RESULTS – November 2018 Bar Exam List of Passers, Topnotchers

Manila, Philippines (Released May 3) – The November 2018 Bar Exam results and the full list of passers for the Philippine Lawyers’ licensure exams including the topnotchers (top 20), among other important announcements are available at this website as the Supreme Court (SC) officially released the results on Friday, May 3, 2019.
As announced, 1,800 out of 8,155 (22.07%) aspiring lawyers passed the 2018 Bar exams.

The Bar exams 2018 were administered by the SC headed by the its Chairman, Mariano del Castillo, Associate Justice and Office of the Bar Confidant headed by Deputy Clerk and Bar Confidant Atty. Ma. Cristina B. Layusa on four consecutive Sundays of the month, November 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2018 at University of Santo Tomas (UST).

NOVEMBER 2018 BAR EXAM RESULTS SUMMARY

Shown below is the alphabetical list of passers as well as the top 20 examinees in the 2018 Bar Exams.

The Supreme Court (SC) said that a total of 8,155 examinees took the 2018 Bar exams.

In addition, 2018 Bar exam total takers is the highest in the previous years. In 2017, 6,750 examinees took the exams, 6,831 in the year 2016, 7,146 on 2015 and 6,344 on 2014. The November 2018 Bar exam is the 117th professional licensure exams held by the Supreme Court of the Philippines for all aspiring lawyers.

The bar exams were given in the course of one month, spread over four (4) Sundays and are the only professional licensure examinations which require the examinees to answer full essay type questions. To quote from SC,

“These questions, formulated by the bar examiners for each subject and selected personally by the bar committee Chair on the day of each examination, are formulated to test analytical ability, facility in expression in terms of written argument, comprehension of basic principles of law, and grasp of jurisprudence.”

“Due to the scope and difficulty, the bar examinations are regarded as the most prestigious professional licensure exam in the country. Bar exam is the only licensure examination not administered by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).”

The oath-taking of the new lawyers candidates will be announced by SC after the posting of results.

RELEASE OF RESULTS


As referred to previous years’ Bar exams, results are expected to be released by SC’s Office of the Bar Confidant normally by the end of March up to May of the succeeding year.

Update March 2019: Source said that results may be released on May 3, 2019 (Friday).

The list of passers will be posted at Supreme Court official website and will be flashed via widescreen at Supreme Court’s front yard. You may also refer to this article as we will also update the names of successful examinees once published by SC.

BAR EXAMINATION COVERAGE

Bar exams are held once a year under the supervision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. SC also designates the incumbent Justice to chair a committee of eight (8) examiners for each subject. The Bar Exams 2018 covered the following topics:

Fist Sunday (November 4, 2018)

  • Political Law and Public International Law; 
  • Labor and Social Legislation; 
Second Sunday (November 11, 2018)
  • Civil Law; 
  • Taxation Law; 
Third Sunday (November 18, 2018)
  • Mercantile Law; 
  • Criminal Law; 
Fourth Sunday (November 25, 2018)
  • Remedial Law; and 
  • Legal and Judicial Ethics and Practical Exercises

Examinations for each year must be considered different from the previous Bar exams.

To quote from the statement of Atty. Theodore O. Te (Assistant Court Administrator and Chief of the Public Information Office in the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the examiner of Labor Laws and Social Legislation) during last year’s exams,

Each bar examination must be considered unique in itself when we look at the comparative statistics across the years. Unlike other licensure examinations which employ a standard set of questions and the same set of examiners across a period of time, the bar examinations for each year is practically a new exam because the composition of the Committee differs from the Chair, who has absolute and sole discretion to choose the questions to be asked, to the eight examiners, who are the ones who correct the notebooks. So, when we look at a lower or higher percentage of passing for each year, it may be difficult to compare the two examinations as the questions are not the same, neither is the emphasis given by the Chair to particular topics; the appreciation of the answers, the point spread for each number during the checking by the examiners for each year will also differ.

PREVIOUS BAR EXAMS

In the most recent Bar exams conducted on November 2017, 1,724 out of 6,750 (25.55%) examinees passed.

Mark John H. Simondo from University of St. La Salle ranked first in the exams garnering a rating of 91.05% followed by Christianne Mae C. Balili from University of San Carlos (USC) having 90.80% and Camille B. Remoroza from Ateneo de Davao University having 90.70%. Complete list of top 20 examinees for 2017 Bar Exams are posted here…

During the November 2016 bar exams, 3,747 out of 6,344 aspiring lawyers passed or an overall passing rate of 59.06%, which according to SC is the highest in the last sixteen (16) years.

Karen Mae L. Calam ranked first in the exams garnering 89.05% rating followed by Alanna Gayle Ashley B. Khilo from Silliman University having 88.95% and sharing the third spot are Fiona Cristy D. Lao from University of San Carlos (USC) and Athalia B. Liong from Andres Bonifacio College having 88.80%. Complete list of topnotchers for 2016 Bar exams are itemized here…

On November 2015 exams, 1,731 out of the 6,605 examinees successfully passed or an overall passing rate of 26.21%.

Rachel Angeli B. Miranda from University of the Philippines (UP) topped the exams garnering 87.40% rating. She was followed by Athena C. Plaza from University of San Carlos having 87.25%, Jayson C. Aguilar also from UP having 86.75%, Reginald M. Arceo and Mandy Therese Anderson from Ateneo de Manila University having 86.70% and 86.15% respective rating.

UPDATES

Update as of May 1, 2019: SC Information Office confirmed that the official 2018 Bar Exam results/passers will be posted on Friday May 3, 2019. To quote,

“The results of the 2018 Bar Examinations will be released on May 3, 2019, Friday, after approval by the Supreme Court En Banc in a special session”

To receive up-to-date news about November 2018 Bar Exam results, we advise our visitors to bookmark this page, visit SC official website or follow us at our social media pages via Facebook and Twitter.

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