Tag Archives: Bar Exams

Philippine Bar Exams Trivia

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(Originally posted in 2006 on my previous website. Updated 22 March 2017.)

1st Bar Exams:

  • 1901 with only 13 examinees

Highest Grade of All Time:

  • 96.7 in the 1954 Bar Exams by Florenz Regalado of San Beda College

2nd Highest Grade of All Time:

  • 95.95 in the 1954 Bar Exams by Renato L. de la Fuente of San Beda College

3rd Highest Grade of All Time:

  • 95.85 in the 1949 Bar Exams by Anacleto C. Mañgaser of the Philippine Law School (PLS)

4th Highest Grade of All Time:

  • 95.5 held by Manuel G. Montecillo of Far Eastern University (FEU) in the 1948 Bar Exams &  Antonio R. Quintos of Ateneo de Manila University in the 1954 Bar Exams

5th Highest Grade of All Time:

  • 95.3 in the 1944 Bar Exams held by Jovito R. Salonga of the University of the Philippines & Jose W. Diokno, who did not finish his law studies

Bar Topnotchers (1st Placers) to become Presidents of the Philippines:

  • Manuel A. Roxas (University of the Philippines), 1913 Bar Exams with a grade of 92.

  • Diosdado P. Macapagal of the University of Sto. Tomas, 1936 with a grade of 89.85

  • Ferdinand E. Marcos of the University of the Philippines, 1939 with a grade of 92.35

Other Bar Placers to become Presidents of the Philippines:

  • Sergio S. Osmeña (University of Santo Tomas), 2nd Place – 1903 Bar Exams

  • Manuel L. Quezon, (University of Santo Tomas), 4th Place – 1903 Bar Exams

  • Elpidio R. Quirino (University of the Philippines), 2nd Place – 1915 Bar Exams

  • Carlos P. Garcia (Philippine Law School), 6th Place – 1923 Bar Exam

The only non-Bar Placer to become the President of the Philippines:

  • Rodrigo R. Duterte of San Beda College, 1972 Bar Exams

Facts about the Jose W. Diokno Legend:

  • Diokno was born on February 26, 1922.

  • Diokno earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce Summa Cum Laude in 1940 at De La Salle College (now De La Salle University).

  • He took the CPA Board Exam in 1940 while he was in his second year in law school and placed No. 1.

  • In 1944, he petitioned the Supreme Court to take the Bar Exams without a law degree.

  • The Supreme Court granted his petition, and he took the Bar Exams in 1944 and tied with the Class Valedictorian of U.P. for the 1st Place with a grade of 95.3.

  • Diokno is the only one who placed 1st in both the CPA board exams & the Bar Exams.

Facts about the Claro M. Recto Legend:

  • Recto was born on February 8, 1890, at Tiaong, Tayabas (now Quezon Province).

  • He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ateneo de Manila where his grades were all perfect (1.0), except only for one 1.3. He was conferred by Ateneo with Maxima Cum Laude honors (highest honors conferred by Ateneo).

  • He took the Bar Exams in 1913 while he was still in his senior year in law school at the University of Santo Tomas – and FLUNKED.

  • He finished his law degree in 1913, Class Valedictorian, University of Santo Tomas.

  • The 1913 Bar Exams marked the first time that the test questions in Civil Procedure were in English, a new language in which Recto could not express himself very well.

  • Justice Fischer, the examiner in Civil Procedure, also noted that Recto’s handwriting was very difficult to understand.

  • Justice Fischer gave Recto a grade of 41 which automatically disqualified him.

  • Recto took the Bar Exams again in 1914 and passed. The No. 1 topnotcher of the 1914 Bar  exams was Manuel Goyena.

  • After passing, Recto wrote two books on Civil Procedure.

  • When Recto studied in Ateneo and UST, the medium of instruction was Spanish. Manuel Roxas, on the other hand, UP’s Class Valedictorian who topped the 1913 Bar Exams was a product of the US public school system and had spent a year in Hong Kong to better equip himself with American English before taking the Bar.

Facts about the Ferdinand E. Marcos Legend:

  • Marcos was born on September 11, 1917.

  • In college, Marcos’ principal interest was the .22-caliber college pistol team.

  • On September 20, 1935, Julio Nalundasan was at home celebrating that day’s Congressional election victory over Mariano Marcos when he was shot and killed by a .22-caliber bullet alleged fired by the 18-year-old Marcos.

  • On December 13, 1938, Marcos was arrested for Nalundasan’s murder but he successfully petitioned for release on bail, allowing him to complete his law degree from the University of the Philippines.

  • In 1939, Marcos was found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison.

  • Jailed, Marcos spent six months writing his own 830-page appeal while reviewing for the Bar Exams at the same time.

  • Marcos posted bail to take the 1939 Bar Exams and passed with scores so high he was suspected of cheating.

  • Legends say that his unofficial Grade was 98.5 and so he was summoned to appear before the Supreme Court en banc for an oral re-examination, after which his official grade was released as 92.35.

  • Marcos is the only Bar candidate who was called by the Supreme Court for an oral re-examination.

  • In 1940, Marcos orally argued his own case in front of Supreme Court Justice Jose P. Laurel and on October 22, 1940, he was acquitted of the charge of murder and forthwith liberated from imprisonment.

  • The next day, he returned to the Supreme Court where he was administered his oath as a lawyer.

1st woman to Top the Bar (1st Place):

  • Tecla San Andres-Ziga of the University of the Philippines placed No. 1 in the Bar Exams of 1930 with a grade of 89.4. She served as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines from 1963 to 1969.

2nd woman to Top the Bar (1st Place):

  • Cecilia Munoz-Palma (University of the Philippines) became the 2nd woman to place No. 1 in the Bar Exams in 1937 with a grade of 92.6. She later became the 1st woman Supreme Court Justice in 1973 and the 1st female President of a constitutional commission in 1986.

Bar Flunker who Placed 1st on his Second Take:

  • Francisco Noel R. Fernandez (University of the Philippines) failed in the 1993 Bar Exams but placed No. 1 in the 1994 Bar Exams with a grade of 89.2.

1st Aeta Lawyer:

  • Wayda Cosme (Harvardian Colleges) passed the Bar Exam in 2001 to become the 1st Aeta Lawyer.

THE GREAT FORMULA IN PASSING THE BAR EXAMINATIONS

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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.

Falling in Love with the Study of Law

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Two weeks ago, I received a private message from a law student about her problem with memorizing and remembering the law. Since she had shared my reply on her Facebook timeline, I guess I also have to share it with all of you. My reply:

“You’re right, no one can memorize all the law. But who needs to? The law is already written, mostly codified, and is immediately available in just one click of a button.

“Since your teachers are saying you know too much, then you must not have a problem remembering the law after all. So probably, your teacher is also right that you tend to miss what the question is all about.

“If that is the case, the problem is not about remembering what you have read, but about picking up the correct information from all that you have read.

“MY SUGGESTION IS VERY SIMPLE: YOU SHOULD NOT STUDY THE LAW MERELY FOR THE SAKE OF DOING WELL IN RECITATIONS, PASSING YOUR LAW SCHOOL EXAMS, SURVIVING LAW SCHOOL, HURDLING THE BAR, OR BECOMING A LAWYER. YOU HAVE TO STUDY THE LAW BECAUSE YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH THE STUDY OF THE LAW.

“CREATE A THEATER OF DIFFERENT HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN YOUR MIND, AND SEE THE LAW IN ACTION. VISUALIZE HOW THE LAW INTERACTS WITH PEOPLE AND THE SOCIETY, HOW IT OFFERS SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS, HOW IT FACILITATES TRANSACTIONS, HOW IT NURTURES RELATIONSHIPS, HOW IT PRESERVES ORDER, AND HOW IT AFFECTS HUMAN THOUGHT. WHEN YOU CAN DO THIS, THE LAW WILL COME TO LIFE, AND YOU WILL SEE IT EVERYWHERE, AND YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH THE STUDY OF LAW.

“AND WHEN YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE STUDY OF LAW, YOU WILL NEVER FORGET IT AGAIN. AND THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IT GIVES, YOU CAN NO LONGER UNLEARN IT. IT WILL BE YOURS FOREVER.”