MacBook Pro With Touch Bar Ban: Apple’s Laptop Said To Compromise Integrity Of Bar Exam

Bar exam takers are discouraged from bringing Apple’s MacBook Pro with Touch Bar for the examinations, because some states are banning the use of the laptop’s secondary screen. The ban comes after a software company exposed how the Touch Bar can be used by aspiring lawyers to cheat during exams.

Late last week, software company Examsoft published a guide on how exam administrators can disable the secondary screen of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. According to the company, the laptop’s advanced feature can compromise the integrity of exams due to its predictive text function. Hence, it is advising administrators to always see to it that the feature is disabled before the exam starts.

In light of Examsoft’s warning, some states have taken measures to address the issue and ensure that test takers will not cheat on the bar exam with the help of Apple’s technology. The board of examiners of North Carolina has already released a notice for bar exam applicants, saying that they are allowed to bring and use the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar for the bar exam on condition that they disable the feature. The board examiners also stated that the proctor or an ExamSoft technician will be checking the MacBooks at the start of the exam.

On the other hand, the board of examiners of New York recently issued a statement saying that test takers will not be granted permission to use the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar during the bar exam. The laptop will be taken from them on the days of the exams. They will then be asked to handwrite all of their answers to essay questions, since no substitute laptops will be made available at the venues of the exam.

The Next Web reports that the restriction on the use of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar will vary in different states. Hence, applicants are advised to check on the website of their respective board of examiners for important notifications about the device. Meanwhile, TechCrunch does not see the point of banning the Touch Bar, claiming that the predictive text can unlikely help students pass the exam.