THE GREAT FORMULA IN PASSING THE BAR EXAMINATIONS

Posted on January 29, 2016

Contributed by Atty. Glenn M. Mortel

“There is nothing that can help a bar examinee most than a constant and intensive study of the
provisions of the various codes and the interpretation and application thereof by the Supreme
Court in its decisions. By study is meant, that the provisions must be correctly understood and
the thought or words thereof put to memory. After a chapter, for example, has been studied, the
next one should be studied next, and after this, a review of all that has already been studied re-
reviewed, to keep the subject matter and the provisions fresh in mind.” – Alejo Labrador

1. Actual preparation for the bar examination starts from the first day a law student attended
class during the first year in the law school.

2. The blooming secret in passing the bar examination is this: Present good answers that will
make the examiners take notice. Good answers anchored upon logical reasoning, written in
readable English and more importantly, justified by appropriate legal authority.

3. If the candidates are at a loss as to what specific legal provisions or case doctrines to use in
answering problems, the only alternative left for them is to use their own common sense.

4. The key to passing the bar examinations is contained in one word: ARTICULATION.
Articulation is expressive of the following basic fundamentals: good language, impressive
presentation, logical reasoning and substantial background knowledge of law and procedure.

5. 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.

6. The responsive character of a given answer would depend to a great extent, on command of
good language, logical reasoning and impressive presentation. This objective of preparing
impressive and responsive answers can only be achieved by constant practice.

7. Get this straight right now. Passing the bar examination has been, still is, and will always be a
difficult proposition!

8. No one can really help you pass the bar examination but yourself.

9. The greatest blooming secret of passing the bar examination is and will always be:
PREPARATION! Not just any kind of preparation, but proper, sound and systematic
preparation.
10. Systematic review can only be done by the use of what we call schedules which the candidate
must follow vigorously to the letter if he expects to attain the best results.

11. There will be times when you become sleepy while reviewing but never for one moment, tell
yourself: Man, this review can wait! Do not be stupid. Always remind yourself that time is of the
essence and is decidedly running too short for you.

12. Force yourself to read, understand and absorb what law you reviewed. Otherwise, all your
efforts will go to waste.

13. Love and review cannot mix in the business of preparing for the bar examination.

14. Early to bed, early to rise, that is the way to make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

15. A morning shower is a must.

16. Never stay up late to the wee hours of morning, cramming law into your head. This would
not do you any good. Remember, you have to conserve as much energy as you possibly can.

17. Remember, keeping your health in good running condition is just as important as reviewing
and passing the bar examination.

18. Good handwriting is decidedly a great factor in passing the bar examination.

19. To beat time, never write kilometric answers.

20. 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.

21. You have to write simple, grammatically correct English if you want to hurdle the
examination.

22. Presentation of answers that are not only good but logical, full of substance and supported by
law and other authorities, are gems to the examiner, whether he has a good or black heart.

23. Make your motto now: Stick to codal provisions! Compliment this with doctrines laid down
in recent decisions of the Supreme Court.

24. Impressive answers showing the candidates reasoning faculty is what the examiners want to
read in your examination notebooks.
25. Ability to retain your understanding of the substance of the law through efforts of study is
more desirable quality to possess than mere ability to memorize legal provisions.

26. Memorizing a particular provision of law word for word but without understanding it and its
various implications is a lot of wasted effort.

27. Never fail to read the newspapers when you are preparing for the bar examination. Read
newspapers from 20 to 30 minutes every day.

28. You can never expect to pass the bar examination without preparation.

29. Predicting probable questions based on important principles or provisions of law is the safer
method of speculating what the examiners are likely to ask in their examinations.

30. Never depend on tips for your passing. But never brush these tips aside as nothing but trash.
They may likely cause your downfall. Never, however, bank too much on them.

31. Fountain or sign pens are really the most important equipment in bar examination. Never
start for the examination without bringing along with you two or more fountain or sign pens.

32. Like the weather, examiners are absolutely a bunch of unpredictable fellows, capable of
asking unpredictable questions.

33. Do not try to memorize 50 definitions or distinctions in any given time. Two or three will do.

34. The real secret in remembering the matters contained in an enumeration is the use of
keywords.

35. Make your keywords on enumerations you consider important.

36. Never leave a blank in an enumeration! However, if you use the letters a, b, c, etc. for
numbers in the enumeration, so much the better. Ten to one, the examiner may not count his
fingers. Make the first four in the enumeration definitely good.

37. The bar candidate should do well to be always on guard against catchy questions capable of
being answered in a number of ways, e.g. What is a complaint? The perfect answer should
include both definitions in criminal and civil procedure.

38. Never be content to answer questions with a mere yes or no. You must, at all times, give
justification why your answer is a yes or no. Unless, of course, the examiner qualifies his
question with instruction enclosed in parenthesis like: (Answer with a yes or no only).
39. Always determine the real facts (examiners have the bad habit of including irrelevant facts to
confuse you) and the issue or issues in controversy. Which side you take, always justify your
side with reasons based on law, rule, equity and justice. Whatever your answer may be, provided
it is written in legible language, the examiner will never deny you the corresponding credit you
deserve.

40. Always remember, make efforts to frame your answers so that they are responsive to the
questions. Never beat around the bush. Go right straight ahead with your answer. Avoid citations
if and when you are not absolutely sure about them. The shorter the answers are, the more direct,
the better. Avoid display of flowery expressions which are complicated by legal verbosity. All
you need are sensible, direct and reasonable answers that are responsive to the questions.

41. Legal knowledge is not enough to solve a particular legal issue. What is important is ability
to apply this knowledge to the solution of legal controversies.

42. The most convenient method of tackling problem questions is to present immediately the
conclusion of a given answer. Practice, practice, constant practice will help the bar candidate
write good answers that examiners will give favorable credit.

43. The technique of writing down answers responsive to questions is a matter that the candidate
must learn as a matter of imperative necessity.

44. Brevity and directness when done properly could make an answer both effective and
impressive. However, when overdone to a point where the ideas sought to be conveyed becomes
vague and difficult to understand, they become a liability.

45. Never forget that every candidate is a potential bar topnotcher.

46. So, if you are a candidate just preparing for the bar examination, whose chances of passing
are quite problematical, just limit your ambition for the present to just working hard to obtain a
75 percent in the great battle of your life.

47. Take comfort in this: That even those who become lawyers by “just luck”, are making good
in the practice of law. Nothing can really put a determined man down.

48. In your preparation for the greatest battle of your life, call upon Him who is the source of all
knowledge, wisdom and understanding. In deep humility, bended knees and tears, He will make
all things beautiful in His time. Victory belongs to the most persevering!

Note:
All excerpts, except the last (No. 48), were taken by Atty. GLENN M. MORTEL from the book
“SECRETS ON HOW TO PASS THE BAR EXAMINATION” by Dean Wenceslao G. Laureta,
1990 edition.

When I took the Bar examination in November 2011, topping it never entered my mind.
All I wanted was to pass. Until now, the reality of having placed Top 6 in the Bar
examination mystifies me. I do not know how I did it. What I’m only sure of is that I did
my best during those four Sundays of November 2011. During those months of
preparation for the Bar, my parents, Judge Rosendo B. Bandal, Jr. and Dr. Hope
Maxino Bandal always gave me the support and encouragement which allowed me to
hurdle the Bar examination successfully. My brother, Atty. Jason, always got in touch
with me to give me tips on how to prepare for the exam.
Now that I have already passed the Bar exams, I realized that I have learned a lot of
things along the way. Here they are:

1. Do not rely on yourself. Trust in GOD. Pray for His guidance. To pass the Bar
exams, you also need some amount of luck. As you prepare for the Bar exams,
you’d realize that there are just so many things to study. At some point in your
review, you have to choose which things to study. You’re lucky if what you study
is also what would be asked during the examination. Pray to GOD. Pray for
guidance.
2. The best law school to prepare for the Bar Exam is the school where you are
currently enrolled. If you really want to pass the Bar exam, you can do it no
matter which school you’re enrolled in. I have been to three different law schools:
San Beda College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Law
and Silliman University College of Law. They are all the same. All of these
schools teach us the same laws, the same jurisprudence. Passing the Bar is
simply a matter of attitude. By that I mean that one should have the
determination to pass the Bar exams. So no matter which school you are
enrolled in, just make the most out of it. It is up to the student if he or she would
want to pass and excel in the Bar exams. More than the school, the attitude of
the student or examinee towards the Bar examination is really what would
determine if he or she can successfully hurdle it. But I do acknowledge that my
success with the Bar examination was because of the training I got from the San
Beda College of Law, the UP College of Law, and from the Silliman University
College of Law. All these three law schools are very good. The same is true with
the San Sebastian Recoletos Review Center, the place where I enrolled for my
Bar review. They prepared me well for the Bar exam. And all of them played a
big role in my passing and topping the Bar exam!
3. Prepare for the Bar exam the very moment you enter law school. The time
between one’s graduation from law school and the actual date of the Bar exam
itself simply is not enough to review everything that was taught during one’s stay
in law school. Imagine, it usually takes a student four years to study all law
subjects. But for purposes of the Bar exam, a law graduate only has about five (if
September is the schedule of the Bar Exam) or seven (if November is the
schedule of the Bar exam) months to review everything which took him or her
four years to learn. Moreover, during the exam itself, stock knowledge of the law
 is very useful. When you only have about a minute to answer every question,
your mastery of the subject matter would enable you to correctly spot the answer
in a shorter period of time. You cannot master a subject if you study for it only
during the months leading to the Bar exam. You should try to master it while
you’re in law school.
4. Find time to enjoy as you prepare and review for the Bar exam. Preparing for the
Bar examination is so stressful emotionally, physically, mentally, and
psychologically. It is mentally and emotionally draining. You’d not know what to
do so you can finish reading and reviewing everything. The enormous amount of
data and information you’d have to absorb is sometimes too much for you to
handle. At times you get depressed because you feel that no matter how hard
you study, still it seems that your efforts are not yet enough to be able to pass the
Bar exam. Many times you’d realize that nothing of what you read is actually
being absorbed and stored in your memory. All these can make you go crazy if
you’d stress yourself too much. You’d be stressed out. To preserve your mental
state, you’d have to find time to relax and have fun. It is impossible to study
straight for 10 hours or 24 hours. You need to pause at times and relax. When I
was reviewing, I went to the malls to relax. Me and my girlfriend watched movies
and went shopping frequently. This re-energized us. It enabled us to survive the
very very stressful situation which each Bar reviewee underwent during the
months leading to Bar exam.
5. Choose quality over quantity. A Bar reviewee would get and receive so many
materials during his or her review — books, reviewers, memory aids, and all
sorts of materials. The volume of materials to read is so massive and enormous.
You’d not have enough time reading all of them, no matter how much you’d want
to do so. You really have to choose which materials to study. Sometimes,
reading so many materials can only confuse you. In fact, during the pre-week,
one would not have enough time to read a lot of materials. As for me, during the
review, I only chose two materials for every subject – one book, and one
reviewer or memory aid. I mastered these two materials. Although sometimes I
had doubts if these two are enough, I just had to trust my judgment. And I was
not disappointed because sticking to two materials per subject enabled me to be
more familiar with the materials and enabled me to answer faster during the Bar
exam itself.
6. Take care of your health during the exam week. One’s fitness to take the exam is
as important as the review process itself. Remember, it would take you four
consecutive Sundays to complete the Bar exam. Everything would be useless
and all your efforts would be put to waste if you’d not be able to continue taking
the exam because you are sick during the exam day itself. I realized this during
the first Sunday of the exam. The night before the exam, I was not able to sleep
because I got very disturbed by the fact that I was not able to finish reading
everything I thought I had to read. On the day of the exam, as I was answering
question number 30 of the 100-item multiple choice exam in Political Law under
extreme time pressure (with only about a minute to analyse the situation given,
and choose the correct answer among the four choices given), I almost fainted. I
felt very cold. I felt I was about to vomit. My mind stopped working. I felt so weak
 and tired. I was in extreme fatigue because I was not able to sleep the night
before. At that time I really felt I would not be able to continue taking the exam. I
paused for about 5 minutes and took deep breaths. Thankfully I recovered.
During that brief period of time, I opted not to inform the proctor about how I felt.
My objective was clear: to pass the Bar exam. During the fourth Sunday, I was
having loose bowel movement (LBM). That was really very challenging. But after
so many months of preparation for the Bar exam, giving up was simply not an
option.
7. Just do your best. On the day of the exam, no one can assist you as you answer
the test questions. You can’t rely on anyone but yourself. So no matter how you
feel about how you prepared for the exam, and even if you feel you have not
done enough to prepare for the exam, just do your best in answering those
questions. Be the best that you can be. As I was answering the Bar exams, I
constantly remembered and applied this quotation: “To be a winner, all that you
need to give is all that you have.”

Read the call of the hypothetical

Before reading an exam hypothetical, begin by reading the call of the question and
any instructions. Points are easily lost due to a failure to follow instructions. Do not
go off on a tangent and waste time answering questions not asked. The purpose of
reading the call of the question is to direct your focus when you read the facts of the
hypothetical. This fosters active reading. If you read the hypothetical first you will
waste time reading when you have no idea which facts are determinative for the
issues and which are red-herrings. After reading the call of the question, actively read
and re-read the question. Before you begin to write always re-read the call of the
question to make sure that you are responding to the correct issue.

Create an outline for your answer

Outlining your answer before you begin to write compels you to organize. An outline
may be as skeletal as the issues (broken down into elements), law and facts you will
discuss. To comprise your outline, use IRAC. Think longer and spend less time
writing. The process of reading and re-reading the question, as well as outlining,
should take about one-third to one-half of the allotted time. Once a good outline is
prepared you will not need to spend so much time writing. Your focus will be clear. It
is also important to review your outline while you are writing and after you finish
writing. The purpose of an outline is defeated if you do not use it. Under the stress of
writing the answer you may forget to make important points that were originally in
your outline. Lastly, if you are unable to finish your answer, the outline may serve as
an answer for grading purposes.
Write a visually appealing answer

Write legibly. Organize you answer in logical sequence. Cover an issue thoroughly
and then move on to the next issue. Use headings and sub-headings. The headings
provide direction to the reader and demonstrate pre-writing thought and organization.
Underline key words.

Use the facts

This point cannot be stressed enough. Most exam answers that fail are a result of the
lack of the use of given facts. However, do not assume facts not given. Most facts
provided are not red-herrings. They are in the hypothetical for a reason and you need
to ascertain why they are there. Then you need to use the facts to buttress your
analysis of the issues. Do not be conclusory.

Consider all sides

Every point has a flip side. When a writer draws a conclusion without considering
counter-analysis, he demonstrates to the grader his lack of a complete thought
process. In raising counter-points, support them factually and then refute them
factually.

Be creative

Since there is no right or wrong answer there is room for creative thinking. This
involves using the law and facts to support points and counter-points that may only be
apparent from an in-depth reading and understanding of the law and facts of the
hypothetical. This encompasses the concept of reading between the lines.

Maintain perspective

Each of you has the ability to succeed on the bar exam. Do not get caught up in how
or what your peers are studying. That will only serve to distract you and bridle
positive performance. You know what you need to do to succeed. Do it and enjoy
learning.

Be disciplined

Preparing for the bar demands discipline in your studies. The bar exam must be the
primary focus of your attention for at least two months. Avoid distractions. Do not
procrastinate. While breaks are important to maintain mental attention and clarity,
they should be limited in duration. Do not try to cram the night before the bar exam.
Rather, it is best take time off, away from studying, and relax since you will need
stamina during the exam. It is alright to briefly review some notes or flash cards at
breakfast the morning of the exam. It is possible that what you review will be tested
on the exam that morning and this will boost your confidence.
 Do not panic

Part of exam preparation involves mental control. The more prepared you feel
through study and practice, the less likely it is that you will panic. However, it is
possible that something on the exam will cause you to panic. For example, you may
see an issue that you think you are unprepared to address. In truth you are probably
prepared to address the issue, but may only be prepared to a certain extent. Resist
panic because it will inhibit your ability to recall what you know about that issue.
Panic stifles. You cannot afford to allow panic to overcome you and result in failure
to answer a question.

Topnotcher tips for bar takers: Eat, sleep, pray, breathe

Be calm and confident. Eat and sleep well. Most of all, pray.
As more than 6,000 aspiring lawyers prepared to toil through four Sundays of the bar
exams starting Sunday, bar topnotchers now working at the Office of the Solicitor
General on Friday listed tips for before, during and even after the test, one of the
Philippines’ toughest licensure examinations.
And by the topnotchers’ experience, making it takes more than just memorizing the
law.

“By this time, the focus should be on physical and mental preparedness. Proper sleep,
calming and breathing exercises, especially during exam day, will do wonders to
achieve that optimal mental state because all the reading [and studying will] be futile
without a healthy brain,” said Manuel Sarausad, who is from the University of Cebu
and sixth placer in the 2013 bar exams.
Christian Gonzales, a University of Santo Tomas graduate who finished fifth in the
2011 exams, cited the value of positivity in passing the grueling test, which only
22.18 percent (1,174 of 5,593 aspirants) passed last year.
“Enhance your positive vibes and avoid the negative ones. Stay focused on doing well
[in] the exams. Surround yourself with positive, optimistic and supportive people.
Avoid unnecessary stress and distractions,” Gonzales said.
The bar exam, after all, is more than just a test of brain power, said Rudy Ortea, from
the University of Batangas and third placer in the 2013 exams.

Test of character
Never quit. That’s the most important lesson I learned from my experience in the bar
exam. I almost quit because I had many problems before, during and even after the
bar. The bar is not only a test of knowledge, it is also a test of character,” he said.
Gonzales recommended that the examinees wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and
eat just right, “or you’ll feel heavy and sleepy instead of being sharp and focused.”
Of course, it matters that the examinees prepare well, even answering past bar exams
or mock tests during their review.

---------------------

Practical Suggestions on How to Pass the Bar

by John P. Virgino

Graduation for law students is so anti-climactic. As if the spartan life we have lived the past four years is not enough,

we still have to gear up and march to the Coliseum and wage an even greater battle. The fight is filled with

uncertainties, for when we step into the ring, we are on our own. There is no assurance that we would emerge as

victorious Gladiators cheered upon by the crowd, or be the next Happy Meal for the royal lions.

The first thing a reviewee must do is to accept this reality. Studying for the bar is one big marshmallow test. It would

entail a drastic change in habit and lifestyle. Sacrifices must be made. The sooner you accept it, the better you could

cope with the bar exam’s demands and challenges.

As Sun Tzu once said, the art of war includes knowing ones enemy. The number one enemy that a bar reviewee must

confront is his fear – of the unknown, the anxiety as to what lies ahead. It is human to fear what one doesn’t

understand. So, the main goal of this exercise is to help you understand what the bar is. I hope this article could serve

as a map that would aid you conquer the bar’s perilous terrain.

The tips contained herein are not foolproof. Its objective is modest-it is simply to pass the bar. Most of the

suggestions contained here were culled from my experience. However, to give it some credibility, I also included the

effective habits of fellow reviewees, as well as sound advice from previous topnotchers (Macel and Raj).

I. PREPARING FOR THE BAR

· Set your goals and devise your own strategy on how to do it. When you have no gameplan, you simply conform and

follow what the others are doing. This can be dangerous.

· Strategize and maximize. Follow the Pareto principle. Each one is given more or less the same amount of time to

study. You must be able to manage your scarce resources. Concentrate on your critical few, the 20% input that would
produce 80% of your output.
· Organize your materials ahead of time. Buy the right books and review materials.

Political Law -Outline by Nachura

Labor Law- Azucena’s Everybody’s Labor Code and Alcantara

Civil- Jurado

Taxation -Dan Calica’s Reviewer

Commercial -Miravite/Villanueva

Criminal -Ortega Notes

Remedial -Regalado

Legal Ethics -Aguirre

STARTER KIT

a good and sturdy bookstand

a good lamp, white light

a cubicle made from illustration boards, this would give you privacy and minimize distractions (for student lounge

people)

earplugs, to block off noise. It also sends a signal to noisy co-reviewees to shut-up

vitamins/supplements

notebook, index cards

a good supply of highlighters

post-its. The tags can be used to divide the material, which can mark your goal for the day. By breaking the books into

parts, it makes reading more manageable.

II. STUDYING FOR THE BAR

· Master the codal provisions. This is a minimum requirement. You can never go wrong with this strategy.

· Manage your time according to the weight of the subject. Not all bar subjects are created equal.

· Prepare a tentative schedule for your bar review.

· Adjust your body clock. Sleep early, start early. Some reviewees even go to the extent of simulating the bar month by

making Monday their rest day (since Mondays are brain-dead days during September)

· Have a study buddy so that you can have a benchmark. This would help pace yourself, giving you the extra push to

study. Your study buddy must have good study habits. She need not be your girlfriend.

· Learn the art of answering the bar. Study how bar questions are phrased and how it should be answered.
The bar questions are crafted differently from the usual law exams we have. Look at the Suggested Answers published

by the UP Law Center. Some questions repeat over time so make sure you get the survey of bar questionnaires to

concentrate on areas, which are favorite sources of questions.

· While studying for the bar, take down notes and prepare your mnemonics. Whether we like it or not, the bar is a

memory game, and there is no substitute for memorizing.

· Emphasis should be made on the quality of your study time and not the amount of hours you spend studying. Don’t

be obsessed with the number of pages you read in a day. The problem with being obsessed with the number of

readings is that you are tempted to postpone your understanding of the material since at the back of your mind, you

intend to second and third read it any way. Next thing you know, it is already bar month and you’ll be cramming all

the information in your head.

· Read to understand and not for the sake of simply reading. Reading can become a mechanical exercise. Most

reviewees brag that they have read their bar materials three times. Don’t be alarmed. Some read faster than the

others. However, speed-reading should not be done at the expense of comprehension. It is better to have one good

reading than have three lousy readings.

· Less is more. One important faux pas to avoid is the temptation of reading a lot of materials. We have this thinking

that five months should be spent reading all the materials we can get. Anything less would make us feel guilty and

insecure. You may read all you want, but remember that you should not spread yourself too thinly. The truth is, the

bar is composed of only 30-40 questions per subject. You must be conscious of the fact that the examiner will grade

you solely on the basis of the way you answer these questions. The fact that you read all the commentaries would be

immaterial.

· Practice good handwriting skills. This is important. Your exam may be readable to your law professor, considering
that he is checking around fifty bluebooks. Imagine multiplying it by one hundred. Bar examiners are humans too.

Their patience could be equated as inversely proportional to the number of bluebooks they will be checking. The bar

examiner might not have the forebearance to decipher your encrypted hieroglyphics.

III. CAVEATS

· Learn the proper way of highlighting materials, since you will re-read the materials. Highlight only the important

words and phrases. Avoid highlighting everything since it defeats the very purpose of highlighting in the first place.

· Read carefully. Don’t accept everything you read as gospel truths. There are a lot of errors that you need to correct in

your reading materials. Also, make sure that the law you are reading is udpated.
· Avoid the Maricon virus (the syndrome of photocopying all the materials that one can get his hands into. A tribute to

Maricon, the xerox empress) like the plague. The next time someone flash you a candidate material, think twice.

Inspect the materials carefully and determine if you truly need it, or whether you will be able to read it. Photocopied

materials give us a false sense of security. We justify this photocopying spree saying that you need the option of being

able to read it if your time permits it. The danger lies in the fact that if we have too many materials at hand, it might

overwhelm us and reduce us into a state of helplessness. It also make us lose our focus. Added to this, is the sense of

inadequacy if we failed to finish our ambitious reading list.

· Rumors are just rumors. In the duration of the bar review (even after), be wary of the rumors that would spread. One

example is that you will hear that this person is the examiner, so the next step you will take is to ask if he has written a

book so that you can buy it. We have this standing theory that the one responsible for spreading these rumors are the

book publishers who wants to increase their book sales. Don’t believe these rumors! Be aware of the fact that you are

extremely vulnerable as a reviewee. Withhold belief even when the person tells you that the information comes from a

“very reliable source.” With respect to knowing who the examiner is, don’t preoccupy yourself with it. As a co-

examinee bluntly puts it, in spite of the fact that we know our law professors, we still could not predict the questions

that they ask during finals. This is the same case with the bar examiners.

· Hot tips are not hot, even if they are stamped confidential. Tips are overrated and you should take it with a grain of

salt. It caters to a reviewee’s psychological need, a placebo. Even if you did not receive any hot tips, don’t despair. You

can do good without it, maybe do even better.

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS

· Should you enroll in the bar review classes? Well this is open to debate. I enrolled in the bar review classes because

my philosophy then was never to shortchange my review. I told myself that six thousand pesos might spell the
difference between passing and failing. Enrolling would preclude me from blaming myself, in the unfortunate event

that I fail, thinking that I would have passed if only I enrolled myself. However, I was disappointed with the way

review classes were conducted. The lectures could be boring and slow at times. Listening is a skill, it drains too much

energy and takes too much of your time. Sometimes, you will be deluded into believing that your understanding

mirrors that of the lecturer. Your option would be to just borrow the materials from a co-reviewee and have it

photocopied. Take time to sift through the materials and segregate the materials you think might be useful.

· Should you billet yourself in a hotel? I talked to my classmates who did not stay in hotel and they said that they were

more relaxed. If you decide to stay home, think of these two things:

a. how to receive the tips (if you still think it is indispensable) b. how to get to the examination area on time (6 am
ideal)
If you decide to stay in a hotel, I suggest that you don’t share a room, to minimize movements and distractions.

· Study in the student lounge. Personally, I think my stay there has helped me pass the bar. The daily interaction with

fellow reviewees, the jokes, small talks and power naps form part of the student lounge experience. It has definitely

kept my head above water in those grueling five months. There, we found humor in our collective misery.

· Exercise. It is normal to gain weight during the bar review. We reviewees use eating as a mechanism to deal with

tremendous stress. I eat five full meals during the bar, excluding merienda, because I used eating as an excuse not to

study. Don’t worry, you will shed the unwanted fats after the bar review (I did say my advice is not foolproof right?)

To deal with this, some co-reviewees enrollled in gym classes. Others simply jog around the academic oval. Exercise

improves blood and oxygen circulation, even when it only means a walk to the vendo machine.

· In the duration of the review, pamper yourself once in a while. This is part of stress management, to combat the

possibility of burnout.

V. IMPORTANT REMINDERS

· During the night before the exam, try to get a good night rest. Bubble bath. Drink a warm chocolate. · Ask someone

(your bar buddy) to prepare your food. Grab a sliced Subway so that you can eat and read in the afternoon within La

Salle.

· Be sure to bring all the papers (exam permits, I.D). It is suggested that you buy a transparent envelope and hang it in

your neck (with a fancy ID holder) so that you won’t lose these important documents. This is simple but this would be

very helpful, as it would reduce unnecessary stress.

· Bring a jacket or umbrella.

· Do not bring your celphones inside La Salle and avoid the hassle of depositing it.

· Go to La Salle early to avoid the madness in the hotel lobby. Know in advance which gate you would have to go to.

· Choose the materials you think you have to read in the interim before the exam. Bring only these materials, lest you

want to subject yourself to a panic attack. Remember, you need to relax yourself.

· Never leave your blue book, switching is not a remote possibility

· Bring mineral water, sweets/chocolates as brain boosters during the exam.

VI. DURING THE BAR EXAM

The thirty minutes before the exam after the proctor told us to bring our things in front was really nerve-wracking.

Imagine staring blankly at your co-examinees and whispering to yourself that the minutes could have been

productively used reading codal provisions.

· After the distribution of the exam questionnaire, scan the questions. Compute the number of questions and allocate

your time accordingly. Remember that it is okay if you feel you don’t know the answer. This is the so-called

information rush. Breathe and allow things to settle down.

· In answering bar questions, take a deep solid breath and process the question. Be responsive and try to answer

clearly and directly. Cite legal provisions or case law to support your arguments. If you don’t know the exact

provision, cite a provision that you think comes close. It is rare that you know all the answers to the questions, don’t

fret. In the event that you don’t know the answer, guess, but support it with legal arguments or case law. Use good

English to mask your ignorance. My experience with the bar is that even if I know the answer, I had difficulty

answering because I wanted to craft and formulate my answer in the best possible way. Be conscious of time, make

sure to start writing, never mind if it is not as grand as you initially wanted it to be.

· Skip questions you are not sure of the answers. Just be sure to get back to it. Review your answers, make sure you

answered all the questions sequentially.

VII. AFTER THE BAR EXAM

· Learn how to compartmentalize. Even if you didn’t do well in one exam, don’t despair. Don’t let the bad feeling affect

your performance in the next exam, otherwise it will not only be one subject you will have to worry about. I avoided

discussion of answers with fellow reviewees. It is cathartic for some but it is depressing for most. I personally believe

that the exercise is very counter-productive. It only depresses us more to know that our classmates were able to

eloquently answer the questions we thought was difficult. Often, our co-reviewee approached the legal problem from
a different angle and we tend to blame ourselves for failing to see it the way he did.

· Be contented with your answers. You have already submitted your bluebook have already done everything from your

end. It is already up to the examiner to appreciate your answers. It is futile to feel sorry. Sure you could have

answered better but it is sad that it always seems to dawn only after you submitted the booklet. Remember that given

the limited time we had, we may have failed to give our best and most rational answer. The ratio of last clear chance

comes to mind.

· Sweet Surrender. Pray and trust in the Lord Almighty. As a friend puts it, the bar is a humbling experience. It is

impossible to control all the factors that would guarantee our passing the bar. Undergoing the bar experience makes
us more keenly aware of our limitations as human beings. Within the limited time we have, we can only study and

prepare so much. I believe that there is more to the bar than the bar questions we need to answer. The real exam is
surviving the four Sundays without cracking from the tremendous pressure the whole exercise brings. In the course of

writing this article, I may have committed some mistakes, grammatical or otherwise – my apologies. For whatever

this article might lack in logic and coherence, is made up for with a genuine and sincere desire to help you hurdle and

pass the bar.

Goodluck to all of you!