OCTOBER 2013 BAR EXAMS ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Supreme Court has already issued several bulletins regarding the conduct of Bar Exams on October 2013. 

BAR BULLETIN NO. 1

Office of the Bar Confidant

Supreme Court of the Philippines

1. Bar Exam Venue: University of Sto. Tomas, Espana, Manila

2. Examination Dates: Four Sundays of October 2013:

October 6:

October 13:

October 20:

October 27:

8 a.m. - 12 noon - Political Law

2 p.m. - 6 p.m. - Labor Law

8 a.m. - 12 noon - Civil Law

2 p.m. - 6 p.m. - Taxation

8 a.m. - 12 noon - Commercial Law

2 p.m. - 6 p.m. - Criminal Law

8 a.m. - 12 noon - Remedial Law

2 p.m. - 6 p.m - Legal Ethics

3. Coverage: Questions shall strictly fall within the defined Syllabus for every subject. The Syllabi shall be released through a Bar Bulletin or before December 31, 2012. The cut-off for Supreme Court decisions covered by the 2013 Bar Examinations shall be January 31, 2013.

4. Exam Structure and Format of Questions

a. The Examination shall consist of 20% Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and 80% Essay-type questions.

b. Whether MCQ or essay, the questions shall be based on a given set of facts, presented as briefly but as clearly and completely as possible, taking into account that every examinee needs reading, understanding, consideration of the applicable law, and answering time for every question.

The whole examination should be answerable by the average bar examinee within 3 .5 hours (21 0 minutes) to allow him or her 30 minutes of review time.

c. The basic elements of problem solving that the Examiners shall particularly look for are: the examinee's (1) proper understanding and appreciation ofthefacts, particularly of the components or details that can be material in resolving the given problem; (2) his or her appreciation of the applicable /awls that may come into play; (3) recognition of the issues posed; and the ( 4) resolution of the issues through the analysis and application of the law to the given facts. The examinee's presentation and articulation of his or her answer shall also be given weight.

d. The 20% MCQ portion of the examination shall be divided into 4 or 5 main fact situations from which the MCQ questions shall be asked.

The 80% essay portion of the exam shall be divided into eight (8) divisions of ten (10) points each, with a maximum of two facts per division from which question shall be drawn. The corresponding weight of each question shall properly be indicated in the questionnaire, together with estimated answering time, to allow the examinee proper allotment of his or her exam time.

Read full text here: Bulletin No. 1