Louisiana on Wednesday canceled its July bar exam, which was scheduled to be administered in less than two weeks. Florida, Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky have pulled the plug on exams that were to be given in person this month, when COVID-19 cases are growing in many states.

But Louisiana has now become the first jurisdiction to cancel a planned online bar exam. The Louisiana Supreme Court and the court's Committee on Bar Admissions in early June announced that bar takers would have the option to take exams scheduled for July and October in person or online. The court had already reduced the length of the exam from the traditional three days down to one.

The high court on Wednesday cited rising COVID-19 rates in Louisiana in pulling the plug on the July exam but offered no explanation as to why the online version was also canceled beyond the need to "protect the integrity of the examination." Asked for comment, Louisiana Supreme Court spokeswoman Trina Vincent said that the process of creating the bar exam is time consuming and arduous for the committee of volunteers who put it together.

"While the remote option was put in place, only approximately 13% of registered applicants selected the option," she said. "Therefore, the decision was made to preserve the examination for possible administration to all applicants at a later date."

The court's July 15 announcement states that the decision to hold both tests on July 27 was made at a time when COVID-19 infections were trending down and restrictions were being lifter.

"Substantial time, effort and energy were expended to change the examination format and to ensure the safety of both those taking the examination and those administering the examination," it reads. "Unfortunately the rate of infection has increased substantially, with each of the test sites chosen being in areas which have seen some of the highest rates of infection."

That decision hasn't gone over well with some test takers who have been hunkered down studying, expecting to sit for the all-important licensing exam in mere days.

"So glad I put health/safety, family/friends, and my own sanity at risk to study for the modified Louisiana bar exam only to be blindsided 12 days before the test with news of indefinite postponement. … But yeah, let's do this all again soon some time," wrote one examinee on Twitter.

Jurisdictions are increasingly turning to online bar exams as a way to license new lawyers while also protecting the health and safety of examinees and proctors. Indiana, Michigan and Nevada are planning to give their own online bar exams later this month, and Florida plans to do the same in August. Meanwhile, a growing number of jurisdictions have jettisoned planned in-person exams in July and September in favor of a two-day online exam designed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and given Oct. 5 and 6. Among them are Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Additionally, Texas, Arizona, Oregon are giving examinees the option to take the bar in person or online in October.

Louisiana's high court said it will meet soon to determine the next steps with the bar exam.