 at 7:59 a.m. to update the number of refund requests to about 600.
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