Can Bar exams measure law school's performance?

     "Magaling ka sa essay, pero hindi masyado sa multiple choice. No worries people, in practice it's never simply "multiple choice." This a shoutout which caught my attention from the "You Know You Are From UP Law If..." group in response to the fact that no UP Law takers landed in the top ten of the 2011 Bar exams.

  For the November 2011 Bar Examinations, the Supreme Court said A total of 1,913 or 31.95 % out of the 5,987 examinees who completed taking the 2011 Bar Examinations passed the first predominant multiple choice question-type tests in the Bar’s 110-year history. Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, Chief of the SC Public Information Office said the number is the “second highest rate" The topnotchers of the 2011 Bar exams are

1. ATADERO, RAOUL ANGELO D. [ATENEO DE MLA] 85.536%

2. BOLONG, LUZ DANIELLE O. [ATENEO DE MLA] 84.556%

3. RAFAL-ROBLE, CHERRY LIEZ O. [ ARELLANO UNIVERSITY] 84.455%

4. BANAGA, ROSEMIL R. [NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY] 84.122%

5. GONZALES, CHRISTIAN LOUIE C. [UNIVERSITY OF STO. TOMAS] 84.093%

6. BANDAL, IVAN M. [SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY] 84.090%

7. ACOSTA, EIREENE XINA M. [SAN BEDA COLLEGE] 84.066%

8. QUA, IRENE MARIE P. [ATENEO DE MLA] 84.057%

9. LACEDA, ELAINE MARIE G. [FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY - DLSU] 84.040%

10. AQUINO, RODOLFO Q. [SAN BEDA COLLEGE] 83.727%

The examinations were held in the 4 Sundays of November at the University of Sto. Tomas.  With the introduction of MCQ (multiple choice questions), which cover 60% of the exams. The examinees took the following subjects during the examinations:

First day: Political and International Law, and Labor and Social Legislation and Taxation

Second day: Civil Law and Mercantile Law

Third day: Remedial Law, and Legal Ethics and Forms and Criminal Law

Fourth day: Trial Memorandum and Legal Opinion.

     

Associate Justice Roberto Abad is the Chairman of the 2011 Bar Exams. The Supreme Court stated that the MCQ exams should be able to assess the following skills: knowledge and recall; comprehension and understanding; and analysis and application.

Some of the reactions from UP Law Alumni include the following:

- The Second Great Debacle of the UP College of Law. The first one was in 1984 where none made it to the top 10 either - the same batch that produced Justice Sereno and Popo Lotilla, if am not mistaken. Crunch time for the incoming batches....

- In fairness to Class 2010, this should not be labelled as a disaster. Their batch (first timers) had a passing rate of 93%. Overall passing rate for UP was 89% (see Cynthia Laureta's separate post). There were years when UP's passing rate dipped to the 70s. 

- We always have this chill attitude about the Bar. Sour graping isn't our bag of chips. Congratulations to the schools that produced the topnotchers! Pero next time, kami naman. :)

-sa mga nag-co-comment sa akin na walang UP law sa top ang sagot ko ay, "hindi kami sanay sa ganyang exam na memorization lang" :) 

- nonetheless let us not rest on our laurels and instead look upon this  as a clarion call for our college and its alumni to all contribute to assure the ocuntry that the best law school in the Philippines still produces great lawyers as they still teach law in the grand manner!

       The 2010 exams at the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila were marred by a bomb blast that hurt 24 people on the final day. The exams were previously held on four Sundays of September. For 2011, the schedule has been moved to November at  at the University of Sto. Tomas.

The first Bar exams were held in 1901, with only 13 examinees

Bar topnotchers are bar examinees who garnered the highest bar exam grades in a particular year. Every year, the Supreme Court releases the bar top ten list. The list contains the names of bar examinees who obtained the ten highest grades. It is possible for more than ten examinees to place in the top ten because numerical ties in the computation of grades usually occur.

From 1913 to 2012, schools which have produced bar topnotchers (1st placers) are as follows:

• University of the Philippines College of Law - forty-six (46) bar topnotchers
• Ateneo de Manila Law School - twenty two   (22) bar topnotchers
• San Beda College of Law - seven (7) bar topnotchers
• Philippine Law School - five (5) bar topnotchers
• University of Manila College of Law - four (4) bar topnotchers
• Far Eastern University Institute of Law - four (4) bar topnotchers
• University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law - three (3) bar topnotchers
• University of the Cordilleras (formerly Baguio Colleges Foundation) College of Law - two (2) bar topnotchers
• Manila Law College Foundation (formerly Escuela de Derecho de Manila) - one (1) bar topnotcher
• Manuel L. Quezon University College of Law - one (1) bar topnotcher
• Holy Name University (formerly Divine Word College of Tagbilaran) - one (1) bar topnotcher
• University of the East College of Law - one (1) bar topnotcher
• San Sebastian College - Recoletos - one (1) bar topnotcher
• Arellano University School of Law - one (1) bar topnotcher

In the Philippine Bar's recorded history, the highest grade first recorded was the 92% garnered in 1913 by Manuel A. Roxas of the UP College of Law. The lowest grade was obtained by Ateneo Law School's Mercedita L. Ona, 83.55% in  2008,

Law school passing rates 

Law schools with the highest bar passing rates from 1996 to 2005 include:

Schools with more than 30 examinees:

• Ateneo de Manila Law School - 89.19%
• San Beda College of Law - 85.27%
• University of the Philippines College of Law - 85.19%
• University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law - 56.70%
• Far Eastern University Institute of Law - 26.25%

Schools with 30 or less examinees:

• Ateneo de Davao College of Law - 65.57%
• University of San Carlos - 54.45%
• Arellano University - 46.18%
• Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, College of Law - 41.26%
• Xavier University - 37.45%
• Lyceum of the Philippines University - 32.40%
• St. Louis University - 31.38%

In my blog posting "Notes on the Bar Exams, i said that taking the bar exams is an experience that will help a person grow but one that I do not want to undergo again. The discipline in terms of time management and patience is crucial during the review period. The barrister should be able to devise his own schedule to suit his study habits.

I am lucky that I was able to pass the exam during my first attempt. And I proved something to myself that I could do something that is really hard to accomplish. I finished law at UP College of Law in Diliman as a working student. I write for TODAY as one of their regular reporter covering a wide range of topics such as environment, human rights, politics, peace process, agriculture, agrarian reform and many more. Take note: my daily schedule is writing in the morning and the afternoon before going to UP to attend my classes in the evening. Then I go home where I read the assignments for the following day during the almost two hours trip of the bus going to Las Pinas. In between my work and classes, I still go hiking with my friends called the Squakings.

     There is what we call as “karma” that prompts each law student to participate in the annual Bar-ops. He must at least help in one way or another in the bar-ops so that when it is his turn to take the bar, he will expect that there will be somebody, particularly those in the lower years, who will also help him. Karma points could be earned by assisting the barrister in his needs such as digests, reviewers, permits from the Supreme Court and other technicalities that would consume some of his precious time .

Former UP Law  Dean Marvic Leonen said  his Facebook status on the 2010 Bar results:  " For all UP Law Bar Candidates: Congratulations to those of you who passed. Celebrate but with humility and gratitude. For those who did not make it: relax, take stock, accept your losses and grieve if you must. Know that your failures are also mine. But all of you should remember that the bar is not a measure of you. Recover immediately from you glories and your failures. We will support you in all your endeavors."

The challenge remains on how to keep UP the great law school as it was envisioned in Justice Holme's  immortal words engraved at the institution's Malcolm Hall lobby: 

THE BUSINESS OF A LAW SCHOOL IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY DESCRIBED WHEN YOU MERELY SAY THAT IT IS TO TEACH LAW OR TO MAKE LAWYERS IT IS TO TEACH LAW IN THE GRAND MANNER, AND TO MAKE GREAT LAWYERS.

Below is a listing of all 98 first-placers (from 1913 to 2010) ranked from highest to lowest in terms of rating obtained. It should be noted however that bar ratings are not exactly comparable from year-to-year as the difficulty of the exams varies through the years.

Rank	Year	Name	School	Rating
1st	1954	Florenz D. Regalado	San Beda College	96.700
2nd	1949	Anacleto C. Mañgaser	Philippine Law School	95.850
3rd	1948	Manuel G. Montecillo	Far Eastern University	95.500
4th (tie)	1944	Jose W. Diokno	Special (University of Santo Tomas)	95.300
4th (tie)	1944	Jovito R. Salonga	University of the Philippines	95.300
6th	1940	Claudio Teehankee	Ateneo de Manila University	94.350
7th	1952	Pedro Samson C. Animas	University of the Philippines	94.250
8th	1953	Leonardo A. Amores	University of Manila	94.050
9th	1947	Ameurfina A. Melencio-Herrera	University of the Philippines	93.850
10th	2001	Rodolfo Ma. A. Ponferrada	University of the Philippines	93.800
11th (tie)	1914	Manuel C. Goyena	University of the Philippines	93.000
11th (tie)	1916	Paulino Gullas	University of the Philippines	93.000
11th (tie)	1932	Hermenegildo Atienza	University of the Philippines	93.000
14th	2002	Arlene M. Maneja	University of Santo Tomas	92.900
15th	1984	Richard M. Chiu	Ateneo de Manila University	92.850
16th	1937	Cecilia Muñoz-Palma	University of the Philippines	92.600
17th	1929	Lorenzo S. Sumulong	University of the Philippines	92.500
18th	1978	Cosme D. Rosell	University of the Philippines	92.475
19th	1933	Lope C. Quimbo	University of Manila	92.450
20th	1971	Henry R. Villarica	University of the Philippines	92.400
21st	1939	Ferdinand E. Marcos	University of the Philippines	92.350
22nd (tie)	1951	Vicente R. Acsay	University of Manila	92.250
22nd (tie)	Aug-1946	Gregoria T. Cruz	University of the Philippines	92.250
24th	1950	Carolina C. Griño	Special (Colegio de San Agustin,University of the Philippines)	92.050
25th (tie)	1913	Manuel A. Roxas	University of the Philippines	92.000
25th (tie)	1917	Felipe Ysmael	University of the Philippines	92.000
27th (tie)	1977	Virgilio B. Gesmundo	Ateneo de Manila University	91.800
27th (tie)	1998	Janet B. Abuel	Baguio Colleges Foundation	91.800
29th (tie)	1934	Miguel Aragon	University of the Philippines	91.700
29th (tie)	1960	Ismael Andres	Manuel L. Quezon University	91.700
29th (tie)	Nov-1946	Pedro L. Yap	University of the Philippines	91.700
32nd	1974	Arturo D. Brion	Ateneo de Manila College	91.650
33rd (tie)	1979	Gregorio M. Batiller Jr.	Ateneo de Manila University	91.400
33rd (tie)	1983	Manuel Antonio J. Teehankee	Ateneo de Manila University	91.400
35th	1938	Emmanuel N. Pelaez	University of Manila	91.300
36th	1995	Leonor Y. Dicdican	University of the Philippines	91.200
37th	1925	Rafael Dinglasan	University of the Philippines	91.100
38th (tie)	1961	Avelino V. Cruz	San Beda College	90.950
38th (tie)	1981	Irene Ragodon-Guevarra	Ateneo de Manila University	90.950
38th (tie)	1982	Ray C. Espinosa	Ateneo de Manila University	90.950
41st	1923	Roque V. Desquitado	University of the Philippines	90.900
42nd (tie)	1962	Deogracias G. Eufemio	University of the Philippines	90.800
42nd (tie)	1976	Enrique Y. Teehankee	University of the Philippines	90.800
44th (tie)	1966	Roberto V. San Jose	University of the Philippines	90.600
44th (tie)	1996	Patricia Ann T. Prodigalidad	University of the Philippines	90.600
44th (tie)	2000	Eliseo M. Zuñiga Jr.	University of the Philippines	90.600
47th	1955	Tomas P. Matic Jr.	Far Eastern University	90.550
48th (tie)	1928	Filomeno B. Pascual	Philippine Law School	90.300
48th (tie)	1973	Vicente R. Solis	Ateneo de Manila University	90.300
50th (tie)	1941	Emmet P.D. Shea	University of the Philippines	90.200
50th (tie)	1956	Francisco C. Catral	San Beda College	90.200
52nd	1997	Ma. Cecilia H. Fernandez	University of the Philippines	90.025
53rd	1915	Francisco Villanueva Jr.	University of the Philippines	90.000
54th	1991	Joseph P. San Pedro	Ateneo de Manila University	89.950
55th (tie)	1936	Diosdado P. Macapagal	University of Santo Tomas	89.850
55th (tie)	1990	Aquilino L. Pimentel III	University of the Philippines	89.850
57th	1965	Victor S. Dela Serna	San Beda College	89.800
58th	1980	Rafael R. Lagos	University of the Philippines	89.750
59th	1934	Marciano P. Catral	Philippine Law School	89.700
60th	1967	Rodolfo D. Robles	San Beda College	89.600
61st (tie)	1930	Tecla San Andres	University of the Philippines	89.400
61st (tie)	1931	Jose Leuterio	University of the Philippines	89.400
61st (tie)	1985	Janette Susan L. Peña	University of the Philippines	89.400
64th	1958	Manuel G. Abello	University of the Philippines	89.250
65th (tie)	1959	Agustin O. Benitez	Far Eastern University	89.200
65th (tie)	1994	Francisco Noel R. Fernandez	University of the Philippines	89.200
67th	1957	Gregorio R. Castillo	University of the Philippines	89.150
68th (tie)	1921	Pablo Payawal	University of the Philippines	89.100
68th (tie)	1922	Amado L. Velilla	University of the Philippines	89.100
68th (tie)	1924	Roberto B. Concepcion	University of Santo Tomas	89.100
71st	2010	Cesareo Antonio S. Singzon Jr.	Ateneo de Manila University	89.000
72nd	1986	Laurence L. Go	Ateneo de Manila University	88.600
73rd	1987	Mario P. Victoriano	Ateneo de Manila University	88.550
74th	2003	Aeneas Eli S. Diaz	Ateneo de Manila University	88.530
75th (tie)	1999	Edwin R. Enrile	Ateneo de Manila University	88.500
75th (tie)	1999	Florin T. Hilbay	University of the Philippines	88.500
77th	1964	Jesus P. Castelo	San Beda College	88.400
78th	1993	Anna Leah Fidelis T. Castañeda	Ateneo de Manila University	88.325
79th	1988	Maria Yvette O. Navarro	University of the Philippines	88.120
80th	1926	Eugeniano Perez	Philippine Law School	88.100
81st	1927	Cesar Kintanar	University of the Philippines	87.700
82nd	2006	Noel Neil Q. Malimban	University of the Cordilleras	87.600
83rd	1970	Romulo D. San Juan	Far Eastern University[26]	87.500
84th (tie)	1968	Oscar B. Glovasa	Divine World College of Tagbilaran	87.450
84th (tie)	2004	January A. Sanchez	University of the Philippines	87.450
86th	1969	Ronaldo B. Zamora	University of the Philippines	87.300
87th	2005	Joan de Venecia	University of the Philippines	87.200
88th	1972	Januario B. Soller Jr.	Ateneo de Manila University	87.130
89th (tie)	1918	Alejo Labrador	University of the Philippines	87.000
89th (tie)	1919	Gregorio Anonas	Philippine Law School	87.000
89th (tie)	1992	Jayme A. Sy Jr.	Ateneo de Manila University	87.000
92nd	1975	Nicanor B. Padilla Jr.	University of the East	86.700
93rd	1963	Cornelio C. Gison	Ateneo de Manila University	86.350
94th	1989	Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr.	University of the Philippines	86.185
95th	2008	Judy A. Lardizabal	San Sebastian College	85.700
96th	2009	Reinier Paul R. Yebra	San Beda College	84.800
97th	1920	Adolfo Brillantes	Escuela de Derecho	84.100
98th	2007	Mercedita L. Ona	Ateneo de Manila University	83.550

Sources: Wikipedia (sana tama ang data heheheeh)