SC to hold special en banc session for Bar Exam results deliberation on May 3

Of this, 3,317 are first-time examinees while 3, 514 are re-takers. (Photo: Ryan McGilchrist/ Flickr)

MANILA–The Supreme Court (SC) set for May 3 the special en banc session to deliberate on the results of last year’s Bar examinations.

This was bared by SC Public Information Office through their Twitter account on Wednesday.

The special session usually deliberates on whether to maintain or adjust the passing grade.

“The SC will hold a special en banc session to deliberate on Bar 2016 results on May 3, 2017. Results will be released thereafter,” the SC PIO (@SCph_PIO) said.

A total of 6,831 law graduates took most grueling Bar examination in November last year at the University of Sto. Tomas facilitated by the high court’s committee on the 2016 Bar exams chaired by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr.

Of this, 3,317 are first-time examinees while 3, 514 are re-takers.

The Bar exams covers eight subjects – Political Law, Civil Law, Taxation, Labor Law, Criminal Law, Remedial Law, Mercantile Law and Legal and Judicial Ethics.

In the 2015 Bar exams, a total of 1,731 passed, representing 26.21 percent of the total of 6,605 takers.

A graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law topped the 2015 Bar exams with a rating of 87.4 percent.

The SC lowered the passing rate from 75 to 73 percent in the 2015 Bar exams.

In the last 10 years, the highest passing rate was during in the 2011 Bar exams with 31.95 percent of 5,987 examinees passed or a total of 1,913.

The exam was held for several years at the De La Salle University campus in Taft, Manila but the SC decided to move it to the UST in 2011 after DLSU ended its contract due to several construction activities in that year.