October 2022 First-Year Law Students’ Exam Online Application 2022

If you need assistance in ensuring that you have submitted a complete petition, please review the Testing Accommodations Petition Submission Checklist.

Step 1: Verification Form(s)

Have a qualified professional complete each applicable disability verification form and return it to you.

There are separate verification forms for different disabilities: specific learning disorders/disabilities, ADHD, psychological disabilities, visual disabilities, and physical disabilities. You will need to complete the first page of the applicable disability verification form and request that your qualified professional complete the rest of the form, sign it, and return it to you. In addition to completing the form, your qualified professional must attach a comprehensive evaluation report and/or relevant records as outlined on each verification form. Refer to the forms and checklist for more information.

Step 2: History of Accommodations

Assemble verifying documentation of your history of accommodations requests, if any.

As indicated in the testing accommodations online application (Form A), you should provide verification of your accommodations history, such as a copy of the letter(s) you received from the entity notifying you of the specific accommodations granted or denied. The verification should identify the time frame (e.g., third year of law school) and the nature of the disability (e.g., ADHD) for which any accommodations were granted or denied. If you received accommodations as a result of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan, it is recommended that you provide copies of all IEPs or 504 Plans. If you received accommodations in law school, you must submit Form F–Law School Verification with your petition, completed and signed by the appropriate law school official. If you received accommodations for a bar exam in another state/district,  you must submit Form G–Other Jurisdiction’s Testing Accommodations Verification with your petition, completed and signed by the appropriate bar admissions administrator.

Step 3: Supporting Documentation

Assemble any additional documentation or supporting evidence.

Applicants are encouraged to submit any additional documentation that they believe will help support their request for testing accommodations. The decision made by the State Bar will be based on the information provided by the applicant.

As you deem necessary, helpful and/or appropriate, collect letters, transcripts, and other documentation in order to submit a comprehensive petition that provides the State Bar with complete information regarding the functional limitation(s) you experience in your academic, professional, and personal life. The State Bar reserves the right to request additional information at any time.

Step 4: Form A Petition for Testing Accommodations

Read all instructions and rules carefully, then complete and submit the online testing accommodations application (Form A). NOTE: You are required to submit a personal narrative. Submit the online testing accommodations application along with all required forms and documentation, as discussed above, so that everything needed to begin the processing of your petition for testing accommodations is received together.

Step 5: Submit Your Petition

Completed petitions must be submitted online through the State Bar’s website or received (not postmarked) in the San Francisco Office of Admissions if submitted on paper, no later than the final testing accommodations petition filing deadline for the examination that you wish to take. Refer to the Testing Accommodations Submission Checklist.

Requesting the same accommodations granted for a prior exam

Applicants who are unsuccessful on an exam and wish to have the same accommodations extended to another administration of the same exam must indicate during the exam application process that they want the same testing accommodations as previously granted. You will not be able to select a testing accommodation test center when you register for an examination.

You will be assigned to a testing accommodation test center once your request for testing accommodations is processed. Once that reassignment is made, if you need to change your testing accommodations test center, you may submit a request through the Applicant Portal. It is not necessary to resubmit supporting documentation that was submitted with a previous request, provided the applicant took an exam within the preceding five years and:

1. You are requesting the same accommodations that were previously granted.
2. You were not granted those accommodations on a temporary basis only. Same accommodations are only available to applicants with documented permanent disabilities.

If there is any change in the accommodations requested, a new petition and forms with supporting documentation are required. An update to prior medical documentation assessing the applicant’s current functional limitations and ongoing need for accommodations may be required if the nature of the applicant’s disability or disabilities is changeable.

A new petition is required for each type of exam administered by the State Bar. An applicant may not request that the same accommodations granted for an administration of the First-Year Law Students’ Examination be extended to an administration of the California Bar Examination.

The State Bar reserves the right to request an update to prior documentation in all cases if it determines that the prior documentation is insufficient to establish the applicant’s current level of impairment and need for accommodations.

Appeals

If a testing accommodations petition is denied in whole or in part, applicants may appeal the decision. Applicants should be aware, however, that if they submit their initial petition less than 60 days before the initial petition/final filing deadline, there may not be enough time after receiving a decision to appeal. Appeals must be received in the San Francisco Office of Admissions no later than the first business day of the month in which that exam is scheduled to be administered.

The deadline will not be extended. Appeals submitted after the deadline, however, may be considered in connection with a future administration of the exam. The applicant should notify the San Francisco Office of Admissions within 60 days of the date of the petition decision letter that they wish the committee to do so.

Emergency petitions

Petitions for testing accommodations on an emergency basis, which must be based on an injury or disability acquired after the final application filing deadline, must:

1. Include within the personal narrative section of the application a request for acceptance as an emergency petition with an explanation of why the petition could not have been filed by the final filing deadline;
2. Be on the committee’s forms—upload only original documents with original signatures in the Applicant Portal as part of your online application for testing accommodations;
3. Include all necessary documentation and attachments; and
4. Be submitted online or received in the San Francisco Office of Admissions no later than the deadline posted with all other examination deadlines listed on the webpage specific to your exam.

The fact that an applicant was unable to get an appointment with their specialist before the final filing deadline is not grounds for consideration as an emergency petition.