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Law360 (July 20, 2020, 10:36 PM EDT ) Georgia's high court on Monday canceled the in-person bar examination scheduled for September and moved the test online, joining a growing list of states that have changed plans for the exam as a result of COVID-19.
The Supreme Court of Georgia pushed the exam to Oct. 5-6, citing "public health concerns during the pandemic" in a brief statement.
"At that time, applicants will have the opportunity to take the test for licensure to practice law in Georgia," the court said. More details about registration for that exam will be available July 27, it said.
A slew of other states have delayed the exam, made plans for online administration or both. Those include Arizona, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, New Jersey, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
Last week, the California Supreme Court also pulled the trigger, pushing back the Golden State's exam for the second time and moving it online. The court also reduced its passing score from 1440 to 1390 and instructed the State Bar of California to create a provisional licensure program for 2020 law school graduates.
"The court has sought the safest, most humane and practical options for licensing law graduates by encouraging and working with the state bar to pursue the option of administering the California Bar Examination online as a remote test, to avoid the need for, and dangers posed by, mass in-person testing," the California Supreme Court wrote at the time.
In Alabama, examinees have the option to attend an in-person exam July 28-29 or sit for a Sept. 30-Oct. 1 exam.
Passing the exam, which is administered twice a year, is required to practice law in each state. The second test date, typically in July, draws more applicants, mostly law school graduates taking the exam for the first time.
--Editing by Emily Kokoll.
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