Practical Suggestions on How to Pass the Bar

8/13/2019 Practical Suggestions on How to Pass the Bar

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Practical Suggestions on How to Pass the Bar by John P. Virgino

Graduation for law students is so anti-climactic. As if the spartan life we have lived thepast four years is not enough, we still have to gear up and march to the Coliseum and wage an even greater battle. The fight is filled with uncertainties, for when we step intothe ring, we are on our own. There is no assurance that we would emerge as victoriousGladiators cheered upon by the crowd, or be the next Happy Meal for the royal lions.

The first thing a reviewee must do is to accept this reality. Studying for the bar is one bigmarshmallow test. It would entail a drastic change in habit and lifestyle. Sacrifices must be made. The sooner you accept it, the better you could cope with the bar examsdemands and challenges.

As Sun Tzu once said, the art of war includes knowing ones enemy. The number oneenemy that a bar reviewee must confront is his fear of the unknown, the anxiety as to what lies ahead. It is human to fear what one doesnt understand. So, the main goal ofthis exercise is to help you understand what the bar is. I hope this article could serve as amap that would aid you conquer the bars perilous terrain.

The tips contained herein are not foolproof. Its objective is modest-it is simply to passthe bar. Most of the suggestions contained here were culled from my experience.

However, to give it some credibility, I also included the effective habits of fellowreviewees, as well as sound advice from previous topnotchers (Macel and Raj).

I. PREPARING FOR THE BAR

! Set your goals and devise your own strategy on how to do it. When you have nogameplan, you simply conform and follow what the others are doing. This can bedangerous.

! Strategize and maximize. Follow the Pareto principle. Each one is given more or less

the same amount of time to study. You must be able to manage your scarce resources.Concentrate on your critical few, the 20% input that would produce 80% of your output.

! Organize your materials ahead of time. Buy the right books and review materials.

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Civil- JuradoTaxation -Dan Calicas ReviewerCommercial -Miravite/VillanuevaCriminal -Ortega Notes

Remedial -RegaladoLegal Ethics -Aguirre

STARTER KIT

a good and sturdy bookstanda good lamp, white lighta cubicle made from illustration boards, this would give you privacy and minimizedistractions (for student lounge people)

earplugs, to block off noise. It also sends a signal to noisy co-reviewees to shut-up vitamins/supplementsnotebook, index cardsa good supply of highlighterspost-its. The tags can be used to divide the material, which can mark your goal for theday. By breaking the books into parts, it makes reading more manageable.II. STUDYING FOR THE BAR

! Master the codal provisions. This is a minimum requirement. You can never go wrong

with this strategy.

! Manage your time according to the weight of the subject. Not all bar subjects arecreated equal.

! Prepare a tentative schedule for your bar review.

! Adjust your body clock. Sleep early, start early. Some reviewees even go to the extent ofsimulating the bar month by making Monday their rest day (since Mondays are brain-dead days during September)

! Have a study buddy so that you can have a benchmark. This would help pace yourself,giving you the extra push to study. Your study buddy must have good study habits. Sheneed not be your girlfriend.


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! Learn the art of answering the bar. Study how bar questions are phrased and how itshould be answered.

The bar questions are crafted differently from the usual law exams we have. Look at theSuggested Answers published by the UP Law Center. Some questions repeat over timeso make sure you get the survey of bar questionnaires to concentrate on areas, which arefavorite sources of questions.

! While studying for the bar, take down notes and prepare your mnemonics. Whether welike it or not, the bar is a memory game, and there is no substitute for memorizing.

! Emphasis should be made on the quality of your study time and not the amount ofhours you spend studying. Dont be obsessed with the number of pages you read in aday. The problem with being obsessed with the number of readings is that you aretempted to postpone your understanding of the material since at the back of your mind, you intend to second and third read it any way. Next thing you know, it is already barmonth and youll be cramming all the information in your head.

! Read to understand and not for the sake of simply reading. Reading can become amechanical exercise. Most reviewees brag that they have read their bar materials threetimes. Dont be alarmed. Some read faster than the others. However, speed-readingshould not be done at the expense of comprehension. It is better to have one goodreading than have three lousy readings.

! Less is more. One important faux pas to avoid is the temptation of reading a lot ofmaterials. We have this thinking that five months should be spent reading all thematerials we can get. Anything less would make us feel guilty and insecure. You mayread all you want, but remember that you should not spread yourself too thinly. Thetruth is, the bar is composed of only 30-40 questions per subject. You must be consciousof the fact that the examiner will grade you solely on the basis of the way you answerthese questions. The fact that you read all the commentaries would be immaterial.

! Practice good handwriting skills. This is important. Your exam may be readable to yourlaw professor, considering that he is checking around fifty bluebooks. Imaginemultiplying it by one hundred. Bar examiners are humans too. Their patience could beequated as inversely proportional to the number of bluebooks they will be checking. The bar examiner might not have the forebearance to decipher your encrypted hieroglyphics.


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III. CAVEATS

! Learn the proper way of highlighting materials, since you will re-read the materials.Highlight only the important words and phrases. Avoid highlighting everything since itdefeats the very purpose of highlighting in the first place.

! Read carefully. Dont accept everything you read as gospel truths. There are a lot oferrors that you need to correct in your reading materials. Also, make sure that the law you are reading is udpated.

! Avoid the Maricon virus (the syndrome of photocopying all the materials that one canget his hands into. A tribute to Maricon, the xerox empress) like the plague. The nexttime someone flash you a candidate material, think twice. Inspect the materials carefullyand determine if you truly need it, or whether you will be able to read it. Photocopiedmaterials give us a false sense of security. We justify this photocopying spree saying that you need the option of being able to read it if your time permits it. The danger lies in thefact that if we have too many materials at hand, it might overwhelm us and reduce usinto a state of helplessness. It also make us lose our focus. Added to this, is the sense ofinadequacy if we failed to finish our ambitious reading list.

! Rumors are just rumors. In the duration of the bar review (even after), be wary of therumors that would spread. One example is that you will hear that this person is theexaminer, so the next step you will take is to ask if he has written a book so that you can buy it. We have this standing theory that the one responsible for spreading these rumorsare the book publishers who wants to increase their book sales. Dont believe theserumors! Be aware of the fact that you are extremely vulnerable as a reviewee. Withhold belief even when the person tells you that the information comes from a very reliablesource. With respect to knowing who the examiner is, dont preoccupy yourself with it. As a co-examinee bluntly puts it, in spite of the fact that we know our law professors, westill could not predict the questions that they ask during finals. This is the same case with the bar examiners.

! Hot tips are not hot, even if they are stamped confidential. Tips are overrated and youshould take it with a grain of salt. It caters to a reviewees psychological need, a placebo.Even if you did not receive any hot tips, dont despair. You can do good without it,maybe do even better.

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS


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! Should you enroll in the bar review classes? Well this is open to debate. I enrolled inthe bar review classes because my philosophy then was never to shortchange my review.I told myself that six thousand pesos might spell the difference between passing andfailing. Enrolling would preclude me from blaming myself, in the unfortunate event that

I fail, thinking that I would have passed if only I enrolled myself. However, I wasdisappointed with the way review classes were conducted. The lectures could be boringand slow at times. Listening is a skill, it drains too much energy and takes too much of your time. Sometimes, you will be deluded into believing that your understandingmirrors that of the lecturer. Your option would be to just borrow the materials from aco-reviewee and have it photocopied. Take time to sift through the materials andsegregate the materials you think might be useful.

! Should you billet yourself in a hotel? I talked to my classmates who did not stay in

hotel and they said that they were more relaxed. If you decide to stay home, think ofthese two things:

a. how to receive the tips (if you still think it is indispensable) b. how to get to theexamination area on time (6 am ideal)

If you decide to stay in a hotel, I suggest that you dont share a room, to minimizemovements and distractions.

! Study in the student lounge. Personally, I think my stay there has helped me pass the bar. The daily interaction with fellow reviewees, the jokes, small talks and power napsform part of the student lounge experience. It has definitely kept my head above waterin those grueling five months. There, we found humor in our collective misery.

! Exercise. It is normal to gain weight during the bar review. We reviewees use eating asa mechanism to deal with tremendous stress. I eat five full meals during the bar,excluding merienda, because I used eating as an excuse not to study. Dont worry, you will shed the unwanted fats after the bar review (I did say my advice is not foolproof

right?) To deal with this, some co-reviewees enrollled in gym classes. Others simply jogaround the academic oval. Exercise improves blood and oxygen circulation, even when itonly means a walk to the vendo machine.

! In the duration of the review, pamper yourself once in a while. This is part of stressmanagement, to combat the possibility of burnout.


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V. IMPORTANT REMINDERS

! During the night before the exam, try to get a good night rest. Bubble bath. Drink a warm chocolate. ! Ask someone (your bar buddy) to prepare your food. Grab a slicedSubway so that you can eat and read in the afternoon within La Salle.

! Be sure to bring all the papers (exam permits, I.D). It is suggested that you buy atransparent envelope and hang it in your neck (with a fancy ID holder) so that you wontlose these important documents. This is simple but this would be very helpful, as it would reduce unnecessary stress.

! Bring a jacket or umbrella.

! Do not bring your celphones inside La Salle and avoid the hassle of depositing it.

! Go to La Salle early to avoid the madness in the hotel lobby. Know in advance whichgate you would have to go to.

! Choose the materials you think you have to read in the interim before the exam. Bringonly these materials, lest you want to subject yourself to a panic attack. Remember, youneed to relax yourself.

! Never leave your blue book, switching is not a remote possibility

! Bring mineral water, sweets/chocolates as brain boosters during the exam.

VI. DURING THE BAR EXAM

The thirty minutes before the exam after the proctor told us to bring our things in front was really nerve-wracking. Imagine staring blankly at your co-examinees and whispering to yourself that the minutes could have been productively used reading codalprovisions.

!

After the distribution of the exam questionnaire, scan the questions. Compute thenumber of questions and allocate your time accordingly. Remember that it is okay if youfeel you dont know the answer. This is the so-called information rush. Breathe andallow things to settle down.

! In answering bar questions, take a deep solid breath and process the question. Beresponsive and try to answer clearly and directly. Cite legal provisions or case law to


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support your arguments. If you dont know the exact provision, cite a provision that youthink comes close. It is rare that you know all the answers to the questions, dont fret. Inthe event that you dont know the answer, guess, but support it with legal arguments orcase law. Use good English to mask your ignorance. My experience with the bar is that

even if I know the answer, I had difficulty answering because I wanted to craft andformulate my answer in the best possible way. Be conscious of time, make sure to start writing, never mind if it is not as grand as you initially wanted it to be.

! Skip questions you are not sure of the answers. Just be sure to get back to it. Review your answers, make sure you answered all the questions sequentially.

VII. AFTER THE BAR EXAM

! Learn how to compartmentalize. Even if you didnt do well in one exam, dont despair.Dont let the bad feeling affect your performance in the next exam, otherwise it will notonly be one subject you will have to worry about. I avoided discussion of answers withfellow reviewees. It is cathartic for some but it is depressing for most. I personally believe that the exercise is very counter-productive. It only depresses us more to knowthat our classmates were able to eloquently answer the questions we thought wasdifficult. Often, our co-reviewee approached the legal problem from a different angleand we tend to blame ourselves for failing to see it the way he did.

! Be contented with your answers. You have already submitted your bluebook havealready done everything from your end. It is already up to the examiner to appreciate your answers. It is futile to feel sorry. Sure you could have answered better but it is sadthat it always seems to dawn only after you submitted the booklet. Remember that giventhe limited time we had, we may have failed to give our best and most rational answer.The ratio of last clear chance comes to mind.

! Sweet Surrender. Pray and trust in the Lord Almighty. As a friend puts it, the bar is ahumbling experience. It is impossible to control all the factors that would guarantee our

passing the bar. Undergoing the bar experience makes us more keenly aware of ourlimitations as human beings. Within the limited time we have, we can only study andprepare so much. I believe that there is more to the bar than the bar questions we needto answer. The real exam is surviving the four Sundays without cracking from thetremendous pressure the whole exercise brings. In the course of writing this article, Imay have committed some mistakes, grammatical or otherwise my apologies. For


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whatever this article might lack in logic and coherence, is made up for with a genuineand sincere desire to help you hurdle and pass the bar.

Goodluck to all of you!

Practical Suggestions on How to Pass the Bar

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