2025-051 The February 2025 Bar Exam

Audit Recommendations Disclosure

When an audit is completed and a report is issued, auditees must provide the State Auditor with information regarding their progress in implementing recommendations from our reports at three intervals from the release of the report: 60 days, six months, and one year. Additionally, Senate Bill 1452 (Chapter 452, Statutes of 2006), requires auditees who have not implemented recommendations after one year, to report to us and to the Legislature why they have not implemented them or to state when they intend to implement them. Below is a listing of each recommendation the State Auditor made in the report referenced and a link to the most recent response from the auditee addressing their progress in implementing the recommendation and the State Auditor’s assessment of auditee’s response based on our review of the supporting documentation.

To ensure that multiple-choice questions that the State Bar develops adequately cover all bar exam topics, the State Bar should, by December 2026, implement a policy that requires the admissions office to finalize content needs and proportions before it starts developing questions.

To improve the quality of its multiple-choice questions, the State Bar should, by December 2026, implement a standardized review process for multiple-choice questions, regardless of the source of the questions, that includes a timeline that ensures recommendations or edits to questions occur and are reviewed before the exam is administered.

To ensure the State Bar’s executive leadership is aware of and can make well-informed decisions about how best to utilize contracts related to its bar exam, the State Bar should, by December 2026, revise its contracting policies to require managerial approval of any request for vendor services that do not align with the scope of services and responsibilities under the vendor contract.

To reduce the risk and perception of bias related to question development, validation, and scoring if the State Bar develops its own bar exam, the State Bar should, by December 2026, implement controls that require separation of contractor responsibilities across exam development stages, including independent review and approval, and formal oversight when a contractor performs multiple roles.

To improve oversight of bar exam development, the State Bar should, by January 2027, implement a policy that defines substantive changes to exam development and requires staff to document and escalate decisions on those substantive changes to executive leadership and appropriate governance bodies for review and approval.

To improve test takers’ ability to successfully complete exams, the State Bar should, by December 2026, implement a policy to require the testing of all new or changed components of its bar exam, such as the implementation of new annotation tools or changes to its rules regarding the items test takers may use during the exam. The State Bar should require the completion of this testing early enough to allow adequate time to resolve any issues or problems it identifies.     

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