Michigan To Give Online One-Day Essay-Format Bar Exam In July

Bloomberg Law, More States Move Upcoming Bar Exams Online in Response to Virus:

Michigan is the latest in a growing number of states that have decided to hold their upcoming bar exams online, as others weigh safety concerns and logistical issues related to administering tests during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Michigan Supreme Court announced Monday that the Board of Law Examiners will administer a one-day bar exam on July 28, in the form of an online, essay-format exam. That’s a departure from the traditional two-day in-person exam that most states have decided to delay, ditch, or both, because of the public health concerns associated with the coronavirus.

Michigan is following Indiana, where Hoosier state officials said earlier this month they’ll be holding their exam remotely on the same day. That state’s one-day exam will include the Indiana Essay Examination and short-answer questions on topics tested on the Multistate Bar Examination. At the same time, several other jurisdictions also are weighing if, and possibly how, to administer their tests online, including California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia.

TaxProf Blog coverage of the July 2020 bar exam:

• The Bar Exam And The COVID-19 Pandemic: The Need For Immediate Action (Mar. 14, 2020)
• NCBE To Decide By May 5 Whether It Will Provide MBE For July Bar Examinations (Mar. 27, 2020)
• New York Postpones July Bar Exam To Fall; Students Demand Emergency Diploma Privilege To Practice Law (Mar. 28, 2020)
• Massachusetts Joins New York In Postponing July Bar Exam (Mar. 30, 2020)
• Connecticut Is Third State To Postpone July Bar Exam (Mar. 31, 2020)
• Hawaii Is Fourth State To Postpone July Bar Exam (Apr. 2, 2020)
• New Jersey Is Fifth State To Postpone July Bar Exam, First To Offer 2020 Law Grads Temporary License To Practice (Apr. 7, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: ABA, Arizona, California, Florida, Tennessee, Vermont (Apr. 8, 2020)
• Indiana Allows 2020 Law Grads To Serve As Graduate Legal Interns And Take February 2021 Bar Exam (Apr. 9, 2020)
• Utah To Let Grads Skip Bar Exam Due To COVID-19, But Only From Schools With 86%+ Bar Pass Rate; Grads Of Just 4 Of California's 21 Law Schools Would Qualify (Apr. 11, 2020)
• Licensing Lawyers In A Pandemic: Proving Competence (Apr. 12, 2020)
• Even In Time Of Crisis, Hold Fast To Bar Exam (Apr. 13, 2020)
• Bar Exam Federalism During The COVID-19 Pandemic (Apr. 14, 2020)
• State Bar Tells California Supreme Court: Delay Or Cancel July Bar Exam (Apr. 15, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: Maine, Rhode Island (Apr. 16, 2020)
• Letter From California State Bar To California Supreme Court On July Bar Exam (Apr. 17, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: Georgia, Tennessee, Virgin Islands (Apr. 18, 2020)
• Letter From California Deans To California Supreme Court On July Bar Exam (Apr. 18, 2020)
• More Law Prof Commentary On Utah's Bar Diploma Privilege Proposal (Apr. 20, 2020)
• NCBE Opposes States Granting Diploma Privileges To 2020 Law Grads Due To COVID-19 (Apr. 20, 2020)
• Horwitz: Law Graduates' Needs, Client Needs, And The Bar Exam (Apr. 20, 2020)
• WSJ: Law Students In ‘No Man’s Land’ As Coronavirus Delays Bar Exams (Apr. 20, 2020)
• Utah Supreme Court Issues Final Order Letting Grads Of Law Schools With Average 86+% Bar Pass Rate Skip Utah Bar Exam Due To COVID-19 (Apr. 22, 2020)
• Courts Should Look To Three Bar Exam Alternatives During Crisis (Apr. 24, 2020)
• July 2020 Bar Exam Status By Jurisdiction (Apr. 26, 2020)
• California Supreme Court Orders July Bar Exam Delayed To Sept. 9-10, Administered Online (Apr. 28, 2020)
• Texas Moves Forward With July Bar Exam, Adds September Option And Expands Practice With Supervision Program (Apr. 30, 2020)
• New York Will Give Priority To Graduates From New York's 15 Law Schools For Limited Spots To Take September Bar Exam (May 1, 2020)
• Deans Ask New York To Not Discriminate Against Graduates Of Out-Of-State Law Schools In Sitting For September Bar Exam (May 3, 2020)
• July 2020 Bar Exam Status By Jurisdiction (May 3, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri (May 4, 2020)
• Dean Amar: New York's Discrimination Against Graduates Of Out-Of-State Law Schools Is Unconstitutional — 'Whether It’s Toilet Paper Or Bar Exam Seats, Hoarding Is Wrong' (May 4, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: DC, Maine, Massachusetts (May 5, 2020)
• CLEA Statement On The July 2020 Bar Examination (May 6, 2020)
• 54 More Deans Ask New York To Not Discriminate Against Graduates Of Out-Of-State Law Schools In Sitting For September Bar Exam (May 7, 2020)
• New York Should Replace Discriminatory Bar Exam Plan With Emergency Licensure Open To All Law School Graduates (May 7, 2020)
• Florida To Proceed With July Bar Exam With Temperature Checks, Social Distancing, Masks, And 14-Day Quarantines For Out-Of-State Applicants (May 8, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, South Dakota (May 10, 2020)
• July 2020 Bar Exam Status By Jurisdiction (May 10, 2020) 
• 57 Deans Ask Massachusetts To Not Discriminate Against Graduates Of Out-Of-State Law Schools In Sitting For September Bar Exam (May 11, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington (May 15, 2020)
• July 2020 Bar Exam Status By Jurisdiction (May 17, 2020)