The Latest: California attorney exam proposal clears hurdle

The Latest on a proposal to lower the minimum score for California's attorney exam (all times local):

4 p.m.

A proposal to lower the minimum score on the most recent licensing exam for California attorneys has cleared its first hurdle.

A California State Bar committee voted Monday to send the proposal out for public comment until Aug. 25. The California Supreme Court will have final say over the score.

The proposal would lower the minimum score only for the July 2017 exam from 144 to a little over 141. The seemingly minor reduction could significantly boost the pass rate, which has declined alarmingly in recent years.

California has among the lowest pass rates in the country, though state bar officials say it also has the second-highest passing score requirement.

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11 a.m.

The State Bar of California is proposing lowering the minimum score on the most recent licensing exam for attorneys amid an alarming decline in people passing the test considered one of the toughest in the U.S.

State Bar staff told The Associated Press that they planned to present the option to the agency's Committee of Bar Examiners on Monday.

The proposal would lower the score needed only for the July exam from 144 to a little over 141. The seemingly minor reduction could significantly boost the pass rate.

On the July exam, it fell from nearly 62 percent in 2008 to 43 percent in 2016, mirroring a national trend.

California has among the lowest pass rates in the country, though state bar officials say it also has the second-highest passing score requirement.