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How To Answer Bar Exam Essay Question Impressively PDF
How To Answer Bar Exam Essay Question Impressively PDF
IMPRESSIVELY
By: Atty. Ruben C. Talampas, Jr.
She pointed out the general weakness of the bar examinees. She said:
“The reason for this high mortality rate, may be attributed to several factors
among them in the opinion of the undersigned, may be due mainly to the
following: . . . inadequate command of the English language”.
It was less than 35 years ago but still her remarks seem to be true at
present.
Question No. 6(b) – “An accused was found guilty of double murder and was
meted out two sentences of reclusion perpetua. How would the accused serve
the sentences?”
Question No. 11. – “Patrolman Cruz, acting under orders of the Municipal
Mayor, Who wanted to put a stop to the frequent occurrence of robbery in
Sitio Masukal, patrolled the place. At about midnight, seeing three persons
acting suspiciously in front of an uninhabited house and entering the same,
he arrested them without warrant and took them to the municipal building
where they were detained in jail for about five hours before they were
released. Patrolman Cruz was accused of arbitrary detention. If you were the
Judge, would you convict him of the crime charged?”
Question No. 17 – “AA” was the owner of a jeepney for hire. When his driver
was hospitalized, he hired “BB” as driver on a temporary basis and entrusted
to him the vehicle for transporting passengers from Quiapo to Baclaran with a
compensation of P30.00 a day. “BB” never returned the vehicle and after
search the vehicle was found in Tarnate, Cavite, about to be sold. “BB” was
charged with Qualified Theft and was convicted. Appealing the judgment of
conviction, defense counsel contends that “BB” may have committed Estafa
but not Qualified Theft on the theory that the possession of the vehicle was
By far the most important tool that the bar candidate could equip
himself with which to tackle the examination that is inherently personal to
him is command of written English. The examinee who has a fairly good
command of English, assuming that he is prepared in all other matters,
stands definitely with a much better chance of passing.
Not all the BAR tips I will be presenting here are mine. I believe they
are the collective ideas of past bar examinees, bar topnotchers, bar lecturers
and law professors who want to share their experiences and have the desire
and concern to help future bar takers. I will try though to present these in a
more comprehensible and effective way.
The examiner will be looking and expecting for the following from your
answer:
The line of reasoning that you adopt should be clear and consistent
without gaps or digressions. This is the most important element in your
answer and, therefore, carries the most weight in the grading process.
CONCLUSION
You should address yourself to the task that the question asks you to
perform. For example, if the question calls for a specific conclusion or result,
such conclusion should clearly appear in your answer and should be stated
concisely and without equivocation.
ARTICULATION
You must also be aware that the Bar questions are not all “case or
situationer problems”. There are other types of Bar essay questions you
ought to know so you will be able to prepare and answer them properly in
HOW TO ANSWER BAR EXAM ESSAY QUESTIONS IMPRESSIVELY: Ruben C. Talampas,
Jr. Page 5
case you encounter one. The usual types of Bar essay question are
enumerated below:
1. Enumeration;
2. Distinction;
3. Definition;
4. Reason behind the law/concept/principle; and
5. Case Problem.
CASE PROBLEM
Given that you know already the law; that you know how to apply it
to the set of facts; that you write legibly enough; left you with one problem
– that is how are you going to present or articulate it in an impressive
manner.
3rd Paragraph - Correlation of the Law/Jurisprudence with the Facts of the Case
Okay, you already have an outline but isn’t it boring for the examiner
to read in your answers the same words or phrase at the beginning of your
paragraphs? For example you will use these words in every answer: the
contention is untenable; the law provides; therefore. The examiner will spot
You will agree that the hardest thing to do is to start. We want that the
first sentences or paragraph we will write will impress the examiner and
more often we cannot find the right words to start. Would it be easier if just
like the outline you have already a pool of words waiting to be used?
The following “Useful Introductory Lines” are mostly taken from the
article of Atty. Rey C. Tatad, Jr. with the same title.
1. The Supreme Court in one case, had the occasion to rule that…
2. In a long-line of cases decided by the Supreme Court, it has always been
CONCLUDING WORDS
1. From the gamut of evidence on hand, it can be gathered/deduced that,…
2. Taken all together,…
3. Finally, …
4. Hence, …
5. Therefore, …
6. From the foregoing, it can be deduced that there is really (i.e. a violation
of…)
7. From the foregoing, it is now safe to conclude that….
8. Lastly, …
9. Consequently,…
10. As a necessary consequence…
11. The logical implication is that…
12. At any rate,…
13. In view of the foregoing,…
14. As an inevitable conclusion,…
15. In the light of the circumstances,…
16. Undoubtedly,…
17. Indubitably,…
18. Clearly, the case at hand falls squarely within the purview of…
19. Verily, he/she has committed…
20. For this/these reason/s, it is unavoidable to conclude that…
21. Based on the facts obtaining,…
22. In this light,…
23. This being the case…
24. Clearly therefore, applying the aforecited ruling in the case at hand,…
25. In light of the foregoing, it is beyond cavil (doubt) that,…
26. There is no doubt that…
27. To the unprejudiced mind, the actuations of the three, when analyzed
and taken together, leads to no other conclusion except that (i.e. conspiracy
among them existed)
28. Inescapably, therefore,…
29. All things considered,…
30. It follows therefore that…
31. As a logical result…
32. In sum,..
33. In view of the fact that…,
34. All told,…
HOW TO ANSWER BAR EXAM ESSAY QUESTIONS IMPRESSIVELY: Ruben C. Talampas,
Jr. Page 12
35. Given the prevailing facts…
36. Having stated the foregoing premises,…
37. One final point,…
38. Accordingly,…
Using the outline and the “first liners” above, make a format or model
of your answer and use what you deem is applicable in a given question. You
may make your own models as many as you want but it is suggested to
have at least 10 models. Here are some examples (taken from my 2007 Bar
Tips to NEU and INC Bar Examinees):
No/Yes. He can/cannot.....,
The law provides that/The Supreme Court has held in a line of cases......
In the case at bar.....
Hence.. ...
X's claim is not meritorious, hence the case should be decided against him
According to the law/The Supreme Court, in many cases, has ruled that....
Based on the facts of the case…
Therefore/Consequently... . . .
The. . . . is proper/tenable/untenable
It is a well settled rule/As provided for under the
Moreover . . ..Hence/Therefore
ENUMERATION
1. In capsule form, the following are the elements of the crime of _______
2. In a nutshell, the following are the elements of the crime of _________
3. The following elements are generally considered in the determination of
the presence of (i.e. employer-employee relationship)
4. Among the (i.e. defenses/remedies) available to (i.e. Mr. X) as provided
for by/in the (i.e. Civil Code) are:
(1)…
(2)…
5. The following are the requisites for…
6. In order that a case for (i.e. B.P. 22) to prosper, the following elements
must be attendant/present:
7. To constitute (i.e. homicide), the following requisites must concur:
8. (i.e. Legal compensation) requires the concurrence of the following
conditions:
9. To establish a person’s culpability under (i.e. estafa), it is indispensable
that…
DISTINCTION
When being asked to distinguish, do not state its definition. If you give
its definition, you are in effect asking the examiner to extract out the
differences of the two [or more] from your definition. Do not also give their
similarities. You are asked to differentiate and contrast, so similarities are
not included. The number of distinctions you will give must also be
proportionate on the points allotted for such. If it is only worth two points,
do not give 8 distinctions. The examiner cannot give you 8 points for that.
For a two point distinction question, perhaps, three would be enough (four is
not too much).
1. The (i.e. two) may be distinguished from each other in the following
ways:
a.
HOW TO ANSWER BAR EXAM ESSAY QUESTIONS IMPRESSIVELY: Ruben C. Talampas,
Jr. Page 14
b.
2. In the first, it is necessary that there be….., whereas in the second it is
sufficient that there be ….
3. In the former, … while in the latter…
4. The former requires … while the latter…
5. … on the other hand ______________ is…
DEFINITION
1. Finishing is the key. Many fail the Bar exam because they don’t finish
the exam. They spend so much time on an early question that they
can’t finish the later ones. Or they work on all of the questions at
once, but without finishing some or all of them. Either way, these Bar
candidates are writing too slowly, and it costs them their ticket to a
3. Set a time schedule. It's easy to waste time by getting carried away by
a single question or by getting stuck on a question that's giving you
trouble. Make a general allocation for each question and adjust the
time depending on their percentage weight. Monitor your pace so that
you stay calm and will be able to answer all questions on the exam.
5. Be reminded that one of your tasks while preparing for the Bar exam is
to become an expert fact pattern reader. So what do you do if you
aren’t very good at reading facts? You need to experiment with
different ways to get better at reading facts. Practice answering past
Bar questions as many as you can. Analyze the suggested answers and
take note how the answers used the facts in the problem. Remember,
you won’t get all the possible points if you don’t understand what the
Bar examiners are asking you. You must become an expert fact reader
in order to write a complete exam answer.
7. Use logic or common sense when you do not know the answer. Ask the
question, "What is the best solution or resolution for this case?" or "If I
were the examiner how do I want the question answered?" Do not just
guess, make a smart guess. Your best guide is to think what is most
just and equitable since these are the purpose any law seeks to
achieve.
9. Number your answer accordingly. Don’t make the Examiner search for
your answers. Make your answer look professional. Don’t use
textspeak and don’t abbreviate. Answers which look professional, are
well organized and which use paragraphs and indenting where
appropriate make the Examiner’s job easier.
11. Don’t submit your test booklet too early. There’s no prize for
early finishers. Budget and utilize all the time allocated for you to: (a)
compose good answers; (b) review your answers; and (c) write
legibly.
14. At least twice during your bar prep (ideally four), do a simulated
Bar exam day. Do a mock version of it. The key is to practice under
conditions similar to the actual Bar examinations. This will make you
mindful of time constraints and more comfortable when you approach
the real test, the Bar exam.