BAR EXAMINEE’S

FAST FACTS
(AND HOW TO TOP THE BAR!)
BY DEAN PONCEVIC M. CEBALLOS
 EAT. PRAY. LOVE. READ.
LISTEN.
UNDERSTAND.
NOT MEMORIZE!
(FACEBOOK)
BAR PASSING
AVERAGE
IN THE LAST 50 YEARS

20%
one (1) examinee
passes for every
five (5)
examinees
 4 MONTHS

bar in November
PRE-BAR REVIEW
PERIOD
PRE-BAR REVIEW
PERIOD
 123 calendar days

July - 31 days
August - 31 days
September - 30
days
October - 31 days

PRE-BAR REVIEW
PERIOD
 2,952 hours

PRE-BAR REVIEW
PERIOD TOTAL
DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
123 CALENDAR DAYS (SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS INCLU
OR
2,952 HOURS
 DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Time consumption in a day
Review Classes: 8 hours
 DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Time consumption in a day
Review Classes: 8 hours
Travel time: 2 hours

Unless you own a helicopter

 DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Time consumption in a day
Review Classes: 8 hours
Travel time: 2 hours
Sleeping time: 8 hours

Unless you sleep like a baby

 DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Time consumption in a day
Review Classes: 8 hours
Travel time: 2 hours
Sleeping time: 8 hours
Miscellaneous: 3 hours

Meal time, personal, etc

DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Number of hours consumed by REVIEW CLASSES
Based on Monday - Saturday review classes.
Including holidays

8 hours/day x 123 days = 984 hours

DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Travel time consumed to and from review center
Based on Monday - Saturday review classes.
Including holidays

2 hours/day x 123 days = 246 hours

Unless you live walking distance from the review center

DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Sleeping time consumed
Based on Monday - Saturday review classes.
Including holidays

8 hours/day x 123 days = 984 hours

Unless you are a sleeping beauty

DAILY GRIND FOR THE
BAR REVIEWEE
Miscellaneous time consumed
Based on Monday - Saturday review classes.
Including holidays

3 hours/day x 123 days = 369 hours

SUMMARY
Review Classes: 984 hours
Travel Time: 246 hours
Sleeping Time: 984 hours
Miscellaneous: 369 hours

TOTAL NUMBER OF NON-READING HOURS:

2,583 HOURS
 SUMMARY
2,952 HOURS (TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS)
-
2,583 HOURS (CONSUMED NON-READING HOURS)
= REMAINING READING HOURS

TOTAL NUMBER OF READING HOURS:

369 HOURS
TOTAL NUMBER OF
PAGES TO READ
DURING PRE-BAR
800 pages of a reviewer per subject (average)
excluding other review materials like past bar questions
and answers, notes from various bar review centers,
latest case digests up to cut-off date or up to JUNE 201

8 hours x 800 pages = 6,400 pages

READING TIME FOR
EACH PAGE
READING TIME* / TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES
*(369 HOURS) x (60 MINUTES) = 22,140 MINUTES

22,140 minutes / 6,400 pages = 3.46 minutes/page

FOCUSED READING
FOCUSED READING
Gain MASTERY of and READ ONLY (NOT
MEMORIZE) topics that have been asked the last
15 YEARS as shown in the bar trending and skip
the rest as the probability of the latter being asked
is remote and will be insignificant in the totality of
the questions
ATTENTION SPAN
ATTENTION SPAN
MAXIMUM ATTENTION SPAN
• 20 MINUTES
• 2 and 1/5 pages per hour

MAXIMUM ATTENTION SPAN x REMAINING

READING HOURS/DAY
• 20 MINUTES x 3 HOURS = 60 MINUTES or 6
and 3/5 pages
 MAXIMUM ATTENTION
SPAN
EXPECTATION REALITY
6,400 pages / 369 reading 6,400 pages / (369 reading hours x
hours = 17 pages/hour 1/3 hour) = 123 hours of maximum
comprehension

Cannot read all reviewers

That feeling of insecurity and

lacking in preparation to take the
bar exams
WASTED TIME

369 ORIGINAL READING HOURS

-
123 MAXIMUM ATTENTION SPAN in HOURS
= 246 WASTED HOURS

6,400 pages divided by 123 hours=52 pages/hour

 READ AND UNREAD
PAGES
17.34 PAGES/HOUR must read per hour based on
6,400 pages divided by 369 hours of available time
to read
x
123 MAXIMUM ATTENTION SPAN HOURS
= 17.34 PAGES per hour x 1/3 of an hour or 20
minutes per hour = 5.7 pages per hour
17.34 pages minus 5.7 pages = 11.64 pages are
not actually read per hour
5.7 divided by 17.34=32%
6,400 multiplied by 32% =2,048 are read
and 4,352 pages are not read
HENCE, THIS COULD PARTLY
EXPLAIN WHY THE BAR PASSING
AVERAGE IS
20%
IN THE LAST 50 YEARS OR MORE
 RECOMMENDED
PRE-BAR AND PRE-WEEK REVIEW
STRATEGIES TO TOP OR PASS THE
BAR EXAMS

FOCUS ON
QUICK QUICK REVIEWERS (QQRs)
and
TAKE
MOCK BAR EXAMS
BAR PASSING
AVERAGE
IN THE LAST 50 YEARS

ONLY ONE
OUT OF FIVE EXAMINEES
YOU DO NOT WANT TO
BE ONE OF THE
UNLUCKY FOUR
BE THE ONE THAT
MADE IT