LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A former senior official in charge of Arkansas's bar examinations has been charged with 65 felonies after prosecutors said she spent five years secretly shifting scores between law graduates — lifting some failing candidates over the pass mark and, in at least one case, dragging a passing candidate down to a fail. The Arkansas bar exam scandal, announced Thursday, November 5, 2026, is believed to be a first in the United States.

Nancie Givens, the former executive director of the Supreme Court of Arkansas's Office of Professional Programs, pleaded not guilty this week in Little Rock District Court. She faces 65 felony counts of tampering with a public record, shaking confidence in the exam that decides who may practise law.

Key Points

• Nancie Givens, former head of the Arkansas Supreme Court's Office of Professional Programs, faces 65 felony counts of tampering with a public record.
• Investigators say she moved points between examinees in at least eight exams from July 2020 to July 2025.
• Some scores were raised to the 270 pass mark; at least one passing score was pushed down to a fail.
• The court says she deleted or changed about 11,400 files, including score sheets kept for 25 years.
• Givens pleaded not guilty in Little Rock District Court; the case is Arkansas v. Nancie Michelle Givens, No. 26-5292.

What Happened

Prosecutors announced the charges on Thursday, November 5, 2026, after an investigation that began in April and involved the Arkansas State Police and the FBI. The Arkansas Supreme Court said investigators found evidence that Givens took points from some examinees and gave them to others in at least eight exams between July 2020 and July 2025.

The manipulation worked in both directions. Some candidates who had failed saw their scores raised to 270, the pass mark. In at least one case, a candidate who had passed had points taken away, turning a pass into a fail. Prosecutors have not said how many examinees were affected, or whether those affected knew about it.

Investigators say the alleged cover-up began in early January 2026, when Givens deleted or changed about 11,400 files and messages, including score sheets the court must keep for 25 years. She resigned the following month. The court's internal review was carried out by Robert Brech. Court records show Givens pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, the day before the announcement.

Background: The Exam That Decides Who Can Practise Law

The bar examination is the final gate for law graduates who want to practise. In Arkansas, passing it is required before a graduate can join the state bar, take on clients or appear in court. The Office of Professional Programs, which Givens led, runs the exam and keeps its records.

Arkansas uses the Uniform Bar Examination, with a passing score of 270 out of 400. A single point can decide whether a graduate starts a legal career or waits months to retake the exam. The July pass rate rose from 57 percent in 2019 to 70 percent in 2020, the first year investigators say scores were altered. It stayed at 70 percent in 2025, then fell to 65 percent this year, after Givens resigned.

The Arkansas Bar Exam Scandal: What Investigators Found

The investigation was built on an internal review by Robert Brech and involved the Arkansas State Police and the FBI. The Arkansas Supreme Court said the evidence showed a pattern repeated across at least eight exam sittings over five years, not a single mistake.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners, the body that develops the Uniform Bar Examination, said on Friday that it knows of no other case in which bar exam results were intentionally manipulated. Past breaches have usually involved leaked questions or cheating by candidates, not the rewriting of scores by the official who ran the exam.

The deletion of about 11,400 files is central to the case: score sheets must be kept for 25 years so results can be checked long after the exam. The 65 counts reflect the scale of the alleged interference with official documents. Still unanswered is the key question: who gained, and who lost. Prosecutors have not named any examinee, or said whether anyone who passed on an altered score was admitted to the bar.

Reactions and Quotes

The National Conference of Bar Examiners said on Friday that it knows of no other case where bar exam results were intentionally manipulated, framing the Arkansas case as a first in the history of the American licensing system. It has not said whether it will review its score-handling procedures. The Arkansas Supreme Court has not named the candidates whose scores were changed, and prosecutors have not said whether further charges are expected.

Why It Matters

The bar exam is the public's main protection against unqualified lawyers. Clients and courts trust that a lawyer has passed a rigorous test of legal knowledge and judgement. If scores can be quietly rewritten by the official in charge, that protection is only as strong as one person's honesty. If a candidate was admitted on an altered score, should that admission stand? If a candidate was wrongly failed, can the lost years ever be made good? Rebuilding confidence will require the court to show what happened, who was affected, and what safeguards now exist.

What Happens Next

Givens will return to Little Rock District Court to answer 65 felony counts of tampering with a public record. Each count carries its own penalty, and a conviction on multiple counts could mean a lengthy prison sentence. Attention will now turn to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which faces pressure to audit the eight exams named by investigators, identify every candidate whose score was changed, and decide what remedy — if any — is offered to those wrongly failed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Nancie Givens?
The former executive director of the Supreme Court of Arkansas's Office of Professional Programs, which administers the state's bar examination. She resigned in February 2026.

What is she accused of?
Prosecutors say she moved points between examinees in at least eight exams from July 2020 to July 2025, and deleted or changed about 11,400 files. She faces 65 felony counts of tampering with a public record and has pleaded not guilty.

How many bar exams were affected?
Investigators say at least eight administrations, from July 2020 to July 2025, showed evidence of manipulation. Prosecutors have not said how many candidates were affected.

What is the 270 passing score?
Arkansas sets its bar exam pass mark at 270 out of 400 on the Uniform Bar Examination. Candidates scoring 270 or above pass; those below it must retake the exam.

What happens to lawyers who passed because of altered scores?
That has not yet been decided. Prosecutors have not said whether anyone admitted on an altered score has been identified, and the court has not announced any review of admissions from the affected years.

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