Feb 2019 DC Bar Forum

[simone124]

It was in my spam folder. Thank you!

[dracolisk]

Anyone else still waiting for the certification notice? I've got nothing in Inbox or Spam.

[jjjddd]

I have nothing either. I wonder what percentage of passers are still waiting?

[Krissynateylee]

Me neither, it's frustrating considering this is a short week.

[7FOR1]

Still waiting as well!

[dracolisk]

Six days until swearing-in ceremony and no word ... these people are killing me.

[Krissynateylee]

Finally received mine after multiple calls and emails. I was very polite though

[jpeters]

Hey all just curious as to the timeline and could not get a straight answer from DC. Submitted my swear in documents July 5th doing the swear in absentia choice. I have not received any reply yet concerning the acceptance of the documents, and was simply curious if anyone else has?

[klm837]

July 2019 taker here. Quick question for you Feb 2019 takers - were you guys allowed to have water? No info from COA yet, not expecting any for another week or so. Just getting anxious and trying to plan as I'm flying across the country to take it and want to quell my anxiety

[sleeplessindc]

July 2019 taker here. Quick question for you Feb 2019 takers - were you guys allowed to have water? No info from COA yet, not expecting any for another week or so. Just getting anxious and trying to plan as I'm flying across the country to take it and want to quell my anxiety

Yes. The week before the February exam, the admissions committee emailed a test day procedures memo that said "Examinees may bring water in a clear, colorless bottle with a “sport” or “spout” top (to avoid spills) and without a label (i.e. any label must be removed before coming to the exam site)." The proctors didn't strictly enforce this rule, though. I saw lots of people with all types of water bottles, many still with the label on. We were allowed to keep our water bottle on the ground beside us, but not on the table during the exam (to avoid people spilling water on their and others' exam booklets and laptops).

(I also saw one person openly use a wireless mouse for the morning portion of the essays, people with highlighters, people openly studying with materials after the proctors said this was not allowed, etc. Those rules didn't seem stringently enforced. However, I did see the proctors strictly checking ID and admissions tickets, whether you were seated on time, etc. I also saw one person who was cheating get caught by a proctor.)

As for food, we were allowed to bring packed lunches but keep them stored under our table or in our backpacks/purses/etc, which we had to store on the far side of the huge room. The fact that we were allowed to bring food might have been unique to this testing venue though, as there are no restaurants or eateries at all within walking distance of the Stadium Armory. (The July 2019 exam will be at UDC, which is right off the Van Ness Metro stop with a handful of places to eat nearby.) I think some bought their lunch from food trucks outside. The total time scheduled for lunch was 45 minutes.

We were also allowed to bring an analog wristwatch and a cell phone, although the cell phone had to be put inside a special locking pouch.

One last thing - I also brought an extension cord for my laptop just in case. But everybody had an electric outlet directly beneath each table so I ended up not needing it.

[sleeplessindc]

Hey all just curious as to the timeline and could not get a straight answer from DC. Submitted my swear in documents July 5th doing the swear in absentia choice. I have not received any reply yet concerning the acceptance of the documents, and was simply curious if anyone else has?

What does the DC Bar admissions portal show for you?

My own account status was updated to fully complete (Step "6. Swear-In Completed") a few hours after I was sworn in. The portal also says my application info has been forwarded to the DC Bar so it can send me my license number and let me sign up for that mandatory ethics class. Unfortunately, when I called the DC Bar, they said it might take 3-4 weeks for them to send out those emails.

[LaShuanMichelle]

Hey all just curious as to the timeline and could not get a straight answer from DC. Submitted my swear in documents July 5th doing the swear in absentia choice. I have not received any reply yet concerning the acceptance of the documents, and was simply curious if anyone else has?

I swore in absentia last month & it took 8 days to receive a response that everything had been accepted.

[yespasscbx]

I also saw one person who was cheating get caught by a proctor.)

Just curious ... what was that guy doing when caught?

[zeropoint]

I passed the 19 feb bar,
NCBE said they completed all c&f review for my documents,
still haven't get certification letter from d.c.

And, no answer to my e-mail inquiry.

Am i the only one still waiting?

[LaShuanMichelle]

I also saw one person who was cheating get caught by a proctor.)

Just curious ... what was that guy doing when caught?

Oh my goodness.... really, I cant imagine that someone would risk everything! Wow...

[sleeplessindc]

I also saw one person who was cheating get caught by a proctor.)

Just curious ... what was that guy doing when caught?

After the morning MBE session ended and time was called, she continued to work on the exam (looking at the test book and bubbling in answers) for like a good minute. It wasn't as if she took 3 seconds to bubble in a few more answer choices after we were ordered to drop our pencils. She openly and blatantly kept working for I think almost a minute until the proctors came to stop her. She wasn't even discreet about it.

I also saw one of the proctors then tell her something, at which point she buried her head in her hands and looked like she was starting to cry. I'm guessing the proctor told her that the incident will have to be reported and added to her Character & Fitness file.

The wild thing is that she flagrantly did the same thing AGAIN when the afternoon MBE session ended. I still remember the bewildered look on the closest proctor's face: WTF is she seriously breaking the same rule again?!? (I probably had the same look on my own face.) So, yes, she got caught again.

It really boggles my mind that people would cheat like that on test day, jeopardizing years of law school and months of arduous bar exam preparation (especially over a few points on the MBE).

[dracolisk]

I passed the 19 feb bar,
NCBE said they completed all c&f review for my documents,
still haven't get certification letter from d.c.

And, no answer to my e-mail inquiry.

Am i the only one still waiting?

I'm waiting too. I called the Committee on Admissions last week. The lady I spoke to said there were a lot of people whose C&F review would not be done until sometime after the July 9 ceremony.

[yespasscbx]

I also saw one person who was cheating get caught by a proctor.)

Just curious ... what was that guy doing when caught?

After the morning MBE session ended and time was called, she continued to work on the exam (looking at the test book and bubbling in answers) for like a good minute. It wasn't as if she took 3 seconds to bubble in a few more answer choices after we were ordered to drop our pencils. She openly and blatantly kept working for I think almost a minute until the proctors came to stop her. She wasn't even discreet about it.

I also saw one of the proctors then tell her something, at which point she buried her head in her hands and looked like she was starting to cry. I'm guessing the proctor told her that the incident will have to be reported and added to her Character & Fitness file.

The wild thing is that she flagrantly did the same thing AGAIN when the afternoon MBE session ended. I still remember the bewildered look on the closest proctor's face: WTF is she seriously breaking the same rule again?!? (I probably had the same look on my own face.) So, yes, she got caught again.

It really boggles my mind that people would cheat like that on test day, jeopardizing years of law school and months of arduous bar exam preparation (especially over a few points on the MBE).

She's ready to break rules for the purpose of achieving her goals ... a dangerous attorney if she passed the exam.

[rothchan]

I passed the 19 feb bar,
NCBE said they completed all c&f review for my documents,
still haven't get certification letter from d.c.

And, no answer to my e-mail inquiry.

Am i the only one still waiting?

I'm waiting too. I called the Committee on Admissions last week. The lady I spoke to said there were a lot of people whose C&F review would not be done until sometime after the July 9 ceremony.

Waiting +1. My report was ready in March and I sent two emails to the Committee in May and June respectively. It seems that the whole process was delay due to the government shutdown. According to their correspondence, maybe I could receive some updated news in August or September.

[zeropoint]

July 23...not received a certification letter...
I sent three e-mails about it but no reply at all.
Anyone knows coa's phone number? I want to ask via phone..

[dracolisk]

July 23...not received a certification letter...
I sent three e-mails about it but no reply at all.
Anyone knows coa's phone number? I want to ask via phone..

I believe 202-879-2710 is the direct number for the Committee on Admissions. I doubt that they will make any progress on our certifications until after the July bar exam next week.

[fan1430]

Hey everyone, i'm taking the DC july exam this week. Just curious about the conditions inside. A few questions:

1. How easy was it to see the clock? i'm taking the exam in the DC law school.
2. Was it pretty cold?
3. Is there any kind of dress code? I have a hoody, but I read some states don't allow hoods.
4. How did they manage bags and phones? I wasn't planning on bringing my phone, but we had some letter that they do something to make the phone locked for the exam.

thanks!

[dracolisk]

Hey everyone, i'm taking the DC july exam this week. Just curious about the conditions inside. A few questions:

1. How easy was it to see the clock? i'm taking the exam in the DC law school.
2. Was it pretty cold?
3. Is there any kind of dress code? I have a hoody, but I read some states don't allow hoods.
4. How did they manage bags and phones? I wasn't planning on bringing my phone, but we had some letter that they do something to make the phone locked for the exam.

thanks!

1. They have several big red digital clocks. They should be easy to see.

2. I remember it being a little bit cold. However, the February exam was at a different venue (DC Armory), so it's hard to say what the July exam will be like.

3. In July 2018 they explicitly said hoodies were forbidden. The usual uniform is a "regular" (no hood) sweatshirt.

4. If you bring a phone, they lock it inside a case and you keep the case with you. A proctor unlocks it for you after the exam. There will be some designated area in the testing room where everyone can put their bags/backpacks.

[zeropoint]

Can you believe the fact that I haven't gotten a certification letter from coa..? (I passed the feb 19 bar...) I've made more than 6 phone calls, more than 6 e-mails...and no single reply since last May.

[dracolisk]

Can you believe the fact that I haven't gotten a certification letter from coa..? (I passed the feb 19 bar...) I've made more than 6 phone calls, more than 6 e-mails...and no single reply since last May.

I believe it. I haven't heard a peep either. They are really milking the government shutdown excuse.