greenappleMarch 20, 2014 at 4:26 am

I think it would be very helpful if the recent bar passers could detail their studying habit and what books
they used during bar review. Did you guys also have a schedule? Did you attend lectures? Where? What
did you do the day before the exam? What do you think helped you immensely in the bar review? What
surprised you the most? How many readings did you do?
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AnonMarch 20, 2014 at 5:02 pm

On my part ang ginamit ko lang

On my part ang ginamit ko lang is what i called platinum notes, hehe ( one reading lang kinaya ko kaya
swerte tlaga at nakalusot) . Wala nito kahit saan, pero actually ang base ng notes ko is the UST golden
notes na 2011 edition pa ( tnx to ust pero small comment lang para ma improve yung notes, medyo may
mga sabog na topic kung minsan kaya i have to re arrange and there are topics na tlagang out of the
coverage) , yung hard copy ko ng golden notes ang gnawa ko na platinum notes since marami ako idinikit
dun from beda red notes ( tnx to beda din and one small comment lang din po, maganda ang pagkaka
arrange and very pleasing sa magbabasa pero parang bitin ang discussions) and my personal notes na
nasa post it notes and case digest which i have compiled during my lawschool days . Since red notes at
golden notes ( thank you uli ) ang ginamit ko ginawa ko na lang platinum notes ang akin, trip lang para
maiba. I never attended any pre week lectures since mas pinili ko lang mag basa para may recall since
isang beses ko lang nga binasa lahat, but i attended the KOKO bar by Senator Pimentel every Saturday
which is FREE basta nag pa reserve ka lang dati ( but on my part no need for reservation since
ipinakiusap lang ako ng kumpare ko kay Atty. Balmes dahil mag brod sila). Nagbasa din ako ng mga hand
outs ng mga review centers ( hinihiram ko lang kapag dumarating yung mga dorm mates ko na uma
attend ng pre week review) for updates sa jurisprudence. Gustuhin ko man magbasa ng past bar
questions ( since i have all the books for this up to 2008 and hard copy ng hanggang 2012) hindi ko na
nagawa kasi kulang na sa oras, but definitely highly recommended ito dahil after ng bar exams binasa ko
at marami rin nga ang recycled questions na binago lang konti ang facts. After each sunday pagod na
pagod ang feeling, aside from the exam ang tagal pa makasakay pabalik sa dorm kaya every monday
nga ang rest day ko ( no reading talaga) punta sa mall, bili pasalubong sa anak, kain, nuod sine etc.
Tingin ko rin malaki rin ang naitutulong ng stock knowledge kasi kung wala ka ng mapaghugutan ng sagot
from your most recent reading pwede mo gamitin yun at gawin mo lang mabulaklak ang iyong mga words
and just make it sensible and applicable to the facts of the problem at hindi na magma matter kung yun
ba ang tamang sagot o hindi.

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OMGMarch 20, 2014 at 11:21 pm

Responding to Greenapples suggestion:

1) I used few books only and made sure I have read them before. They were:
a) Nachura and Bernas for Political Law
b) Azucenas Labor books
c) Sundiang and Co-Untians Commercial books
d) Rianos Remedial books
e) Agpalos Ethics
f) Co-Untians Tax digest
g) JBL Reyes Criminal Law books
h) Civil Law reviewers
* I also used codals only for Remedial, Civil, Labor and Ethics.
* I made sure I read and did practice exams thru the compiled bar questions and answers since
1990 to 2010 arranged according to principles and subject areas.
* Using all these, I made very friendly powerpoint materials where every slide separately highlights
a particular general rule or principle and its corresponding exceptions. Until now I am amused by
the powerpoint I made per subject because during the bar weeks, they came in so handy and easy
to review by simply reading slide per slide. If I get tired, I just take of the last slide I read and rest.
Pwede siyang ulitin and I notices halos memorized ko na yong laman ng slides.
2) My schedule was:
6:30- 10:00 am read and practice exam (after breakfast and bath)
10:30-12:00- office work (as subject coordinator for Social Studies; I really had to work for
finances)
12:00-1:00- lunch and nap (my boarding house was very near the school where I teach)
1:00-3:00- back to office to teach two sections
3:00-6:00 pm read and practice exam
7:00-8:00walk or listen to music (after dinner)
8:00-10:30- recap of the study and practice exams of the day (* I made sure I slept early. Sleeping

late does not work for me otherwise I would be sleepy the next day)
* This schedule was from Monday to Friday although during Thursday I would take a break by
walking or watching movies.
* On Saturday and Sunday (with Church visit), I attend review at local review center especially to
take the mock exams (I always made sure I kept track of my manner of writing and answering
because after all dito tayo jinajudge ng examiners.hindi naman orals eh! paghindi ko nagustohan
ang nasulat ko I had to do it again. Sometimes I dont attend reviews either because I needed to
relax with massage or medyo ang topic ay di na ako nahirapan masyado)
3) The night before the exam, natutulog talaga ako ng maayos after preparing what I had to bring
to UST. While falling in line sa entrance, nagbabasa ako ng last minute tips.
4) I think these were really what helped me in the bar exams:
a) thorough practice exams and writing exercises (do not be afraid of these mock exams, they help
a lot)
b) Vitamins, enough sleep and exercise and massage after the Sunday exam.
c) a lot of prayers
d) mind setting that This is not just my dream. This is also a lot of peoples dreams (referring to
my family)
e) laughter every now and then and sufficient savings so that I need not worry about my finances
5) What surprised me most was HINDI AKO NAGKASAKIT SA BAR MONTH AT ALL!!!!! (PRAISE
God). I was also surprised that yung mga last minute tips covered many things I placed in my
powerpoint materials.
6) Lastly, repetition really helps. It means mastery. So, I really had to make sure I had to reading of
my weak subjects and one reading for my strong subjects.
Sorry po sa haba. Dami kasi tanong ni greenapple. Hahahahahahaha.
But thanks talaga sa mga tanong. Baka makatulong lang.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:

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OMGMarch 20, 2014 at 11:23 pm

* take note. I noticed..

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joke only greenapple.

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Prof. XMay 21, 2014 at 9:23 pm

I started early sa aking review. Alam ko kasing marami akong hahabulin na backlog. Hindi pa kami
nag ma marcha ng graduation (March 15), nag start na ako ng 1st reading ko.
Ito ung binasa ko sa aking first reading:
1. POLI Bernas Reviewer
2. LABOR Azucena Reviewer
3. CIVIL Jurado Reviewer
4. TAX Co Untian Tax Digest
5. MERC Sundiang Reviewer
6. CRIM Sandoval Reviewer
7. REM Albano Reviewer
8. ETHICS Aguirre Reviewer
Ito naman po sa 2nd reading:
1. POLI Nachura Reviewer and konting Suarez (sabi kasi sya examiner, hindi naman. pfft )
2. LABOR Chan Pre Week Reviewer (sobrang updated)
3. CIVIL Codal na lang. Umay na ako sa Jurado e.
4. TAX Domondon Star Notes
5. MERC Co Untian Merc Digest, Catindig for SPL, Abad for Nego
6. CRIM Amurao Notes (sya daw kasi examiner e. E hindi naging sya. Boompawis )
7. REM Codal na lang. Naumay din ako sa Albano e.
8. ETHICS Albano Reviewer
3rd reading ko po ang 2 volumes ng SAN BEDA RED BOOK. Para at least nasabi kong na cover
ko talaga lahat ng topics sa 2013 Bar Exam syllabus.
4th reading ko naman po ung SAN SEBASTIAN RECOLETOS NOTES. Solid ang REM Notes nila.
Feel ko si Dean Riano may gawa nun kaya hindi na ako nagbasa ng textbooks nya.
5th reading ko po ay UPLC ng 2007-2011 Bar Exams.
6th reading ko ay ung 4 volumes ng LEX PARETO notes para sa mga commonly asked provisions.
7th reading ko ay yung SAN BEDA RED NOTES. Ito ung mga principles na sobrang mahalaga.
Pero ang nakatulong sa akin dito ay ung mga Essay Q & A and sample MCQ nila.

PRE WEEK ko ay ung pre-week ng school ko ( UST) and scan scan na lang sa RED BOOK uli ng
BEDA.
You may say na I chose Quantity over Quality. Maaga kasi ako nag start and Sunday lang pahinga
ko.
Pero if you would notice, umiwas talaga ako sa mga makakapal na materials. No Riano textbooks,
No Boado or Reyes for Crim.
NO TEXTBOOKS LITERALLY. (except for the Nego by Abad na sobrang nipis na).
Either nabasa ko na kasi yung mga textbooks na yun dati nung law school or ni-try ko silang
basahin nung law school pero di kinaya ng powers ko kaya nakasilid na lang sa book shelf.
The 3rd to 7th reading, sobrang nipis na nung mga yan.
It worked naman kahit papaano.
I can not pinpoint 1 material na nakatulong talaga sa akin. Sobrang kalat talaga pinaggalingan ng
mga tanong.
Pero looking back, bitin ang preparation ko sa Labor at Crim. Kaya un, lowest ko Crim.
Nagbabasa na ako ng Boado Reviewer e, sabay sabi na Amurao daw examiner. Ayun. :/ (kaya
wag na gaano mag-rely sa tsismis)
Alcantara Reviewer sana ung 2nd reading ko sa Labor. Kaso lampas 1,000 pages e. Tinukso ako
nung Chan material na iilang pages lang.
One more thing pala, alagaan ang kalusugan.
AT MAG PA-CHECK SA DENTIST BAGO MAG BAR MONTH!
Yung last sunday, nag massive tooth ache ako ng 4AM. huhu. Buti na lang may isang banig ng
ponstan ung BarOps namin. Naka apat akong tablets that day. Na trigger ata ng stress yung tooth
ache.
Kapag napapagod na pala ako nung review at feel ko na mag give up, i always right my name sa
material na binabasa ko, then nilalagyan ko ng ATTY. sa simula. Na-e-energize ako bigla e.
Lastly, dont forget to pray. Tiwala lang. God Bless sa mga susunod na kukuha!
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greenappleMarch 20, 2014 at 9:15 am

I did an unconventional bar review following my failure last year. I refused to get into the bar hype again.
I did not ask who the examiners are or what topics might show. I was in a bubble, concentrating on
studying. I figured I have no control on those factors and whoever the examiners are, the answers to their
questions are bound to be found in any standard book. I was also set on not receiving tips, something I
feel I relied on too much on my first take. I also refrained from going into a photocopy spree like before. I
photocopied so many materials that I wouldnt be able to read.
I listened to myself and did a real assessment. What surprised me though is that I chose to do an
exhaustive one round of reading. I set a schedule around that premise. For the rest of the time, I stuck to
codals, lectures, and Baste handouts. But I have to state here, my codals had a lot of mini-notes in it.
They are the ones I will be reading for the whole month of October.
I wake up at 8 am, studied during the day and sleep past midnight. I attended all the lectures for the first
three months and then started choosing which ones Ill attend to in the remaining months. I tried to attend
all the pre-week lectures.
The books I used are the following:
POLITICAL LAW:
Consti Primer by Bernas, selected portions of Nachuras Poli Reviewer, an annotation on Pub Off (I wont
name it here because it is very outdated and only worked for me because I have little scribbles of updates
as our professor walked us through it), Magallona handouts for International Law, selected UP Law
Center Bar Review Handouts (although I was enrolled in Baste)
LABOR LAW
Everyones Labor Code by Azucena. This is good for updates but must definitely be supplemented. While
taking the exam, I had this distinct feeling that I should have also read the Disinis student-compiled
reviewers
CIVIL LAW
I was a big fan of Tolentino and tried to read his books here. I had Jurado for Oblicon. Balane for
Succession. LTD Reviewer by Agcaoili. Sempio-Diy for Persons. And Magallona Handouts for Conflicts of
Law.
TAXATION
Dimaampao and Sababan Reviewers. I also attended Mamalateo lectures. And I dont think this should
be done but I had this inexplicable feeling to do it at that time and so I read the tax bulletins released by
law/audit firms. I think it helped me a little in the bar exam but I wouldnt recommend it to others.

COMMERCIAL LAW
selected portions of Sundiang reviewer, Corpo by Campos (only because this was the book we used in
law school), Insurance by Aquino, Transpo by Perez, Intellectual Property Law Reviewer but I forgot the
author (its new and the only one in the market at that time)
CRIMINAL LAW
Sandoval. Only because I felt okay with this subject, which turned out to be hard.
REMEDIAL LAW
Herrera for SpecPro. Regalado for everything else.
ETHICS
Fast reading on Agpalo because I heard (Rem Law bar reviewer said so during lecture) Brion loves
Ethics. I wouldnt recommend reading a thick book to anyone though.
If you guys would notice, I did not go for the quantity or number of rounds. I went for these books because
this is how, I believe, I would understand them. I felt I could memorize during pre-week but before that, I
think the purpose of my bar review is to understand the concepts. And that is exactly what I did.
I know though that very, very few bar reviewees would go down this route. I am just trying to point out that
before you start studying, make sure you are doing a style or schedule that suits YOU. Every bar
reviewee is different. Just focus and do not let others rattle you. If you feel you want to go to the three
round route, go. If one, go. If all lectures style, go. If self-study, go. No one can assess yourself better
than yourself. Just focus, focus, focus.
God bless.
P.S. Take all mock bar exams to keep tabs on yourself. As for those tips, if you studied, you already know
whats in them.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:

+5

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jurisMarch 20, 2014 at 5:10 pm
Hello guys. It pays to have good reading materials. I had learned my lessons during my first attempt three
years ago. Luckily, God finally gave His greatest reward- I made it.
Here are some tips for lawyer wannabes out there. Pray and practice PRAY
P- Program your study sked that is compatible with your review classes.
R Ready your resources (books, review fees, accommodation, etc) of course, read, read, read, read
until you are one with the books.

A Attend review classes diligently and supplement on-line review sessions (if kaya pa sa budget)
Y Yes to healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy food, take supplements. Do not forget to sleep.
Honestly, I had the hard time tuning myself with the bar. I literally stop reading law books since 2010 It
was only in July 2013 that I read and read and read exhaustively until my tears fell on my cheeks(but
do not do this guys, nakamamatay eto. hehe).
During the 2013 bar, i read San Bedas Red Book (2x) and
Rianos Remedial Law Reviewers. I also enrolled pre-week at San Beda and secure copies of the
digested cases The cases are indispensable.
Hold on to the dreamThere is always Gods perfect timing.
God bless.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:

+5

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AmberMarch 20, 2014 at 4:44 pm

Hi! I made it.
Habang nagaantay ng bar results, dito ako tumatambay at kumukuha ng tsismis. Hehehe. Anyway, ishare
ko lang yung mga bagay na nag-work for me kaya siguro nakapasa ako.
I think nakatulong talaga sakin na magbasa ng past bar questions. May suggested answers ako from UP.
Binasa ko siya nung pre-week so medyo na-anticipate ko na yung mga tanong at nagfocus sa mga codal
provisions at concepts na naitanong na. It worked for me sa Poli, Civ, Tax and Ethics.
Sa Labor, Comm, Crim and Rem, mastery of the concepts and codal provisions talaga kelangan. Pero
nagbasa pa rin ako ng past bar questions ng paspasan.
Sa mga di pumasa, kaya niyo yan! May halong swerte ang bar. Pero yung factor ng swerte ay
pumapasok during the checking and deliberation kung ibaba ang passing grade from 75%. Before the bar
exams (itself), kontrolado pa rin natin ang lahat such as yung preparation at kung paano sasagutan yung
mga tanong. After ng exams, ipagdasal niyo yung checker ng booklets niyo at yung justices ng Supreme
Court na umayon sa inyong kagustuhan
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Kasi di na natin sila kontrolado kaya pagdasal na lang natin.