Law students in Arizona who are nearing graduation will have the chance to take the bar exam early in an experimental program approved by the state Supreme Court.

The experiment will run from January 2013 through December 2015 and would be available to students who are expected to graduate within 120 days of the test date and have satisfied all but eight semester hours of their course requirements.

Law students have traditionally taken the exam in July and get their results in October.

Students at Arizona’s three law schools would have the option of taking the test in February and would get back their results in June.

Proponents of the change say early tests would allow law school graduates to find work as lawyers faster.