So the day has finally arrived. Youre read your commentaries.

Youve
attended the review classes. Youve prayed to our Lady of Manaoag and
gone to the Shrine of St. Jude. Now, all that is left is facing your fears.
The day of the 2006 Bar Examinations has finally arrived.
For many of us, the Bar Examinations is doubly difficult because of the
fear of the unknown. While it is little comfort to say that the proper
attitude one must have in taking the Exams is to think of it as just
another exam in the Law School, putting things into perspective will help
calm your nerves. If you prepared well, you have nothing to fear. Some
practical matters, however, will probably help:
1.

It goes without saying that you will need a good nights rest the
night before the Exam. On the first night before the Bar, very few
of you will be able to get a good nights rest because of anxiety
[after the first night, however, it generally will get better.] For
those of you who cannot operate well without sleep, it would be
good, early on, to consider taking mild sleeping agents. It is
important to remember, though that: 1] sleeping agents act
differently for every person; thus, if you know that you will have
trouble sleeping, try the medicines ONE MONTH BEFORE in order
to test your reaction to the medicine; 2] do not just take pills from
classmates/friends who have prescriptions. These drugs need a
prescription for a reason, GO SEE A DOCTOR FIRST BEFORE
TAKING THE PILLS.

2.

Be at the hotel early on Saturday afternoon. Though I do not

suggest hardcore study the day before the exams, it would be good
to maintain your level of concentration for the next days battle.
Thus, you may spend the afternoon going through concise
reviewers on matters which you feel need cramming knowledge
of, or better yet, going through the codal one last time. Hear Mass
with your batchmates. The sense of community will make the
anxiety more bearable.

3.

As to tips: if you are the type of person that gets paranoid and
easily excited, turn off your phone, and do not listen to the
tips/rumors that will certainly fly around. What you need to know
if already in your head. However, from experience [at least from
our bar], such night-before tips sometimes do hit the mark, so,
while you must keep a calm detachment from them, do not discard
them altogether.

4.

Do not discuss with friends the night before the Bar. It will just
make you more anxious. One or two questions on matters which
need clarification are okay, but a run-down of material will just

add to your stress. If you have a roommate, try not to discuss;

respect each others space.
5.

Do not wake up too early or too late. I woke up at around 4:30

a.m., just as the A.M. Tips were being distributed. The morning
before the Bar will normally be a blur, and you really wont
remember that you actually took a shower, changed your clothes,
and wandered down to the breakfast area. So before you go to bed,
make sure you have your Bar materials ready: your Bar Exam
Permit, pens, medicines [especially for headache and tummy
aches], a bottle of water, watch. Dont eat too much breakfast [and
you wont have much time because youll be busy reading the AM
Tips].

6.

If you can get on the first bus out of the hotel, take it. Not only will
there be less traffic going to La Salle, but you will be able to
acclimatize yourself to the classroom youll be taking the exams in.

7.

About twenty minutes before the Exams begin, the notebooks will
be distributed.
Make sure you accomplish the name card
completely with your name and school. Paste the card securely
into the envelope but after sealing, do not go out anymore, leaving
your notebook unattended. There have been instances when
notebooks were switched at this point, and you will actually be
answering another persons exam.

8.

Ten minutes before the Exams commence, the bell will ring. At
this time, the proctors will ask you to put all your bags in front of
the classroom, and the Bar questions will be distributed, facedown on your desk. You will not be allowed to leave the room at
this point. Those ten minutes [especially during your POLI exam]
will be one of the longest in your life. Before you are the sheets of
paper which will decide many things in your life. Following ten
minutes, the bell will ring, at which time, you may begin answering
the questions.

9.

After you start answering, you may leave to go to the washroom,

but be sure that youve already written something on your
notebook in order to identify it. A proctor will accompany you to
the washroom. Dont tarry too long; you need every second to
answer the questions.

10.

DO NOT LEAVE ANY QUESTION BLANK. Many barristers fail

because they do not finish the exam [and often, you will not have
much time to answer]. If you dont know the answer, skip that
particular number, but make sure that you leave sufficient space

1] to remind you that you havent answered the question yet, and
2] to give you enough space in which to answer. However, just as
you should not leave any question blank, NEITHER SHOULD
YOUR ANSWER BE TOO LONG. I think youve heard this many,
many times before: straight to the point, no big words, cite the law
if possible.
11.

The bell will ring ten minutes before the end of the Exam. By this
time, you should just be going over your notebook to make sure
that youve answered all the questions. Thus, BUDGET YOUR
TIME. Keep a watch on your desk. While you think four [or three]
hours is a long time, it isnt. Many will say that you really have no
time to think during the Exams: the first thing that comes to your
head will generally be the pattern your answer will take. Trust it.

12.

After the Exams, forget about it. Easier said than done, of course.
But exert positive effort. If your batch is like mine, discussion of
the questions is absolutely anathema. Sasakit lang loob nyo, at
lalo lang kayong kakabahan.

13.

After the AM Exam, go straight to the Bar Ops area for your lunch.
Try to have a decent lunch, because the afternoon exams are really
exhausting [often, you just answer just to get it over with]. At
around 1 p.m., go back to your classroom [its the same room, but
they will rearrange your seating arrangement], to review for the
afternoon subjects [through your PM tips].

14.

Remember that the afternoon Exam is only THREE HOURS, not

four. Unfortunately, you will feel that the Exam is still made for
four, so you have to be doubly conscious of your progress.

15.

After the Exam, there will normally be a bus to take you back to
the hotel. It will be a very strange feeling, that first trip after the
first Sunday. You are now in the middle of the war, but you are
given a few moments to reflect between battles. Most of all, you
will feel tired. Some decide to unwind by getting drunk. I do not
suggest it, because it will normally throw you off your rhythm with
the coming week. There will be enough time to drink and get
drunk after. Have a good dinner with your family, tell them about
your Bar experience, and then have a good sleep. You will
normally not be able to study until around 5 p.m. the next day, so
you may spend the early part of the next day for a movie or the
spa. Make sure, however, that you keep that level of concentration
which must mark the days before each Exam.

16.

Pray. As the ancients used to say, Homo proponit, sed Deus

disponit.

Good luck!