THE GREAT FORMULA IN

PASSING THE
BAR EXAMINATIONS
Posted on January 29, 2016

Contributed by Atty. Glenn M. Mortel

There is nothing that can help a bar examinee most than a constant and
intensive study of the provisions of the various codes and the interpretation and
application 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-reviewed, to keep the subject matter and the provisions fresh in
mind. Alejo Labrador
1. Actual preparation for the bar examination starts from the first day a law
student attended class during the first year in the law school.
2. The blooming secret in passing the bar examination is this: Present good
answers that will make the examiners take notice. Good answers anchored upon
logical reasoning, written in readable English and more importantly, justified by
appropriate 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:
ARTICULATION. Articulation is expressive of the following basic fundamentals:
good language, impressive presentation, logical reasoning and substantial
background knowledge of law and procedure.

5. The examinee who has a fairly good command of English, assuming that he is
prepared in all other matters, stands definitely with a much better chance of
passing.
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 objective 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
always be: PREPARATION! Not just any kind of preparation, but proper, sound
and systematic preparation.
10. Systematic review can only be done by the use of what we call schedules
which 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
remind yourself that time is of the essence and is decidedly running too short for
you.
12. Force yourself to read, understand and absorb what law you reviewed.
Otherwise, all your efforts will go to waste.
13. Love and review cannot mix in the business of preparing for the bar
examination.

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 as 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
with 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 hurdle
the examination.
22. Presentation of answers that are not only good but logical, full of substance
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
doctrines laid down in recent decisions of the Supreme Court.
24. Impressive answers showing the candidates reasoning faculty is what the
examiners want to read in your examination notebooks.

25. Ability to retain your understanding of the substance of the law through
efforts 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
understanding 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
examination. 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
nothing 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
examination. Never start for the examination without bringing along with you
two or more 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
the 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
examiner may not count his fingers. Make the first four in the enumeration
definitely good.
37. The bar candidate should do well to be always on guard against catchy
questions 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, the
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
irrelevant facts to confuse you) and the issue or issues in controversy. Which
side you take, always justify your side with reasons based on law, rule, equity
and justice. Whatever your answer may be, provided it is written in legible
language, the examiner will never deny you the corresponding credit you
deserve.
40. Always remember, make efforts to frame your answers so that they are
responsive to the questions. Never beat around the bush. Go right straight
ahead with your 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 flowery expressions which are complicated by legal verbosity. All you
need are sensible, direct and reasonable answers that are responsive to the
questions.
41. Legal knowledge is not enough to solve a particular legal issue. What is
important is ability to apply this knowledge to the solution of legal controversies.
42. The most convenient method of tackling problem questions is to present
immediately the conclusion of a given answer. Practice, practice, constant

practice will 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
that the candidate must learn as a matter of imperative necessity.
44. Brevity and directness when done properly could make an answer both
effective 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
chances of passing are quite problematical, just limit your ambition for the
present 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
down.
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,
bended knees and tears, He will make all things beautiful in His time. Victory
belongs to the most persevering!
Note:
All excerpts, except the last (No. 48), were taken by Atty. GLENN M. MORTEL
from the book SECRETS ON HOW TO PASS THE BAR EXAMINATION by Dean
Wenceslao G. Laureta, 1990 edition.