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THREAD re: online bar exams
I wrote the barrister exam in person and, as of today, the solicitor exam online. The latter was dramatically better. If anyone at @LawSocietyLSO is reading this, please never go back to in-person exams. Here are the four best reasons.
I wrote the barrister exam in person and, as of today, the solicitor exam online. The latter was dramatically better. If anyone at @LawSocietyLSO is reading this, please never go back to in-person exams. Here are the four best reasons.
(1) Timing & Length
In-person exams cannot accommodate for conflicts related to the date. Constrained by logistics, the LSO’s only response to someone who cannot write on the day of an exam is, “Write in the next round.” In other words, put your life on hold for 3+ months.
In-person exams cannot accommodate for conflicts related to the date. Constrained by logistics, the LSO’s only response to someone who cannot write on the day of an exam is, “Write in the next round.” In other words, put your life on hold for 3+ months.
By contrast, online exams require are held over many days. This means that students can largely choose to write when it is most convenient for them, in terms of both the day and the time of day. Some people think better in the morning than in the evening, or vice versa.
This is made possible by a more important change: shortening the length of any given session. In-person exams are a tortured 9+ hour ordeal. Online exams are a totally manageable 4 hour affair. Students think better at hour 4 than at hour 9 - that’s just how brains work.
(2) Uncertainty
In-person exams start with students getting to an unfamiliar venue, unsure whether there will be parking, storage, or food, how much desk space they get, the temperature, or the lighting (having had many concussions, the last one matters a lot to me).
In-person exams start with students getting to an unfamiliar venue, unsure whether there will be parking, storage, or food, how much desk space they get, the temperature, or the lighting (having had many concussions, the last one matters a lot to me).
By contrast, the online exam takes place at home, where you don’t need parking or storage and can control everything else. Students with disabilities benefit especially from the last point. Also, familiarity builds confidence on a day when confidence is really important.
Admittedly, online exams also carry uncertainty. Also, some students may not have a reliable internet connection at home. But the easiest solution is to accept connection delays, allow retakes if internet drops, and have an in-person option for those who cannot test at home.
(3) Comfort & Accommodations
During in-person exams, every student must sit on an uncomfortable chair for at least 7 hours. At lunch, they must go to one of the very few restaurants nearby or eat the food they left in room temperature storage for at least 4 hours.
During in-person exams, every student must sit on an uncomfortable chair for at least 7 hours. At lunch, they must go to one of the very few restaurants nearby or eat the food they left in room temperature storage for at least 4 hours.
By contrast, in an online exam, you can stand up and walk around (within the view of the camera) for a minute. You can sit on whatever you want. You can have any food you want beside you and don’t have to worry about crunching too loud because you’re not disturbing anyone.
For the same reason, the range of possible accommodations expands. For example, with some modifications, the testing software could read questions aloud to blind students, or pause the test temporarily for students with attention disabilities or concussions.
One possible response is that certain circumstances require in-person testing as an accommodation. For instance, some parents with young children may never be able to write at home uninterrupted. Once again, the best solution is to retain an option to write in person.
(4) Cost
Even if you don't care about the experience for students, online exams are cheaper to run. For example, the LSO does not have to rent a venue or hire people for security or coat checks. The price of third party proctoring is probably similar to in-person proctoring.
Even if you don't care about the experience for students, online exams are cheaper to run. For example, the LSO does not have to rent a venue or hire people for security or coat checks. The price of third party proctoring is probably similar to in-person proctoring.
The cost is also lower for students, who don’t have to get to a venue in the middle of nowhere (expensive or time-intensive if you don’t have a car) and don’t have to destroy their materials at the end. In sum, why would you want everyone to pay more for a worse experience?
