New Bar Exam Trend: Getting Extra Time

A growing share of would-be lawyers aren't just studying for the bar—they're also securing extra time to take it. A Wall Street Journal analysis finds that the number of such accommodations is surging across the US. In California, for example, the nation's largest bar, 14% of July 2024 test takers received help such as extended time, up from 4% a decade ago. Similar jumps have been seen elsewhere, including in DC. What's behind it? As the story notes, part of the reason is fairly predictable: The number of high school and college students diagnosed with a condition such as ADHD has increased, and now those students are entering the post-grad arena.

A disability-law scholar is all for such accommodations when appropriate, but he also worries about fairness: Think well-off families who pay big money for private disability assessments and related accommodations. "This gives a benefit to those who already have power and privilege, and once they get good at it, they just simply keep playing the game," says Perry Zirkel. One bottom line: Those with accommodations passed at a higher rate than all test takers in the most recent February exam, 65% vs. 58%. "Many confounding variables" are at play here, writes Derek T. Muller in a Substack post about the Journal story. He digs into some of them, adding that the issue is "worth watching and exploring."