fact sheet 2013 bar examinations

7/27/2019 Fact Sheet 2013 Bar Examinations

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FACT SHEET on the2013 BAR EXAMINATIONS

1. The 2013 Bar ExaminationsThis is the 112th Bar Examinations in the Philippines. The first Bar

Examination was held in 1900, with only 13 examinees.

The examination has, by law and by tradition, been under the

supervision of the Supreme Court. Due to the scope, difficulty and low

passing rate, the bar exams are regarded as the most prestigious professionallicensure exams in the country.

2. The Bar Exam Subjects The examinable subjects, their percentage points, and their schedule of

examination are

Subject PercentagePoints Schedule ofExaminationPolitical Law and Public

International Law

15% October 6, 8:00 AM to

12:00 PM

Labor and Social Legislation 10% October 6, 2:00 PM to

6:00 PM

Civil Law 15% October 13, 8:00 AM to

12:00 PMTaxation 10% October 13, 2:00 PM to

6:00 PM

Mercantile Law 15% October 20, 8:00 AM to

12:00 PM

Criminal Law 10% October 20, 2:00 PM to

6:00 PM

Remedial Law 20% October 27, 8:00 AM to

12:00 PM

Legal and Judicial Ethics 5% October 27, 2:00 PM to

6:00 PM

3. The Bar ChairmanEach year, the Supreme Court appoints one of its Members to be the

Chairman of the Bar Examinations. The Chairman chooses eight (8)

members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines who will constitute the

Committee of Bar Examiners. The eight examiners correspond to the eight

bar subjects, and assist the Chairman in formulating the exam questions andin checking the examination booklets in their respective bar subjects.

The 2013 Bar Examinations Chairman is Associate Justice Arturo D.

Brion. Justice Brion was appointed as the 161st Justice of the Court on March

17, 2008. Prior to his appointment to the Court, he served as the Secretary ofLabor and Employment and Justice of the Court of Appeals.


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Justice Brion was the valedictorian of his law class of 1974, graduating

cum laude, at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law. He was the

topnotcher (1st Place) in the 1974 Bar Examinations, with a grade of 91.65%.

4. The Bar ConfidantThe Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) is a permanent, full-tie office in

the Supreme Court. Working closely with the Chairman, the OBC provides

administrative support in the conduct of the Bar Examinations and the post-

exam activities, beginning from the filing of the petition to take the exams up

to the signing in the Roll of Attorneys.

Atty. Ma. Cristina B. Layusa is the current Bar Confidant. She is a

career Supreme Court Official ad has held the position since 2002.

5. The 2013 Bar ExamineesThere are 5,593 registered law graduates who will take the 2013 Bar

Examinations: half of whom are fresh law graduates and first time (2,814

examinees or 50%). Last year, there were 5,343 bar examinees, of which only

949 or 17.76% passed, based on the passing grade of 70%.

6. The Bar Statistics since 2000 Year Number of Passers Out of the TotalExaminees PassingPercentage2000 979 out of 4,698 20.48%2001 1,266 out of 3,849 32.98%

2002 917 out of 4,659 19.68%

2003 1,108 out of 5,349 20.71%

2004 1,659 out of 5,249 31.61%

2005 1,526 out of 5,607 27.22%

2006 1,893 out of 6,187 30.60%

2007 1,289 out of 5,626 22.91%

2008 1,310 out of 6,364 20.58%

2009 1,451 out of 5,903 24.58%

2010 982 out of 4,847 20.26%2011 1,913 out of 5,987 31.95%

2012 949 out of 5,343 17.76%

7. Features of the 2013 Bar ExaminationsFor this years exams, several changes have been introduced,

including:

a revised syllabus for each bar subject, to streamline the coverage of theexamination to essential and basic topics;

the change in the structure of the exam questions to 80% essay questionsand 20% multiple choice questions (MCQs), from the 60% MCQ and 40%

essay questions ration introduced two years ago. The change resulted

form the survey conducted in 2012 by the Supreme Court in its efforts toreform and improve the content and conduct of the bar examinations;


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the extension of the exam hours for the afternoon subjects. The barexaminees shall now have four (4) hours for each bar subject, irrespective

of weight of these subjects;

closer consultations among the Court (through the Bar Chairman), theexaminers, and the law schools (through the law school deans), on the

conduct and content of the examinations. The law deans, particularly,have been consulted on the content of the syllabi and the length andformat of the exam questions; and

closer and constant communications with the law schools, the law reviewcenters, and the examinees through the Supreme Courts Bar Bulletins

that contain the latest information from the Court about the bar exams.

These included the guidelines for the bar examinees, the advance

circulation of the bar exam instructions, the sample bar examinations, allof which have been made available on the Courts website at

http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/baradmission/2013/.

Under the Rules of Court, a bar examinee is deemed to have passed his

examinations successfully if he has obtained a general average of 75%.However, the Supreme Court en banchas the discretion to lower the passing

grade, as it did in the 2012 Bar Examinations, where the passing grade was

lowered to 70%.

The Philippine Association of Law Deans, headed by Dean Ernest Macedaof the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, and the UP Law Center will

submit their recommended answers to this years bar exam questions. These

recommendations shall be given to the bar examiners for their consideration

when they grade the bar exam notebooks.

8. Special Traffic Arrangements on the Bar E xam SundaysExaminees shall enter the UST campus only through Gate Nos. 2 and

3, both found along Espaa Boulevard. They are advised to arrive early, sincethe gates will close promptly at 7:00 AM. The Supreme Court and the bar

exams personnel shall enter the UST through its Gate No. 1, near the corner

of Lacson Avenue and Espaa Boulevard.

Churchgoers shall enter through Gate No. 7 at P. Nuval Street. Thepublic may access the UST Hospital through Gate No. 14 at Lacson Street. As

an added security measure, the UST and the Supreme Court shall impose a

no-walk policy for the four Sundays of Octoberpedestrians are prohibited

from using the sidewalks around the campus perimeter. Also, only the

examinees and the bar personnel may use the pedestrian overpass on Espaaboulevard, near Gate No. 3. The public are strictly prohibited from using the

overpass for the duration of the exams.

Traffic on the four streets surrounding the UST (Espaa Boulevard,

Lacson Street, Dapitan Street) shall be closed to traffic from 12:00 NN to 2:00

PM. The gates along Dapitan Street (Gate Nos. 10 and 11) shall be usedexclusively by the examinees and the bar personnel during their lunch break.

Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada has enacted Executive Order

No. 31, series of 2013, which prohibits the sale of intoxicating beverageswithin 200 meters from the UST perimeter from 4:00 AM to 8:00 PM on all

four Sundays of October.


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9. QueriesQueries on administrative matters involving the 2013 Bar Examinations

should be addressed to the OBC, c/o Atty. Layusa. The OBC can be reached

through the following contact information:

Landline : 525-7929, 526-8122, 526-8119

Cellphone : 0908-8864293

Email : [email protected]

fact sheet 2013 bar examinations

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