Cheers greet aspiring lawyers on last day of bar exams

MANILA, Philippines — Loud cheers and music greeted aspiring lawyers as they left the University of Santo Tomas campus on España Boulevard in Manila on Sunday, the last day of the 2019 bar examinations, which took place on the four Sundays of November.

First-time examinee Gedrick Angeles admitted that although he did not finish all the required readings for bar takers, he was confident enough in his skills to not even think about dropping out after the first Sunday.

“I already told myself that I will fight for my dream until the end,” he told the Inquirer as fellow students from Far Eastern University showered him with colored powder and cheered him for his perseverance.

Returning examinees also reported an “easier” set of questions this year compared to 2018.

More than 500 takers, however, failed to return for the second day of the bar exams on Nov. 10. From 8,245 on Nov. 3, the number dropped to 7,699. Eight more did not show up for the third day of the exams on Nov. 17.

In 2018, the passing rate for the bar exams was 22.07 percent, with 1,800 of the 8,155 finishers hurdling the grueling test.