Over 10K aspiring lawyers take 1st day of Bar exams

OVER 10, 000 law graduates trooped to 13 local testing centers in Metro Manila and in the provinces yesterday for the first day of the 2024 Bar examinations.

The Supreme Court (SC) has earlier said that 12,246 law graduates applied to take this year’s examinations, but SC Associate Justice and 2024 Bar Exams Committee chairperson Mario Lopez said only 10,83 examinees showed up on Sunday.

Of the applicants, 5,234 are new applicants; 4,060 previous takers; and 1,189 refreshers.

There are also 155 senior citizens and 313 with special needs.

“Our youngest examinee is 23 years old, and our oldest is 78, reflecting the wide range of individuals aspiring to join the legal profession,” Lopez said.

At the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, one of the testing centers, examinees were cheered by their relatives, friends, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters as they entered University Avenue as early as 5 in the morning.

“Examinees arrived early at the local testing centers in the National Capital Region as they prepare themselves for the first day of the #Bar2024 Examinations, which will be held at 13 local testing centers nationwide,” the High Court Public Information Office said in a post on its X (formerly Twitter) account.

One of the examinees, 44-year-old Perfecto Jaime Tagalog, said he is hopeful he would be able to ace the Bar exams, which is dubbed as the toughest licensure test in the country.

“First time ko kumuha ngayon at the same time, mixed emotions dahil doon sa preparations. Maraming kailangan i-consider na aralin talaga. Sa sitwasyon ng ating bansa, ang daming mga batas na kailangang intindihin at alamin ng mas malalim pa (This is my first time to take the Bar, so at the same time, mixed emotions due to the preparations.

There are so many things to study. Considering the situation in our country today, there are so many laws to study and understand),” Tagalog, who was accompanied by his wife and daughter, said as he arrived at UP Diliman.

Aside from his long preparation, Tagalog also said his wife told him to put a coin over his right foot supposedly to bring him luck during the test.

At the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila,