THE 2023 BAR EXAMINATIONS
Operating under the aim of expediting the admission of successful examinees to the legal profession, the 2023 Bar Examinations shall be held in the month of September.
Barring any unforeseeable circumstance or fortuitous event that might warrant rescheduling, the 2023 Bar Examinations shall be conducted in three (3) non-consecutive days, in a span of eight (8) days:
September 17, Sunday,
September 20, Wednesday, and
September 24, Sunday.
The rationale is both practical and societal: an earlier conduct of examinations means an earlier release of examination results; successful Bar examinees can commence their practice of law as early as December 2023; and new lawyers may begin contributing to their families and to the society as members of the Bar in the same year they graduated from law school.
Coverage
The 2023 Bar Examinations is divided into six (6) core subjects, distributed over three days of examination. Two (2) subjects are to be taken per examination day, segmented into morning and afternoon periods. The morning periods shall run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and the afternoon periods are to be administered from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The 6 core subjects are allocated the following weights:
First Day
|
Schedule |
Subject |
Weight |
|
AM |
Political and Public International Law |
15% |
|
PM |
Commercial and Taxation Laws |
20% |
Second Day
|
Schedule |
Subject |
Weight |
|
AM |
Civil Law |
20% |
|
PM |
Labor Law and Social Legislation |
10% |
Third Day
|
Schedule |
Subject |
Weight |
|
AM |
Criminal Law |
10% |
|
PM |
Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises |
25% |
The above subjects were determined, and some were conjoined, upon a thoughtful review of previous syllabi and due consideration of the latest developments in legal practice. Taxation Law will be coupled with Commercial Law in view of the affinity between these two fields of law in law practice. Remedial Law will be jointly administered with Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises, both being complementary tools in the exercise of the profession.
All examination questions will be sourced only from laws, rules, issuances, and jurisprudence pertinent to the key topics indicated in the 2023 Bar Syllabi as of the cut-off date of June 30, 2022.
Principles of law appearing in the Court’s decisions even after the cut-off date of June 30, 2022 may nonetheless be included in the coverage of the 2023 Bar Examinations.
Repealing and amendatory laws already effective on or before the cut-off date of June 30, 2022 are included in the 2023 Bar coverage, regardless of their designation in the syllabi.
Multiple-Examiner Policy; Other Mechanics
A bar examination is simply a qualifying test, intended to measure a candidate’s basic legal knowledge and competence. As such, the 2023 Bar Examinations will be composed of a maximum of twenty (20) straightforward, entry-level questions, in essay-type form. Answers will not require computations, and will be graded from 0% to 100% or 5% for each question.
Pursuant to Bar Matter No. 11611 and in order to achieve an efficient, thorough review of answers despite the increasing number of Bar candidates every year, the 2023 Bar Examinations shall adopt a multiple-examiner policy of four (4) examiners per subject.
The 2023 Bar Examinations shall test not only your knowledge, but also your resolve. Exploit your last semester in law school to the fullest and your law review courses to the last minute as opportunities for mastery. Do a careful reading of all official 2023 Bar Bulletins and issuances. Be vigilant against misinformation and disinformation, and be adaptable in overcoming post-pandemic challenges. Never waver. May your body be strong and your mind fortified as you step onto the final stretch of this journey. Do not leave your fate to Fortuna, the goddess of chance. But should you do, always remember that chance favors the prepared one. The goal is in sight. I hope to see each one of you at the finish line.
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