(Reuters) - New York will offer its next bar exam in October online, the state's high court announced Thursday, just over a week after it scrapped plans for a September in-person test because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Illinois on Thursday also said it would offer an October online exam, cancelling its September in-person test, citing health concerns. The remote test in both states will be held on October 5-6.

A remote test may have "shortcomings," but steps can be taken to ensure it's accessible and secure, the New York Court of Appeals said Thursday in a statement. A court working group also tossed an option that would have granted diploma privilege, which allows law school graduates to become licensed without taking the bar exam.

A push for diploma privilege has gained traction nationwide with law grads who argue that in-person tests are a health risk but that delaying exams is a massive financial blow to those saddled with student loans and health care costs. Remote tests aren't fair to applicants without adequate internet and other facilities, law grads and deans have told bar exam leaders in several states in public hearings and letters.

But the New York court said Thursday that its working group decided diploma privilege could hurt consumer confidence and that the state's candidate pool is too large and too varied for blanket admittance. New York is the largest U.S. legal market. The Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar didn't mention diploma privilege in its Thursday announcement, though law grads in the state have pushed for it there. Illinois includes Chicago, another large U.S. legal market.

Four smaller states - Louisiana, Washington, Oregon and Utah - have said they'll grant diploma privilege this year because of the pandemic. Larger jurisdictions including California, Washington D.C. and Florida are still planning to require the test, but like New York and Illinois they will offer it online.

New York had planned on offering an in-person test in September, but called it off last week as the number of coronavirus cases in the United States soared. The court didn't immediately identify an alternative to get licensed in 2020, but it did say it would let law grads temporarily practice without a license under the supervision of an experienced attorney.

Bar exams are usually held only in July and February. New York pushed its July test to September in March, when it was the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. Illinois postponed its July bar exam in May.

Arizona and North Carolina, which have seen a surge in coronavirus cases this month, are among the states planning to move forward with in-person bar exams next week.