GUIDE AND RULES OF CONDUCT TO THE 2014 BAR EXAMINATIONS
The Supreme Court, in its desire to serve the interests of Bar examinees and to contribute to their success in the 2014 Bar Examinations, has issued this Guide to advise them on how to best approach the examinations. This Guide contains as well the rules that every Bar examinee should observe in his/her conduct during the examinations for its orderly implementation, taking into account not only the interests of the Bar examinees, but of the University hosting the examinations, the Bar personnel conducting the examinations, and the public at large. Every Bar examinee should read this Guide thoroughly as part of his/her preparationPreparing for the Examination
Knowing the Coverage The coverage of the 2014 Bar Examinations is precisely defined in the Syllabi (with a separate Syllabus issued for every Bar subject) that the Court has issued. The 2014 Bar Examinations Syllabi have been uploaded in the Supreme Court Website; as Bar examinees need not study materials not covered by the Syllabi. March 31, 2014 is the cut-off for laws and jurisprudence covered by the 2014 Bar Examinations. No cut-off dates exist for examinable principles of law. In other words, a principle of law appearing in the Court’s cases decided after March 31, 2014 is not excluded from the coverage of the examinations simply because the principle of law appeared in a case decided after the cut-off date. Managing the Examination Performing well in the Bar Examinations requires a good understanding of basic principles of law and of relevant jurisprudence, and an adequate ability to understand and communicate in the English language. Knowledge of English comes from the Bar examinees’ accumulated study of, and experience, in communicating in this language. Knowledge of law, on the other hand, is based on years of study in law school and in the Bar review classes. In order to pass the Bar examinations, the examinees need to exert effort to be as precise as possible in their knowledge of the law and in communicating this knowledge during the examinations. Some Tips in Answering Bar Examination Questions in General. • Every Bar examinee should master this Guide and the examination Instructions in the cover page of every Questionnaire. This Guide is provided well ahead of time to give the examinees time for its study. A 2 Sample Bar Instructions will be posted in the Court’s Bar Bulletin. The sample questionnaire will contain a copy of the Instructions that will apply to the actual Bar examinations, subject to the necessary changes that particular Bar subjects may call for. • The examinee should read and examine the Instructions on the cover page of the Bar Questionnaire as soon as they are allowed to do so by the headwatcher. The number of pages as stated in the Instructions, and the number of pages in the distributed Questionnaire, should carefully be compared. The correct number of Essay and MCQ questions should be confirmed to ensure that the Questionnaire is accurate and has no missing or duplicated pages. • Only one booklet shall be used in answering the Essay and MCQ portions of the examination. Bar questions should be answered in the same order that questions are posed in the Questionnaire. • Note that depending upon the number of questions for the Essay portion and the MCQ portion of the exam, the Essay portion of the examination is worth at least 80°/o, while the MCQ portion is worth not more than 20°/o of the examinee’s total examination grade in every Bar subject. Reason dictates that the essay portion, which is presented first in the Questionnaires, be answered first. • After confirming the correct number of Essay and MCQ questions, the Bar examinee should plan his/her answering time and, accordingly, pace himself/herself. The examination in every subject is for four ( 4) hours and the questions have been formulated and calculated to be answerable within this time, with an allowance for the review of the examinee’s answers. • As a good rule to observe, it may be best to simply mark the question/s whose answer/s the examinee is not sure of, and to move on to the succeeding questions that the examinee can answer, in order not to waste precious time. The examinee can later return to the more difficult questions initially marked and left behind.Answering Essay Questions
• Read each question carefully for its full and complete understanding. Pay particular attention to the directive or direction word/s the essay question uses. Examples of direction words are argue, compare, contrast, define, decide, and distinguish. The answer should respond to what these directives or direction words exactly require.• Again, time planning and pacing are essential, remembering that the essay questions contain the bulk -at least 80% -of the examination.
• Every well-written essay question specifically asks for the resolution of the legal problem posed. The examinee’s task is to provide the resolution that the essay question calls for, nothing more and nothing less, with sufficient explanation of how the examinee arrived at his/her conclusion. Note that in a 5-point essay exam, the examiner can give credit even if the answer is not exactly correct but the answer is wellwritten and logical. Consider, however, that the use of the “shotgun” approach in answering essay questions may not be the best approach as it indicates the lack of exact or specific knowledge about the questions asked.
• Go straight to the point if you know the exact answer to the question. As a good rule to follow, draw an outline of the proposed answer – after reading the question and understanding what it requires, take some time to note (mentally or on a scratch paper) a brief outline of the proposed answer. The examinee can use the questionnaire but not the exam booklet to do the outline. The outline allows him/her to systematically present all the pertinent information in a logical order.
• Write clearly and legibly. Use black, blue or blue-black ink only. Pencils will no longer be used nor allowed for the examinations. As a rule, five to six words per line significantly contribute to readability.
• The examinee can help the examiner’s assessment of the answer by providing clues to the line of thinking used and the answer’s pattern of organization. Use transitional words such as first, second, next, finally, on the other hand, consequently, furthermore and in conclusion.
• Answers should always be proofread. Because an essay exam is also a test of the examinee’s writing ability, he/she should spend some time to review his/her answer. Look for mistakes in grammar and punctuation, check for misspelled or missing words and omit needless words.
• Make sure no uncalled for name, distinguishing or identifying mark is placed in one’s notebook. Care should be taken not to use a specific name when no such name is called for. Do not write any prayer to God nor any special plea addressed to the examiner. Leaving or making a distinguishing or identifying mark in the exam booklet is classified
as cheating and can subject the examinee to disqualification for the whole examination.
Answering MCQs
• Pay attention to every detail of the question. Read each question and consider all options carefully since this type of question tests the examinee’s ability to recall, analyze, make distinctions, and apply information to very specific situations. The general instruction is to choose the BEST answer from among the choices given. This means that if there are two choices that can possibly answer the question, the better answer of the two choices should bechosen.
• Pay attention to the given facts and be careful not to make assumptions that are not supported by these facts.
• Make it a point to answer all MCQs as the examinee either gets full credit or no credit for every item; there are no middle grounds as m the essay portion of the examination. If one does not know the answer to a question, he should make an informed guess. An incorrect answer is no different from an unanswered question. Do not forget to use the process of elimination to narrow down the choices given.
