Resting, having support system key to passing Bar exam – topnotchers

Topnotchers Kyle Christian Tutor and Maria Lovelyn Joyce Quebrar say they are friends with fourth-placer John Philippe Chua and 20th-placer Charles Kenneth Lijauco in a virtual interview with INQUIRER.net on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Maria Lovelyn Joyce Quebrar)

MANILA, Philippines — Prioritizing rest and having a good support system helped in taking and passing the 2024 Bar examination, topnotchers Kyle Christian Tutor and Maria Lovelyn Joyce Quebrar told INQUIRER.net in an interview Saturday.

Tutor placed first with a score of 85.77 percent while Quebrar placed sixth with a score of 84.06 percent out of the country’s 3,962 new lawyers, the Supreme Court announced on Friday.

READ: Bar Exam Results 2024: List of topnotchers, passers

In their first media interview since passing the Bar with flying colors, Tutor and Quebrar shared with INQUIRER.net their experiences with studying law, their plans for their future practice, and advice for aspiring lawyers.

A surprise

On the day of the results, Tutor went to church by himself to pray, a respite after three months of stress since they took the exam in September 2024.

“I didn’t watch it live. I waited for people to contact me. I was surprised kasi I was just praying and people were calling and saying I ranked first in the Bar examination,” he said. “Akala ko talaga hindi ako papasa. I was expecting to get like a line of 7 grade na saktong pasado lang.”

Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Lopez adjusted the passing score from 75 percent to 74 percent, which he said was approved by the Court en banc.

READ: ‘Failure is a detour, not fatal defeat,’ 2024 Bar exam flunkers told

“I found it very difficult. Wala akong subject na super confident in. And there were two subjects na wala talaga akong nasagot ng matino,” Tutor told INQUIRER.net.

“Talagang sumabog ‘yung phone ko. And it was overwhelming because I wanted to reply to everyone who supported me,” he added.

Quebrar also went to church with her family to catch the noontime Mass.

By the time the Mass ended, the Supreme Court announced the results, which she and her family watched through a livestream while in the shrine.

“I wasn’t really expecting to hear my name because I had very little time to study for the bar. And my only prayer is for me to pass. And hindi ko na in-expect yung sarili ko na mag-top,” she said.

Quebrar said she had just two months to prepare and only had a few materials to work with.

“Biglang in-announce yung name ko. Sobrang nanginginig ako. And, grabe, parang ‘yung luha ko, ‘di ko na mapigilan. And then, I hugged my mom who was beside me at the time. And, hindi talaga mag-sink in. Hindi ko ma-digest,” she told INQUIRER.net.

Rest, support systems

In the lead-up to the Bar exams, Tutor said he prepared a calendar for the materials he wanted to cover but “overestimated” the time he needed to study.

“I focused on my weakest subjects. I kept my focus sa goal. Dapat laging may schedule. Yung sleeping schedule, mahalaga din, so you have to really stick to that,” he added.

He stressed that his rest was just as important as his studies.

“I think mas maganda na consistent na ‘yung body mo throughout the Bar review para ready ka na for the Bar exams. Rest is important, so I made sure na ‘yung hours of sleep ko was enough, but I still tried to maximize the time that I had to study,” Tutor said.

“Just really be responsible, be diligent, and be focused,” he added.

Quebrar also prepared a calendar but, despite her best intentions, failed to follow it.

“I am also very unhealthy when it comes to my sleeping schedule. I think I only sleep two to three hours per day to wake up for the time na hindi ako nakapag-aral,” she explained.

She shared, “I am very lucky to have my circle of friends who are very diligent and hardworking when it comes to their studies because they motivated me as well.”

Quebrar said she and Tutor shared the same friend group along with John Philippe Chua, who placed fourth with 84.28 percent, and Charles Kenneth Lijauco, who placed 20th with 82.795 percent.

“We have a group chat wherein we lay down very important doctrines or potential bar questions, and we take turns answering them. That helped in augmenting kung ano man ‘yung mga hindi ko naaral na materials,” Quebrar explained.

“So even though I don’t have much time leaving the several materials available, at least I have my group of friends who help me to prepare for the bar itself. A very good support system, if I may say,” she added.

Scholarships, extracurriculars, work experience

Tutor graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila with a degree in political science with honors, while Quebrar graduated from UP Diliman with a degree in business administration with honors.

They both got their Juris Doctor degrees from the UP College of Law and were beneficiaries of its scholarship program.

“We were working a few years pa lang since graduating from college, so of course, paying for the tuition fee in the College of Law is quite burdensome financially,” Quebrar said.

“It’s a big help that UP has this program… which allows students who are in financial need to have help with willing sponsors to augment ‘yung kulang to pay for the tuition fee because it’s very difficult to study and focus on studying if you’re worrying about other things,” she added.

During his studies, Tutor said he fumbled his first few recitations during criminal law, saying “After that, I was able to redeem myself… If you keep on trying, you’ll eventually get there.”

Tutor also joined the Alpha Phi Beta fraternity, adding that he and his peers “were always been pushed by our seniors, our contemporaries, to always strive for excellence in law school and in extracurricular activities.”

Both Tutor and Quebrar were on the editorial board for the 97th volume of the Philippine Law Journal, the college’s student-run law review, where he served as vice chairperson and she served as a member.

The first topnotcher explained, “The amount of articles that we read there, I think also helped us, helped me particularly, in analyzing legal questions or issues. It also developed the way I write, which was relevant for the bar exams and in law school as well.”

Tutor once worked for the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), an office attached to the Department of Justice. He was a legal secretary and planning officer during his time at UP Law, the OSG said in a message to the media.

“My experience there was actually relevant because ‘pag nag-work ka, may expectations. You know, how to prioritize, to schedule properly, to make plans,” he expounded.

“That just developed my sense of diligence and responsibility, which I carried out in law school as well… I had been writing reports on important cases and it widened my knowledge of jurisprudence, of doctrines, and of the law,” Tutor added.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said in his message, “Malaking bagay ang working in a law firm like the OSG. I will ask him to rejoin us.”

Celebration, future plans

Both Tutor and Quebrar had committed to private law firms before the results announcement, looking forward to learning the ropes in the profession.

For Quebrar, a simple dinner with her family and close friends would be enough to celebrate her remarkable achievement, especially with the upcoming holiday season.

She also wanted to return to the churches she prayed in while preparing for the exam to show gratitude, such as the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag.

Meanwhile, Tutor said he was looking forward to seeing friends again and rooting for UP against De La Salle University in the do-or-die Game 3 of the finals for the men’s basketball tournament.

Tutor and Quebrar then shared their advice for aspiring lawyers.

“Law students can always try to relate what they’re doing in everyday life to the law. Kung nagco-commute sila, ano yung legal problems na pwede mangyari? Ano yung legal concepts na pwedeng i-apply?” Tutor said.

“Matutulungan ka doon na ma-apply ‘yung alam mo sa possible questions sa Bar,” he added.

Quebrar also gave a tip on how to study more effectively by saying, “Try to focus on the quality of your reading. If you don’t have the time to study a lot of materials or to read the materials more than once, make sure that the one time you’re reading the particular material, you understand everything.”

“If there’s a particular sentence or a particular paragraph that you do not understand, seek help from people who might know about it,” she added.

UP test-takers posted a 93.09 percent passing rate, with 202 passers out of 217 examinees, ranking second among schools with over 100 test-takers.

READ: 3 schools have highest percentage of passers among first-time bar exam takers

Ateneo de Manila University led the pack with 159 out of 165 examinees succeeding, logging a 96.36 percent passing rate.

Over 10,000 aspiring lawyers nationwide took the tests held last Sept. 8, 11 and 15.