Bar Exam Tips & Secrets

THE GREAT FORMULA

IN PASSING THE BAR EXAMINATIONS
Contributed by:
Atty. Glenn M. Mortel
(espogi4@yahoo.com)
"There is nothing that can help a bar examinee most than a constant and intensiv
e study of the provisions of the various codes and the interpretation and applic
ation thereof by the Supreme Court in its decisions. By study is meant, that the
provisions must be correctly understood and the thought or words thereof put to
memory. After a chapter, for example, has been studied, the next one should be
studied next, and after this, a review of all that has already been studied re-r
eviewed, to keep the subject matter and the provisions fresh in mind." - Alejo L
abrador
1. Actual preparation for the bar examination starts from the first day a law st
udent attended class during the first year in the law school.
2. The blooming secret in passing the bar examination is this: Present good answ
ers that will make the examiners take notice. Good answers anchored upon logical
reasoning, written in readable English and more importantly, justified by appro
priate legal authority.
3. If the candidates are at a loss as to what specific legal provisions or case
doctrines to use in answering problems, the only alternative left for them is to
use their own common sense.
4. The key to passing the bar examinations is contained in one word: ARTICULATIO
N. Articulation is expressive of the following basic fundamentals: good language
, impressive presentation, logical reasoning and substantial background knowledg
e of law and procedure.
5. The examinee who has a fairly good command of English, assuming that he is pr
epared in all other matters, stands definitely with a much better chance of pass
ing.
6. The responsive character of a given answer would depend to a great extent, on
command of good language, logical reasoning and impressive presentation. This o
bjective of preparing impressive and responsive answers can only be achieved by
constant practice.
7. Get this straight right now. Passing the bar examination has been, still is,
and will always be a difficult proposition!
8. No one can really help you pass the bar examination but yourself.
9. The greatest blooming secret of passing the bar examination is and will alway
s be: PREPARATION! Not just any kind of preparation, but proper, sound and syste
matic preparation.
10. Systematic review can only be done by the use of what we call schedules whic
h the candidate must follow vigorously to the letter if he expects to attain the
best results.
11. There will be times when you become sleepy while reviewing but never for one
moment, tell yourself: Man, this review can wait! Do not be stupid. Always remi
nd yourself that time is of the essence and is decidedly running too short for y
ou.

12. Force yourself to read, understand and absorb what law you reviewed. Otherwi
se, all your efforts will go to waste.
13. Love and review cannot mix in the business of preparing for the bar examinat
ion.
14. Early to bed, early to rise, that is the way to make a man healthy, wealthy
and wise.
15. A morning shower is a must.
16. Never stay up late to the wee hours of morning, cramming law into your head.
This would not do you any good. Remember, you have to conserve as much energy a
s you possibly can.
17. Remember, keeping your health in good running condition is just as important
as reviewing and passing the bar examination.
18. Good handwriting is decidedly a great factor in passing the bar examination.
19. To beat time, never write kilometric answers.
20. By far the most important tool that the bar candidate could equip himself wi
th which to tackle the examination that is inherently personal to him is command
of written English.
21. You have to write simple, grammatically correct English if you want to hurdl
e the examination.
22. Presentation of answers that are not only good but logical, full of substanc
e and supported by law and other authorities, are gems to the examiner, whether
he has a good or black heart.
23. Make your motto now: Stick to codal provisions! Compliment this with doctrin
es laid down in recent decisions of the Supreme Court.
24. Impressive answers showing the candidates reasoning faculty is what the exam
iners want to read in your examination notebooks.
25. Ability to retain your understanding of the substance of the law through eff
orts of study is more desirable quality to possess than mere ability to memorize
legal provisions.
26. Memorizing a particular provision of law word for word but without understan
ding it and its various implications is a lot of wasted effort.
27. Never fail to read the newspapers when you are preparing for the bar examina
tion. Read newspapers from 20 to 30 minutes every day.
28. You can never expect to pass the bar examination without preparation.
29. Predicting probable questions based on important principles or provisions of
law is the safer method of speculating what the examiners are likely to ask in
their examinations.
30. Never depend on tips for your passing. But never brush these tips aside as n
othing but trash. They may likely cause your downfall. Never, however, bank too
much on them.
31. Fountain or sign pens are really the most important equipment in bar examina

tion. Never start for the examination without bringing along with you two or mor
e fountain or sign pens.
32. Like the weather, examiners are absolutely a bunch of unpredictable fellows,
capable of asking unpredictable questions.
33. Do not try to memorize 50 definitions or distinctions in any given time. Two
or three will do.
34. The real secret in remembering the matters contained in an enumeration is th
e use of keywords.
35. Make your keywords on enumerations you consider important.
36. Never leave a blank in an enumeration! However, if you use the letters a, b,
c, etc. for numbers in the enumeration, so much the better. Ten to one, the exa
miner may not count his fingers. Make the first four in the enumeration definite
ly good.
37. The bar candidate should do well to be always on guard against catchy questi
ons capable of being answered in a number of ways, e.g. What is a complaint? The
perfect answer should include both definitions in criminal and civil procedure.
38. Never be content to answer questions with a mere yes or no. You must, at all
times, give justification why your answer is a yes or no. Unless, of course, th
e examiner qualifies his question with instruction enclosed in parenthesis like:
(Answer with a yes or no only).
39. Always determine the real facts (examiners have the bad habit of including i
rrelevant facts to confuse you) and the issue or issues in controversy. Which si
de you take, always justify your side with reasons based on law, rule, equity an
d justice. Whatever your answer may be, provided it is written in legible langua
ge, the examiner will never deny you the corresponding credit you deserve.
40. Always remember, make efforts to frame your answers so that they are respons
ive to the questions. Never beat around the bush. Go right straight ahead with y
our answer. Avoid citations if and when you are not absolutely sure about them.
The shorter the answers are, the more direct, the better. Avoid display of flowe
ry expressions which are complicated by legal verbosity. All you need are sensib
le, direct and reasonable answers that are responsive to the questions.
41. Legal knowledge is not enough to solve a particular legal issue. What is imp
ortant is ability to apply this knowledge to the solution of legal controversies
.
42. The most convenient method of tackling problem questions is to present immed
iately the conclusion of a given answer. Practice, practice, constant practice w
ill help the bar candidate write good answers that examiners will give favorable
credit.
43. The technique of writing down answers responsive to questions is a matter th
at the candidate must learn as a matter of imperative necessity.
44. Brevity and directness when done properly could make an answer both effectiv
e and impressive. However, when overdone to a point where the ideas sought to be
conveyed becomes vague and difficult to understand, they become a liability.
45. Never forget that every candidate is a potential bar topnotcher.
46. So, if you are a candidate just preparing for the bar examination, whose cha

nces of passing are quite problematical, just limit your ambition for the presen
t to just working hard to obtain a 75 percent in the great battle of your life.
47. Take comfort in this: That even those who become lawyers by "just luck", are
making good in the practice of law. Nothing can really put a determined man dow
n.
48. In your preparation for the greatest battle of your life, call upon Him who
is the source of all knowledge, wisdom and understanding. In deep humility, bend
ed knees and tears, He will make all things beautiful in His time. Victory belon
gs to the most persevering!