“What we are humbly requesting today is for our youths who have earned their law degrees not to be stopped from continuing their journey as a lawyer by this system,” it said in a statement.

“Although many of their degrees are from abroad, most of the students have studied in Malaysia and had to take student loans (PTPTN) to fund their studies.

“The four-attempt limit will only add financial burden to our youths and cause them to waste opportunities, and their lives, if they do not pass the exam.”

Gegar also urged the board to allow all those who obtained conditional passes but failed for the third time in their CLP exam held early this year to be given an another chance.

“It is only fair as those who failed the CLP exam for a maximum four times were given a one-off reprieve allowing them to sit one more time. So there should not be double standards,” it added.

Those with conditional passes may sit for their failed subjects only a maximum of three times. They have to pay a fee of RM1,000 each time.

Gegar is a movement of lawyers, legal executives and legal activists who provide pro bono legal services to vulnerable communities.

Idrus, as the attorney-general, heads the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB).

In November, the LPQB announced that candidates sitting for the CLP examination would be allowed only four sittings within five years.

Since 2017, candidates had been allowed to complete the CLP examination in four consecutive sittings. After that, they were barred from registering again.

Before 2017, however, candidates who failed to pass the exam in four sittings could register again another four times.

Few pass the CLP examination every year. Only 399 of the 1,656 law graduates who sat for it last year obtained a full pass. This constitutes 25% of the total candidates, a marked improvement compared with the 20% who passed in 2019.