What had been passive talks along the corridors of law schools and as appetizer, almost wishful discussions during Bar Ops is now officially announced.
On January 18, 2011, the Supreme Court en banc finally signed Bar Matter No. 2265, otherwise known as Reforms in the 2011 Bar Examinations, saying that it has found merit in the proposed changes in the conduct of the bar examinations that the Chairperson of the 2011 Bar Examinations and Philippine Association of Law Schools recommended.
These changes relate to provision of specific topics that will be covered by the exams, the use of multiple choice questions, and the revision of the usual style of giving essay tests.
According to the High Court, the grading system shall be 60% for the MCQ and 40% for the Essay Test. The Essay Test, the SC says, will not be bar subject specific; it would require the Bar candidate to prepare a trial memorandum or a decision based on a documented legal dispute, which will be 60% of the over-all 40% Essay Test share. The remaining 40% will be the grade share for another part of the Essay Test that would involve writing of an opinion concerning a client's potential legal problem.
The essays will not be graded for technically right or wrong answers, but for the quality of the candidate’s legal advocacy, the SC assures.
Since the MCQs will be checked electronically, the examiners' role will consist of preparing the MCQ questions and be members of two four-member panels who will be assigned to check the memoranda and the legal opinions submitted by the candidates.
The SC further says that their upcoming experience and the data that will be gathered for the 2011 Bar Examinations will jump-start entertaining the feasibility of holding simultaneous Bar examinations outside of Metro Manila, and of allowing those who pass the MCQ examinations but fail the essay-type examinations to take removal examinations in the immediately following year.
Copies of Bar Matter No. 2265 were published in most newspapers of general circulation on January 26, 2011, along with a Notice by the Supreme Court en banc approving the proposal of Associate Justice Roberto Abad, the 2011 Bar Exams Committee Chairman, to move the exams from September to November 2011.
For a copy of the Bar Matter, download here.
--- Ireen ---
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