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22 ¦ JULY 27, 2020 NEWS

Twitter Account Shining Light
For Nation’s Bar Examinees

By Karen Sloan

Want to know which jurisdictions have can-
celed their planned bar exams? How about
the jurisdictions requiring test takers to
sign COVID-19 liability waivers? What safety proto-
cols are jurisdictions implementing at testing sites?
The most comprehensive source of information
on what’s happening nationally with the bar exam
is at @BarExamTracker—an anonymously authored
Twitter account that offers detailed information
on how the exam is playing out in individual juris-
dictions as well highly accurate predictions about
changes to the test and cancellations. The account
debuted in June and now boasts more than 4,000 fol-
lowers. It has quickly become a go-to repository of
information for law graduates who are lobbying for Law school graduates line up to take the New York
emergency diploma privileges and other changes, bar exam at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in
and an outlet for examinees who feel left in the dark July 2013.

by bar examiners and courts. The account gained websites, but they won’t email applicants. I thought
credibility earlier this month when it accurately pre- it would be useful to just keep people posted. I didn’t
dicted that officials in Tennessee would cancel the think of it as: “I’ll get tips.” I just thought, “I’ll check
planned in-person July exam a day ahead of the of- North Dakota’s website and send out an update.”
ficial announcement. Since then, @BarExamTracker How has the project changed from what you
has predicted a number of other cancellations, in- initially envisioned? For starters, it has become a
cluding Georgia, California and New York. more-than-full-time job. I’m trying to back off on
Law.com caught up with the author behind @ that. It’s just a ton of work. The second way it has
BarExamTracker to find out more about how they changed is I think it has struck a nerve with people.
gather information and how the project has evolved There was a real need for this information. People
in recent weeks. They spoke on condition of ano- were messaging me saying, “We haven’t heard from
nymity, but they are a May law school graduate who our bar examiners in two months, since the begin-
is slated to take the bar exam this cycle. Their an- ning of May. And you are the first person we have
swers have been edited for length. heard from about our bar exam who has given us
How did you get started on the bar tracker proj- any information.” That’s horrifying and part of why
ect? I started it just to help people track what was it has struck a nerve. I feel very motivated to help
going on with the bar. Usually the bar application and keep pushing because of that. I didn’t really
process is pretty straightforward—it doesn’t change think this would be such a huge part of my life.
a lot year to year. But because of the pandemic, Part of the appeal is that the account has a fair
bar examiners were still working out the changes, bit of insider information. Where is it coming
and they weren’t necessarily communicating that from? I get dozens and dozens of emails a day from
to applicants. A lot of times they will update their people, about everything from articles to new posts

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