Woman Suffers a Cardiac Arrest While Taking the Bar Exam — and Proctors Allegedly Didn’t Stop to Provide Help

A test taker suffered cardiac arrest during the New York State Bar Examination — but exam proctors reportedly did not pause the test to assist.

The incident occurred on July 30, as the New York State Board of Law Examiners (NYSBOLE) administered the bar exam at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, according to a spokesperson for the university who spoke with PEOPLE.

The candidate — identified by Newsday as a woman — “collapsed shortly before the scheduled lunch break and fell from their chair,” the representative said.

Hofstra’s public safety officers responded immediately, providing emergency care including CPR and defibrillation until paramedics arrived and transported the woman to a nearby hospital.

The woman is not a Hofstra graduate, according to the spokesperson, who added, “Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones, and we wish them a full and speedy recovery. Further details about Bar Exam protocols should be directed to the NYSBOLE.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, Joseph Landau, Dean of Fordham Law School, confirmed that the individual is a graduate of their New York City-based institution.

“We were saddened to learn of what happened to one of our graduates during the New York Bar Exam this week and have been in touch with the family to monitor the graduate’s health,” Landau said. “Our thoughts are with the graduate and the family, and out of respect for their privacy, we do not have any further comment.”

On Reddit, one fellow test taker alleged the woman was not attended to immediately during the emergency.

“She collapsed onto the floor and was making gurgling sounds, clearly in serious distress. For what felt like a long time, no one reacted until a few people began calling for help and making a scene,” the user wrote.

“The exam never stopped. Everyone just … kept going. Or at least tried to,” the post continued. “I understand that emergencies are unpredictable and that there might not be much flexibility built into bar exam procedures — but this felt wrong.”

Newsday reported that candidates returned to complete the exam after the lunch break, with no announcement made about the incident. The woman was transported by ambulance to Nassau University Medical Center for care.

Another examinee expressed dismay to Newsday: “That’s a real person who could be dying right in front of us, and we’re still being expected to continue to finish our questions for this exam.”

“From a purely human standpoint, that’s another human being in distress, and that’s not something that you could just flip to the back of your mind immediately — at least for me,” they added.

The Nassau County Police Department, Nassau University Medical Center, the NYSBOLE, and the National Conference of Bar Examiners did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.