Requesting Testing Accommodations

Requesting Testing Accommodations

Applications for testing accommodations may be submitted before filing an application to take an exam. However, you must first be registered with the State Bar as a general or attorney applicant, or the request for accommodations will not be processed. A request for testing accommodations is treated separately from the application you file to take an exam.

Requests for testing accommodations are processed in the order received and in accordance with the Admissions Rules. Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to file their request for testing accommodations well in advance of an examination they intend to take.

A request for testing accommodations is considered complete when the State Bar has received all required forms and any supporting documentation. A request may be deemed incomplete if the required forms are incomplete, or if the applicant or qualified professional does not respond in full to the required questions. A request that is incomplete by the final exam application deadline shall not be processed for that exam. Deadlines will not be extended for requests that are incomplete.

Certain accommodations will be automatically granted through the automatic approval process. If a request does not qualify for automatic approval, you will need to submit additional items beyond the Testing Accommodations Request form, including the following documentation:

  • The Qualified Professional Certification Form; and 
  • Any supplemental documentation needed to determine disability-related functional limitations, specific access needs, and how those needs relate to the accommodations requested. 

You must provide adequate documentation and rationale to support the requested accommodations and their relationship to the effects of your disability.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Complete the Testing Accommodations Request Form online by logging into the Applicant Portal. Please thoroughly read the Instructions for Requesting Testing Accommodations before starting the application. Include a personal narrative that provides a reasonable explanation of how your disability-related functional limitation(s) impact your ability to access a State Bar-administered exam under standard test conditions. A hard copy/paper form for requesting accommodations is available from the State Bar upon request by emailing testing.accommodations@calbar.ca.gov. 
  2. Attach proof of prior approval of accommodations on high stakes exams, if any. A high stakes exam refers to a bar exam in another U.S. jurisdiction, MPRE, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, DAT, SAT I, SAT II, ACT, or GED.   
  3. Attach proof of testing accommodations approved in a U.S. law school or college for timed exams, if any. 
  4. As noted above, applicants who do not qualify for automatic approval must also submit a completed Qualified Professional Certification Form. Submit the form and any supplemental documentation needed to determine your disability-related functional limitations, your specific access needs, and how those needs relate to the accommodations requested. You must provide adequate documentation and rationale to support the requested accommodations and their relationship to the effects of your disability.
  5. You may submit any additional documentation that you believe will help support your request for testing accommodations, including information regarding the functional limitations experienced in your academic, professional, and personal life. The decision made by the State Bar will be based on the information you provide. 
  6. Verify all information is accurate, and all documentation is legible. Submit your request for testing accommodations. Testing accommodation applications left in "drafted" or "verified" status will not be reviewed. The testing accommodation application must be "submitted" for the request to be reviewed.

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