Judicious selection of materials for review purposes is a matter of extreme necessity to the bar candidate, according to former Dean Teodorico C. Martin of the College of Law, San Sebastian College.

In justification of this statement, Dean Martin cited his review efforts for the 1936 bar examination where he copped the 7th spot among the first 10 top places that year.

I am citing my own efforts as a warning to the future bar candidates so that they will not commit the same mistakes I made in my time, he said.

Immediately after graduation, Dean Martin recalled not without regretful remembrance, he secured all the available notes and books used during his undergraduate days and started his review preparation in earnest.

After three months of intensive reading and study trying vainly to grasp all those matters contained in his piles of notes and books, he came upon the realization that he never completed reviewing a single subject.

Imagine my consternation when I realized that I had only one month more to review and there were eight bar subjects to tackle! he recalled with vivid clarity.

He took a stock of the situation and immediately prepared a schedule that would enable him to complete his preparations for one month!

So he had to force himself to review two subjects in the short span of four days, a procedure that consequently reduced his mental efficiency.

The bar candidate, Dean Martin said, should use only standard textbooks for review and avoid reading notes all full of unnecessary details and useless explanations that can only produce mental confusion in his already confused mind.

Despite his defective review efforts, what enabled Dean Martin to obtain very high rating?

Good background knowledge acquired during four years of college training, particularly in the eight bar subjects given in the examination, he explained.

Other suggestions for the bar candidates that Dean Martin recommends include efforts directed toward having a balance diet, proper apportioning of time available when actually answering bar questions, boarding with three or four candidates in a dormitory or a secluded house and providing themselves with review notebooks.

Having a balance diet during this rigorous period of preparation is a matter which candidates always overlook, he said. This time they should have nourishing food, to enable them to to build up body energies that are fast getting worn out from terrific use.

Proper  apportionment of time when answering questions will enable the candidate to tackle all by not making the mistake of using too much time on a few at the expense of others.

Living in a house with three or four other candidates has undeniable advantages, according to Dean Martin. Here, they are afforded with the maximum quiet that augers well for concentrated study and review.

It is impossible to review at home, particularly when there are children, he pointed out. The demands of family living, family chores and problems unduly disrupt concentration.

Moreover, living with other companions, the bar candidate will be able to discuss and exchange notes with them on matters that need clarification, he said.

Dean  Martin's last recommendation is the need for the candidate to provide himself with review notebooks for all bar subjects where he could jot down important provisions of law under each and leading decisions of the Supreme Court interpreting these legal provisions.