SC sets April 5 deadline for 2024 Bar exam applications

The Supreme Court (SC) has announced that the period for the filing of applications for the 2024 Bar Examinations will end on April 5. (File Photo By Aerous – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) has announced that the period for the filing of applications for the 2024 Bar Examinations will end on April 5.

Individuals are required to either create a new account or update their existing Bar Applicant Registration System and Tech Assistance (BARISTA) account and must then complete the online entries, upload required documents, and make the payments through the BARISTA platform, the high court said in an advisory Wednesday.

Applicants then need to print and sign the BARISTA-generated application form and submit it along with the required documents to the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) within 10 days from the notice of approval.

Applications will only be processed if all documents are uploaded, and the fee is paid in full.

Candidates, including new applicants, previous takers, and refreshers without existing accounts on the SC’s online platform Bar Applicant Registration System and Tech Assistance (BARISTA), must create individual accounts at https://barista.judiciary.gov.ph/.

Applicants are required to complete or update their profiles, fill out application forms, upload or re-upload digital copies of documentary requirements, and remit the application fee of PHP12,800 through BARISTA’s provided modes.

Within 10 calendar days of receiving the application approval notice, candidates must submit printed and signed copies of their application forms, along with physical copies of mandatory documentary requirements, to the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC).

Similarly, applicants must upload digital copies and submit physical copies of deferred documentary requirements to BARISTA and OBC, respectively, before Oct. 15, 2024.

New applicants who failed to complete their law degree and refreshers who didn’t finish their refresher or pre-bar review course may request an application fee refund until Sept.

6, 2024, through the OBC Help Desk at https://bit.ly/2024BarExamsHelpdesk.

The SC will establish Local Testing Centers (LTCs) in key cities across the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Applicants must select three cities in order of preference.

Venue assignments will consider applicants’ preferences after the application period ends, with assignments accessible through BARISTA.