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Hi there, does anyone know if New York State allows the touch bar macbook pro in the July 2018 bar exam? I heard it was banned before, but other states like California lifted their bans this year and they allow it now, but there's no sign anywhere that New York allows it now (and no sign that they are banning it either for that matter...). Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

franklin_xt wrote:Hi there, does anyone know if New York State allows the touch bar macbook pro in the July 2018 bar exam? I heard it was banned before, but other states like California lifted their bans this year and they allow it now, but there's no sign anywhere that New York allows it now (and no sign that they are banning it either for that matter...). Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I do not have a mac, but if I recall correctly they were still barred from the February exam. However, NY is using different software (though it is from the same company) than they used to and it was updated 2 weeks or so before the February bar (which caused a lot of issues but whatever), so I would actually recommend giving them a call to ask because I have not seen any mention of it as of yet and it is possible the updated software allows for its use. Sorry I cannot be more helpful but because of the software change and not having seen anything about it this cycle, I really think the best way to get a solid, correct answer is to contact them and ask.

I called the NY BOLE and was told to call ExamSoft. ExamSoft stated the MBP w/ Touch Bar is fine and there are no restrictions. They also double checked with the NY Bar and couldn't find any device restrictions. I think we're fine, especially since I don't recall any notifications about laptop restrictions and the MBP is a popular device so I would hope they would tell us before we downloaded the software.

LegaleZy wrote:I called the NY BOLE and was told to call ExamSoft. ExamSoft stated the MBP w/ Touch Bar is fine and there are no restrictions. They also double checked with the NY Bar and couldn't find any device restrictions. I think we're fine, especially since I don't recall any notifications about laptop restrictions and the MBP is a popular device so I would hope they would tell us before we downloaded the software.

While I do not know about the person being unable to find any device restrictions (my guess is he only checked the current status, not history), I believe this to be correct. Both the Touch Bar and (for pc users) windows creator edition were originally banned. studying4bar is correct in that regard and I agree it is always better to be safe than sorry, but my interpretation is this: as far as Mac's went, there were worries that its functions could allow cheating or circumnavigating the software (which at the time was examsoft/softest). My guess and interpretation are that examsoft - which NY now uses their EXAMPLIFY software - was able to remedy the issues/concerns that people had. If you want to read more about the ban which did exist, it is an easy google search and a lot of states did it: https://thenextweb.com/apple/2017/01/31 ... -bar-exam/

ubebarstudying wrote:

LegaleZy wrote:I called the NY BOLE and was told to call ExamSoft. ExamSoft stated the MBP w/ Touch Bar is fine and there are no restrictions. They also double checked with the NY Bar and couldn't find any device restrictions. I think we're fine, especially since I don't recall any notifications about laptop restrictions and the MBP is a popular device so I would hope they would tell us before we downloaded the software.

While I do not know about the person being unable to find any device restrictions (my guess is he only checked the current status, not history), I believe this to be correct. Both the Touch Bar and (for pc users) windows creator edition were originally banned. studying4bar is correct in that regard and I agree it is always better to be safe than sorry, but my interpretation is this: as far as Mac's went, there were worries that its functions could allow cheating or circumnavigating the software (which at the time was examsoft/softest). My guess and interpretation are that examsoft - which NY now uses their EXAMPLIFY software - was able to remedy the issues/concerns that people had. If you want to read more about the ban which did exist, it is an easy google search and a lot of states did it: https://thenextweb.com/apple/2017/01/31 ... -bar-exam/

I wasn't disputing that there was a ban. I'm aware of the history. I was simply attempting to answer the question of whether the MBP w/ touch bars would be banned for the July 2018 exam and it appears that it won't.

LegaleZy wrote:

ubebarstudying wrote:

LegaleZy wrote:I called the NY BOLE and was told to call ExamSoft. ExamSoft stated the MBP w/ Touch Bar is fine and there are no restrictions. They also double checked with the NY Bar and couldn't find any device restrictions. I think we're fine, especially since I don't recall any notifications about laptop restrictions and the MBP is a popular device so I would hope they would tell us before we downloaded the software.

While I do not know about the person being unable to find any device restrictions (my guess is he only checked the current status, not history), I believe this to be correct. Both the Touch Bar and (for pc users) windows creator edition were originally banned. studying4bar is correct in that regard and I agree it is always better to be safe than sorry, but my interpretation is this: as far as Mac's went, there were worries that its functions could allow cheating or circumnavigating the software (which at the time was examsoft/softest). My guess and interpretation are that examsoft - which NY now uses their EXAMPLIFY software - was able to remedy the issues/concerns that people had. If you want to read more about the ban which did exist, it is an easy google search and a lot of states did it: https://thenextweb.com/apple/2017/01/31 ... -bar-exam/

I wasn't disputing that there was a ban. I'm aware of the history. I was simply attempting to answer the question of whether the MBP w/ touch bars would be banned for the July 2018 exam and it appears that it won't.

Oh, I know, I just accidentally quoted you instead of a normal reply. I just was trying to throw some context out there and mention why - I personally believe - it is no longer banned, because I am sure other people have the same question and/or will be looking for an answer.

LegaleZy wrote:I called the NY BOLE and was told to call ExamSoft. ExamSoft stated the MBP w/ Touch Bar is fine and there are no restrictions. They also double checked with the NY Bar and couldn't find any device restrictions. I think we're fine, especially since I don't recall any notifications about laptop restrictions and the MBP is a popular device so I would hope they would tell us before we downloaded the software.

I see, thanks so much for the info!