先刻、以下のメールが来着した。
解読しつつ、誰かの参考のために解読結果をこのブログに張り付けておく。
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Dear Takahiro,
Today, the State Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) met to discuss the February 2025 bar exam and possible remediation efforts. Below are the key updates from today’s meeting:
Remediation Efforts
- Provisional Licensure Recommendation: The committee resolved to recommend “to the Board of Trustees that the Supreme Court expand the Provisional Licensure Program to include test takers who took the February 2025 bar exam or who withdrew from the February 2025 bar exam.” A specially set meeting of the Board of Trustees will be scheduled to consider the recommendation.【川上：「暫定的な弁護士資格（Provisional Licensure Program）」とは一体なんだろう？ちょっとよくわからないが、とりあえず現時点では確定はしていないみたいなので、一旦は読み流す。】
- Score Adjustments: The committee also took action to make it possible for it to recommend score adjustments to the Supreme Court as soon as possible, resolving “that if the timing for making a recommendation on any scoring adjustment for the February 2025 Bar Exam does not align with a regularly scheduled meeting of the committee, and a meeting of the committee cannot be timely scheduled, the committee delegates authority to make a recommendation on scoring adjustments to the Chair and Vice Chair.” The resolution also states that “any such action shall be guided by the mission of public protection.” The State Bar’s psychometricians presented to the committee possible adjustments that address the issues faced during the exam. Additional time is needed to complete analyses to determine what may be most appropriate. 【川上：従前言及されていた得点調整。詳細はいまだ検討中のようだ。】
The committee also discussed:
- Score Imputation for Incomplete Exams: For test takers with missing responses, imputation methods may be used to estimate scores based on completed exam sections. This approach was successfully used after the July 2021 Bar Exam when technical disruptions occurred. This remedy may be unsatisfactory for many, as post-exam data shows that the vast majority of test takers were able to submit all six written components (98 percent of exam takers) and at least 195 MCQ responses (98 percent).【川上：試験後のメールでも言及されていたimputationの方法による得点調整。最後の一文（試験後のデータによると、大多数の受験者は6つの筆記問題すべて（受験者の98%）と、少なくとも195問の多肢選択式問題（受験者の98%）を提出することができたため、この救済措置は多くの人にとって不十分である可能性がある。）の意味は、ちょっと自分には理解ができなかった。】
- Full or Partial Exam Retakes: 87 test takers have been offered exam retakes based on certain eligibility criteria indicating insufficient responses to impute a score, including those who were unable to launch the bar exam, who had fewer than four successfully submitted written responses, or who completed fewer than three of the four sections of multiple-choice questions. The retake exam will be held on March 18-19.【川上：3/18,19に再試験が行われるらしいが、再試験の対象者は今回の試験を全くorほとんど受けられなかった人に限られる。】
- Multiple-Choice Question Performance: An important factor in determining the quality and validity of the multiple-choice questions is analyzing their statistical performance on exam day. While additional analysis is needed, the State Bar’s psychometrician presented initial data that suggests positive performance. The multiple-choice questions were assessed for item difficulty, item discrimination (how well the item indicates who knows the material and who doesn’t), option analysis (how well the distractor answer options functioned), and overall reliability. With a reliability goal of 0.80+, actual reliability for the 175 scored items was 0.90.【川上：essay試験が深刻な技術的不具合に見舞われて大災害となっていた裏で、実は、短答式の試験も問題の品質が悪すぎるという批判がredditでは吹き荒れていた。以前も別の記事で述べたように、今回から、試験作成が現地予備校のKaplanになったのだが、このKaplanの作成する短答式の問題は、「答えが分かっているはずなのに、回答の選択肢の中に正しい答えが見つからない」、「誤字脱字が多い」、「AIが問題を作成しているに違いない」などと非難されていた。試験前に、受験者向けに練習用で公開されていたKaplan作成のsample questionsの25問も、公開後に修正が行われたり、過去問で8割以上得点できている人でも5割程度しか正解できなかったという声が上がるなど（実は、自分自身も、過去問と比べて、このKaplan作成のsample questionsの正答率は物凄く下がってしまった）しており、試験前から嫌な予感は漂っていたのだ。そのうえで、今回のメールでは、言外に「みんな色々と悪口を言っていたみたいだけど」という前置きをしつつ、「ポジティブな結果だったから、大丈夫だったよ」と報告しているものと思われる。ちなみに試験では200問が問われたが、「175」と書かれているのは、25問が実験問題で、採点対象ではないからだろう（従来、カリフォルニア州司法試験の短答式ではこのスタイルらしい）。】
- In-Depth Analysis of Exam Data: The State Bar understands there is a disconnect between initial data, which indicates a high exam completion rate, and reports from applicants on their challenges during the exam. To better understand the impact of those challenges, we are conducting a comprehensive review that includes analyzing a random sample of exam responses, examining detailed exam session data, and evaluating technical issues by individual, testing modality, and test site. Also, we thank those who responded to the post-exam survey; we received thousands of responses, and we are analyzing them as part of our efforts. We are looking forward to sharing more about the survey findings in
the coming weeks.【川上：「みんながめちゃくちゃ文句を言う割には、大半の人は、普通に試験を受けられていたみたいなんだけど、この主観と客観の乖離について、より精査していますよ」とのこと。】 - Other Recommendations: Test takers and other stakeholders have shared a variety of recommendations including reducing the cut score, reciprocity for those licensed in other jurisdictions, and admission to the bar for all test takers. While the State Bar lacks the authority to unilaterally institute these proposals, it welcomes a robust discussion about possible remedies.
We recognize that this process may feel slow and that the solutions presented so far may not meet all of your expectations. We appreciate your patience as we work toward meaningful resolutions through the appropriate processes. In the meantime, the Board of Trustees has called for an independent investigation into the February 2025 bar exam administration and a member of the state Legislature has done so as well.
Next Steps: July 2025 Bar Exam
The State Bar is transitioning back to fully in-person testing for July 2025. Below are updates regarding the upcoming exam:【川上：以下は、次回の2025年7月の試験に関する情報。ご参考まで。】
- Application Timeline: The launch of the July exam application was delayed to allow time for staff to identify sites and confirm details of exam delivery. The application is expected to open the week of March 24, 2025. As in the past, applicants will access the application in the Applicant Portal, and our website will be updated. The Board of Trustees approved eliminating the initial late filing fee due to the delay.
- Testing Locations: Staff is holding space at larger testing sites in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento, and is close to confirming a location in San Diego. Additional locations are being explored. The State Bar is working to confirm final locations as soon as possible.
- Application Fee Waiver: Applicants who withdrew ahead of the February 2025 exam or who are unsuccessful on the February exam will receive a full fee waiver for the July 2025 bar exam application. Additionally, the processing of full refunds (excluding bank fees) for those who withdrew from the February 2025 exam after February 13 is nearly complete.【川上：今回の試験で直前にwithdrawした人や、不合格だった人は、次回は無料で受験できる。つまり私も、もし不合格でも、無料である。しかし、柱書のとおり、次回はback to fully in-person testing（対面オンリー）になるので、受験する場合には、飛行機に乗る必要がある…。】
We will continue to provide updates as decisions are made. Thank you for your patience and for sharing your experiences with us.
Sincerely,
Office of Admissions
State Bar of California