COVID-19 has forced the delay of some states' July 2020 bar exams. Others have decided—for now—to keep their July offerings. And some are still on the fence. So for now, we're dividing states into the three camps below.
NO-JULY-EXAM CAMP
The states listed below have cancelled their July exams. Unless indicated parenthetically, no makeup has been scheduled.
- Alaska (Sept. 9 - 10)
- CALIFORNIA (SEPT. 9 - 10)
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Georgia (Sept. 9-10)
- Guam (Sept. 9-10)
- Hawaii
- Illinois (Sept. 9-10)
- Massachusetts (Sept. 30-Oct. 1)
- New Jersey (Sept. 9-10)
- New York (Sept. 9 - 10)
- Pennsylvania (Sept. 9-10)
- Rhode Island
- Texas (July 28-30 & Sept. 9-11)
- Utah
- Vermont (Sept. 9 - 10)
JULY-FOR-NOW CAMP
These states are keeping their July exams on calendar—for now. Any or all them could cancel these July offerings if they deemed it unsafe.
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Missouri
- Texas (kept July 28-30, but also offering Sept. 9-11)
- Virginia
- West Virginia
UNDECIDED CAMP
This last camp of states haven't made a decision either way but have announced their intent to make one soon. In the coming days, look for these states to fall in with one of the other two camps above.
- Indiana
- Nevada (will decide by May 22)
- Ohio (will decide by May 5)
- Oregon (will decide by May 5)
It was NCBE’s recent decision to make its testing materials available for three different exam dates (July, early September, or late September to very early October) that provided states with alternatives to consider. You can read more about NCBE’s recent announcement here.
Also, an increasing number of jurisdictions, like Arizona, Indiana, New Jersey, and New York, have issued "limited practice" orders that allow new or recent law school graduates to practice law in a limited role. Visit your state judiciary's Web site to see if your state has issued a similar order.
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