Many bar examinees in California have gone public with claims that they were forced to sit for the bar exam in very cold temperatures, and they fear they may be disadvantaged as a result of the chilly conditions.

The Cow Palace, an arena and event center outside of San Francisco, was so inhospitable that some examinees struggled to complete the essay portion of the exam, according to comments posted online.

“I was so cold in the morning I almost couldn’t type my fingers were so freezing,” one bar taker wrote.

Examinee Deborah Tharp said she experienced multiple muscle cramps throughout the day as a result of the cold conditions in the Cow Palace and that she complained to both the venue and the State Bar of California, which administers the exam. She had yet to receive any response.

“I could see my breath when I first arrived,” said Tharp, who added that it felt colder inside the venue than outside. “There was ice in the bottom of my water bottle that I picked up off the concrete floor when I was done.”

A State Bar spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Bar moved the test to the Cow Palace from the Oakland Convention Center last year as part of a plan to reduce the number of bar exam sites and cut costs. In January it approved a plan that returns the July 2024 exam to the Oakland Convention Center.

The Cow Palace in Daly City hosts concerts, sports events and livestock shows. Temperatures in Daly City on Tuesday ranged from a low of 50 degrees to a high of 60 degrees, weather data showed.

Tharp said she thought the heat was on at the Cow Palace but it wasn’t enough to adequately warm the space. Exam rules bar wearing hats, she said. Tharp said she is concerned that the Cow Palace examinees, which she estimated at 200 to 300 people, are now at a disadvantage with those taking the test at convention centers in Ontario and Pasadena in Southern California.

“Our test scores are going to be weighted against people who were testing in adequate facilities,” she said

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