SC special session set for 2012 Bar Exam results

MANILA -- Justices of the Supreme Court will deliberate on March 20, Wednesday, the results of the 2012 Bar Examinations taken by nearly 5,700 law graduates last October.

SC Public Information chief Theodore Te did not provide details but in recent years, the special session was called for the decoding of the results by the Office of the Bar Confidant. This process involves the matching of the examination number with the name of the examinee.

Earlier, Bar exam chairperson Associate Justice Martin Villarama promised to release the names of successful takers before Holy Week while the oath taking is scheduled on April 24 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

In determining the average, subjects in the examinations are given the following relative weights: Political and International Law, 15 percent; Labor and Social Legislation, 10 percent; Civil Law, 15 percent; Taxation, 10 percent; Mercantile Law, 15 percent; Criminal Law, 10 percent; Remedial Law, 20 percent; and Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises, 5 percent, for a total of 100 percent.

Scores in the multiple-choice questions will carry a weight of 60 percent, while those of the essay-type examinations will be given a weight of 40 percent in computing a candidate’s final grade.

The Rules of Court provide that "a candidate may be deemed to have passed his examination successfully if he has obtained a general average of 75 percent." (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)