Security was tight and tension was in the air at the Roanoke Civic Center this week as 1,513 applicants sat for the Virginia Bar Exam.
Scott Street, secretary-treasurer of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners, said the number of test takers is down by only two from last year.
Both a police officer and a VBBE official were on hand to confront any strangers wandering into the test site this year. Police had not been observed in the past.
Street said the number of computer-using examinees continues to grow. About 80 percent of the test takers use laptops, with others writing their responses by hand.
Results come out in mid-October. Based on past performance, about a fourth of the examinees will get bad news. The other three quarters will be free to continue their job searches.
-By Peter Vieth
