Michigan on Tuesday became the first U.S. state to conduct an online bar exam - and the software crashed.

Some applicants weren't able to log in to the second module of their exam for 30 minutes, testing software provider ExamSoft said in a statement. In a separate statement later on Tuesday, the company attributed the crash to a "sophisticated attack specifically aimed at the login process," which it said it "was able to successfully thwart" with no data compromised. Impacted applicants eventually got in, and were given extra time to finish the exam, said Michigan Supreme Court spokesman John Nevin.

A website crash during the first remote U.S. bar exam underscored how quickly the pandemic has roiled the attorney examination and licensing process nationwide. Many law school graduates have urged state bar exam leaders not to move forward with online bar exams, which have gained traction as COVID-19 makes mass in-person testing a health risk, warning of internet outages and website glitches.

And it comes just days after Nevada and Indiana each postponed plans for a July online bar exam because of technical difficulties. Louisiana earlier this month also called of its online July test.

Several states still plan to offer online bar exams later this year, including New York, Washington D.C. and California - which is using the same software provider as Michigan, ExamSoft.

Instead of online tests, many law grads have asked bar exam leaders to grant them so-called diploma privilege, which would allow them to become licensed without taking the test. So far, four states have granted that option - Louisiana, Washington, Oregon and Utah.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a second statement from ExamSoft, attributing the software crash to a cyberattack.