Today the New York State Board of Law Examiners issued this press release:
The Board examined a record 10,907 candidates during two days of testing conducted on July 24-25, 2007. *** Over 5,000 candidates chose to take the essay portion of the July 2007 New York State bar examination on a laptop computer. Some of these candidates experienced technical problems with the software provided by a vendor but almost all of the candidates’ essay answers were eventually retrieved for grading. However, one or more of the essay answers for 47 candidates could not be recovered. Fifteen of these candidates passed the examination based on their performance on the balance of the examination, with no credit being given for any missing essay. Seventeen candidates failed the examination even when attributed a perfect score on any missing essays. The remaining 15 candidates were given estimated scores based upon their performance on the balance of the examination, and their probability of passing was computed. The Board worked with researchers at the National Conference of Bar Examiners to develop and apply this methodology, which resulted in nine of the remaining 15 candidates passing and six failing the examination. Candidates with missing essays who were unsuccessful on the examination have been notified by the Board as to how their results were determined.
Remember the South Carolina Bar Exam Weirdness that Ann blogged about? The New York six who failed the exam by a “probability measure” surely will make their views known to that state’s highest court.
-Bridget Crawford
I hate to be competitive, Bridget, but I think my state has your state beat in the Bar Exam Scoring Fuckeduptitude Olympics. Still, impressive challenge y’all got going…
I find it hard to believe that this isn’t going to result in years of litigation. That is, unless the state doesn’t cave and settle the matter first.
First, South Carolina can’t beat New York in anything!
Second, anyone remember 1985 or 1986 when a huge number of New York bar exams were lost? It was all the exams administered around Pier 90. Everyone affected had to retake the exam.