LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Bar Examination scheduled for February of 2021 will be administered remotely and online due to the coronavirus pandemic and related restrictions.
The Michigan Supreme Court announced Dec. 4 that the next Michigan Bar Exam will be administered virtually on Feb. 23 and 24 of 2021 by the Board of Law Examiners (BLE).
Recommended Videos
Officials say the February exam will consist of the “traditional two-day format containing 15 Michigan law-based essays and 200 multiple choice questions known as the Multistate Bar Exam offered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.”
Eligible individuals can take the exam in person if they qualify for such accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, officials said. Test takers concerned about access to a quiet testing location or reliable internet access should make arrangements with their individual law schools.
Officials announced that the next bar exam will be held online largely due to “increasing COVID-10 cases in Michigan and nationwide,” in addition to restrictions on gatherings in the state of Michigan.
Related: Will Michigan’s 3-week COVID-19 order be extended? If so, when will it be announced?
The BLE administered its first-ever remote, online bar exam in July 2020 due to the pandemic. Test takers experienced some kind of technical glitch at that time, however, that caused the exam to crash. Officials said on Dec. 4 that the technical problems that occurred in July 2020 were quickly resolved, and affected test takers were given extra time to complete the test. Officials also said the technical issues did not impact applicants’ test scores.
The Michigan Supreme Court says it plans to implement the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) for future testing. This exam will allow the test taker’s score to be transferred between nearly 40 different jurisdictions throughout the U.S. The BLE expects the first UBE testing to begin in July of 2022.
Click here to read the order issued by the Michigan Supreme Court on Dec. 4, or read it in the document below.
More: Coronavirus News