Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


MacBook Pro Touch Bar Use Barred from North Carolina Bar Exam

The Board of Law Examiners of the State of North Carolina issued a notice Tuesday to all North Carolina Bar Examination applicants using the latest version of the MacBook Pro, requiring students to disable the device’s Touch Bar for the exam.

While the board did not provide an explanation for the requirement, it is presumably to prevent cheating. The Touch Bar replaces physical keys with context-sensitive touch commands. The software behind these commands could conceivably be rewritten by programmers to display test answers.

Test taking software company ExamSoft in a post explained that the predictive text can “compromise exam integrity” and offered instructions on how to disable the Touch Bar. Users need to open “System Preferences” and select “Keyboard.” Next, open the drop-down menu for “Touch Bar Shows” and choose “App Controls.” Then, open the drop-down menu for “Press Fn key to” and select “Show F1, F2, etc. Keys” to fully disable the Touch Bar.

The Touch Bar must be off prior to entering any Bar examination site. A proctor or ExamSoft technician will inspect all MacBook Pro laptops prior to the exam to ensure it is disabled.

North Carolina isn’t alone in barring the Touch Bar. Colorado, California and New York, Fortune reported, have banned the laptops entirely from exam rooms.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • abstract spiral of multi colored lights

    OpenAI's Astra Model Reaches Critical Cyber Threshold

    OpenAI has unveiled GPT-6 Astra, its most capable broadly deployed model and the first system the company says has reached the "Critical" cybersecurity capability threshold under its Preparedness Framework.

  • scientist using digital interface

    Anthropic, NVIDIA Move AI Agents Deeper into Scientific Workflows

    Anthropic has introduced Claude Science, a new AI workbench for scientists that integrates research tools, produces auditable artifacts, and connects to specialized life sciences models and workflows from NVIDIA.

  • abstract smartphone translucent screen displaying AI interface

    Apple Introduces Redesigned Siri AI

    At its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced Siri AI, a redesigned version of its voice assistant that Apple describes in its own announcement as "a profoundly more capable and personal assistant." The update is intended to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware, and more useful across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

  • glowing circuit patterns

    Call for Speakers Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education Fall 2026

    The virtual conference from the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal will return on Sept. 23, 2026, with a focus on emerging trends in with a focus on emerging trends in AI, cybersecurity, and more.