350 opt not to take bar exams

MANILA, Philippines—A total of 350 law graduates failed to take the tedious bar examinations on the first Sunday of the four-weekend test, data from the Supreme Court showed.

The Information that the high court released on Friday showed that only 5,994 out of the total 6,344 candidates took the first round of exams on Sunday.

A total 5,996 examinees took the morning test on political and public international law, with 348 absent. By the afternoon session, two more opted out and no longer took the labor and social legislation test.

The bar exams, known to be one of the toughest professional licensure exams, will continue on the next three Sundays of the month at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). This year’s exams are the first round since the high court removed the five-strike limit on retakes.

Out of the original number of approved applicants, 3,229 are retakers, slightly more than the 3,115 first-timers.

Less than one-third of the examinees have passed the bar over the last decade and a half. Last year, 22.18 percent of the 5,593 examinees passed the exams, and only after the high court decided to adjust the passing grade from 75 percent to 73 percent.

On its Twitter account on Friday, the high court reminded bar takers to arrive early at UST “to avoid delays in entry due to unscheduled fun runs.” The court also reiterated its new policy of requiring examinees to carry their personal belongings in transparent bags for ease in security checks.

 
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