Consolidated Bar Tips, Batch 2015

 

ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY- SCHOOL OF LAW

Consolidated Bar Review Tips from Batch 2015 A Student Council Bar Tips Series Compiled by: Cyndy dela Cruz

Good luck Batch 2016! God bless you all!  

 

Atty. Quito Nitura Block A, Batch 2015

Materials Used Subject Political Law

Labor Law

Civil Law

 

1st Read

2nd Read Bernas Primer Bernas Primer Sarmiento PIL Sandy Crab Recent Jurisprudence (2010-2015) by ASIL PIL Reviewer Atty. Jack Jimenez Recent Jurisprudence (2010-2015) CROMBONDS Consti2 (cross reference) by Atty. Jack Jimenez Atty. Agra’s Admin, Public Officers, Ateneo Reviewer (for non-consti Election Law, and PubCorp Reviewers parts) (cross reference) Candelaria PIL Outline ASIL PIL Reviewer Chan Labor Law Reviewer Chan Labor Law Reviewer Azucena Green Book (for my personal Labor Law Review slides by Atty. notes) Marlon Manuel Labor Law Review slides by Atty. Marlon Labor Law Review notes by Atty. Manuel Glenn Tuazon (as updated) Disini Social Legislation Tables Recent Jurisprudence Persons Persons Sempio-Diy book Reviewer for Dean Del Castillo’s Sta. Maria book (cross-reference) class by Guerrea and Maniego Reviewer for Dean Del Castillo’s class by (Regina reviewer) Guerrea and Maniego Sta. Maria Recent Jurisprudence Property Property Paras book San Beda Red Book Ampil/Albano charts Reviewer for Dean Deal Castillo’s San Beda Red book class (Regina reviewer) Jurado Book Succession Succession Balane book Balane book RAM/Champ Reviewer (either is RAM/Champ Reviewer (either is fine) fine) ObliCon ObliCon Balane notes by Atty. Nava Balane notes by Atty. Nava Jurado Book SecTrans Aquino Civil Law Reviewer Zuniga Notes SecTrans Agency, Partnership, Sales Zuniga Notes Jurado Book Agency, Partnership, Sales Sales Updates by Atty. Alex Dy CLV Outlines Land Titles Jurado Book Dean delos Angeles Notes Sales Updates by Atty. Alex Dy Torts and Damages Land Titles Aquino Civil Law Reviewer Dean delos Angeles notes Conflict of Laws Aquino Civil Law Reviewer Sempio-Diy Reviewer (same Torts and Damages content as the book but more Aquino Civil Law Reviewer concise)

 

Conflict of Laws Sempio-Diy book (there’s a shorter reviewer) San Beda Red Book Notes from Atty. Gulapa’s class (by Atty. Sheena Tengco) Taxation

Mickey Ingles Reviewers PM Reyes Reviewers Notes and Outline of Atty. Montero UP Tax Reviewer Commercial Sundiang Commercial Law Reviewer Law Commercial Law Review by CLV (for certain subjects) Updated Transcripts of Atty. Jack Jimenez by 4A2015 Perez Quizzers (Transpo, NIL, Insurance, Corp, SecReg) Intellectual Property handouts by Atty. Jack Jimenez Criminal Law Boado RPC Boado SPL San Beda Red Notes Remedial Law Riano CivPro I, CivPro II, CrimPro, (Tip: Evidence Memorize the ApPrac book by Justice Magdangal de rule numbers Leon and their SpecPro, SCA, ProvRem Reviewer by corresponding Justice Magdangal De Leon titles. This ApPrac Case Digests for Atty. George helps A Aquino’s class (as compiled by Atty. LOT.) Glorie Pineda and Atty. JT Taylo) Aleitheia reviewer for Atty. Melo’s SCA class San Beda Red Book Legal Ethics Antiquierra Comments on Legal Ethics Aguirre Legal Ethics Reviewer San Beda Red Notes

Others Recent jurisprudence Paras Pre-week Reviewer (consolidate notes here) Top 100 Provisions by Atty. Abano (mark these on your codal) UP Tax Reviewer Recent jurisprudence Commercial Law Reviewer by Atty. Starr Wiegand (Aleitheia reviewer) Sundiang Commercial Law Reviewer Recent Jurisprudence (2010-2015) by Atty. Jack Jimenez Ateneo Reviewer San Beda Red Notes Recent Jurisprudence San Beda Red Book Recent Jurisprudence

Antiquierra Ethics San Beda Red Notes

Ideal Schedule The ideal schedule really depends on you. You should consider (1) the amount of time you have for review, (2) your relative strengths and weaknesses for each subject, and (3) the relative weight (in terms of content and Bar percentage) of each subject. If you are strong in one subject, you won’t have to spend too much time in that. Study more for the subjects which you are not as strong in. Ideally, your second (or more) read(s) will be shorter than the first read. For me, I started studying on May 4, 2015 (Star Wars Day). We had 6 months to study for the Bar in November so your schedule will most likely be different from mine. I also did not study during weekends, except during my second read (when I studied during Saturday morning). My schedule was like this for first read: Political Law – 10  

 

days, Labor Law – 8 days, Civil Law – 15 days, Taxation – 10 days, Commercial Law – 10 days, Criminal Law – 7 days, Remedial Law – 10 days, Ethics – 3 days. For my second read, my schedule was like this: Remedial Law – 7 days, Ethics – 2 days, - Criminal Law – 5 days, Commercial Law – 8 days, Taxation – 7 days, Civil Law – 10 days, Labor Law – 5 days, Political Law – 5 days. If you notice, I reversed the order of subjects for my second read. This is just a personal preference. You can decide on which order to use. IMPORTANT: Make your own schedule according to your own personal assessment.

Other General Tips •

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Quality over quantity. It doesn’t really matter how many reads you do. What’s important is that you really understand what you need to understand and memorize what you need to memorize. It’s useless to read the same material many times but you still don’t understand it. I do suggest to have at least 2 reads because repetition helps you remember the material. If you can do more, good for you. But if you’re a slow reader like me, don’t worry that some of your peers have read more times than you. Just be sure that you have a quality read. Rest when you need to. Bar Review is not easy. It’s hard to stay in the same spot and read for hours everyday for 5 or 6 days straight. Take breaks when you need to, especially when you’re already losing focus. It’s hard to concentrate and understand what you’re reading if you’re tired. Just don’t take too many breaks. Sleep. Make sure to get a good night’s sleep everyday. For most people, that’s usually 6-8 hours of sleep everyday. Sleep will also help you remember what you studied that day. If you lack sleep, your brain will have a harder time of processing new information. Try to also adjust your body clock for the Bar. During Bar Sunday, you will have to wake up at around 4 or 5am to take the test starting at 8am. If you are a night owl (or you just regularly wake up late), Bar review might be the time when you adjust your body clock so that your brain will be ready to take the test at 8am. Discipline yourself. The different thing with Bar review as compared to regular law school is that you really control your time. This is good because you don’t have to stress about deadlines. But it’s also bad because it’s so easy to just slack off. Making a defined study schedule and sticking to it will really help. Study with people who have similar study techniques as you. This presupposes that you actually want to study with other people. If you know that you study better alone, do so. But if you prefer to study with others, make sure that they are similar to you in terms of study style. Don’t study with people who read much faster than you do or much slower than you do because it will make you either feel that you’re too slow or that it’s ok to slack off a bit. Study with people who have a similar disposition as you. Ideally, they shouldn’t be too high strung when stressed. I was lucky enough to have studied with people who had a fun and cheerful disposition even while stressed during Bar review. Don’t worry about who the examiners are. Barristers almost always stress about who the examiners are, as if such information will help them in their study. It won’t. All these information are just unconfirmed rumors which cause unnecessary anxiety. Better to just focus on the subject matter which you are studying. Anyway, whoever the examiner will be, he or she will still ask about the same law which you are studying. Reward yourself. It’s ok to reward yourself from time to time to keep yourself motivated. Practice active studying. Plainly reading books and reviewers is what is called passive studying because you just take input into your brain. It’s also helpful to quiz yourself from time to time about the concepts you are studying. This is called active studying because you also practice the way your brain retrieves the information which has been stored. After all, the Bar exam will be a whole exercise of retrieving and processing information stored in your brain. Active studying will help a lot in memorization and understanding of concepts. Pomodoro Technique. This is a time management technique where you break down the day into several cycles of 25 minutes of active work and 5 minutes of rest. A full cycle of 30 minutes is one pomodoro. (I don’t know why it’s called that way but you can Google it to learn more.) There will be days when it just

 

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becomes too hard to study for several reasons. That’s normal. It happens to everyone. For me, I found that when I encounter these road block days, I use the pomodoro technique to push myself to study. After several cycles of 25 minutes of active studying and 5 minutes of resting, chances are that you’ll be able to get back your momentum for studying. Codal, codal, codal. And also, jurisprudence. Read your codal. This is perhaps the most important thing to do during Bar review. Don’t be afraid to write notes on your codal. Make sure also that you read the latest jurisprudence in each subject. The Bar exam will mostly be a question of how you understand the law as interpreted by the jurisprudence. If you don’t have enough time, make sure to at least completely read the codal. Always have the Bar syllabus. Refer to this often while studying. Make sure that you’re covering what needs to be covered and skipping what needs to be skipped. It will help you be more efficient in studying. Daily quota? Having a daily quota is part of having a set schedule. Some have quotas in terms of page numbers (i.e. 100 pages per day). I found that it was more helpful for me to have quotas in terms of topics because it helped me remember what I read. Just make sure that you read a substantial amount per day. Highlight or no highlight? This really depends on you. Initially, I would highlight what I read, but I later on realized that this just slowed me down. Instead, what I did was to write all my notes onto my codal or to one reviewer. In that way, all my notes will be consolidated in my codal and one reviewer which I can then use for pre-week. Writing your notes down also serves two purposes. First, studies show that things which are handwritten tend to be more easily remembered and recalled. Second, it practices your handwriting which is VERY important for the Bar exam. Caveat on reviewers. Not all reviewers are perfect. There might be some errors so be careful. If you sense that something in a reviewer is wrong, cross-reference with a book or with your codal.

Typical Study Day I would usually wake up at around 6 or 7am and then start studying at around 8 or 9am. I don’t have a particular schedule everyday but I make sure to put in around 10-12 hours of study time, depending on my pre-determined quota for that day. I also make sure that I have enough time each day to rest and relax (by watching Game of Thrones or some other show). Usually, I’m asleep by around 11 or 12 midnight. As November drew closer, I started sleeping and waking up earlier and earlier.

Prescribed Review Center I enrolled with Ateneo and Chan Robles for bar review. Both are good. The thing about Bar Review programs is that you don’t need to attend all the lectures. Only attend those which you think will be really helpful. Sometimes, reading your books and reviewers will be more efficient than attending a lecture. Consider this when choosing which review center you want to pay for. In any case, attend the pre-week lectures in Ateneo, especially the ones by Atty. Jack Jimenez. One last thing… Everything that will be asked of you in the Bar, you already know. Believe in yourself. Good luck! One Big Fight!

 

 

Atty. Jose Taylo Block A, Batch 2015

Materials Used •

POLI o First read: Bernas Primer (Consti), Nachura (Admin, Elec, Locgov, Puboff), ASIL Reviewer (PIL) o Succeeding reads: Bernas Primer (Consti), Beda Red Book (Admin, Elec, Locgov, Puboff), ASIL Reviewer (PIL) Pre-week: Bernas Primer (Consti), Beda Red Book (Admin, Elec, Locgov, Puboff), ASIL Reviewer (PIL)

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LABOR o First read: Chan o Succeeding reads: Azucena Green Book o Pre-week: Chan Pre-Week Notes, Azucena Green Book

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CIV o First read: Sempio-Dy (Persons), Balane (Succession), De Los Angeles Notes (Land Titles), Jurado (Property, Oblicon, Sales, Agency, Partnership, Lease, Torts), Zuñiga (Cred Trans), Beda Red Book (Conflict, Land Titles) o Succeeding reads: Regina-Dean Del Reviewer (Persons, Property), Squillantini Notes (Oblicon), Champ (Succession), Beda Red Book (Conflict, Land Titles), Zuñiga (Cred Trans), Jurado (Everything else) o Fourth read: Jurado (Sales, Agency, Partnership, Cred Trans, Lease, Torts) o Pre-week: Unli codal + Abaño 400

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TAX o First and succeeding reads: Pierre Notes all the way! o Pre-week: JT’s Tax Stuff to Memorize (text/message me, and I’ll send you a copy)

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COMM o First read: CLV Reviewer (yes, that very big book!) o Succeeding reads and Pre-Week: A2015 Jack Transcript (all except IP), Sundiang (IP)

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CRIM o First and second reads: Boado (all the way!), Beda Mem-Aid (for SPL not otherwise covered by Boado) o Third read and Pre-week: Beda Mem-Aid

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REM o First read: Riano (Civpro, Apprac, Provrem, SCA, Crimpro, Evidence), Festin (Specpro) o Succeeding reads and Pre-week: Beda Mem-Aid

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ETHICS o First read: Aguirre Succeeding reads and Pre-week: Ateneo Bar Ops Reviewer IN ADDITION: Random notes from Albano and UP (but mostly notes on updated jurisprudence)

 

 

Ideal Schedule • • • • •

Start out with 9-6 (with a lunch and a merienda break, for the sake of your sanity). Then as the Bar month starts to approach, start earlier--8am, then 7, then 6. If you wanna study at 5, go lang. But I always end around 6 or 7 (extended to 9pm during Oct/Nov), so I can sleep around 10 or 11 PM. Basta 6-8 hrs of sleep a day!

Other General Tips •

Best advice upperclassmen ever gave me: Study how you usually study. Don't change your style just because Bar na.

Typical Study Day • • • • • • •

Wake up at 6 (became 5am around October) Go to Starbs One Rock by 6:30/7 Study till 11/12 (with random yosi or TV series breaks in between) Lunch (if tipid hits, sa 7/11) Study till 6 or 7 (again, with random yosi or TV series breaks in between) Gym till 8 or 9 (I stopped going to the gym around September. Hence, weight gain galore) Random activities till 10 or 11 (FB, more TV series, kain pa more, or some other wholesome activity..pero if trip mo ang hindi wholesome, why not diba) Sleep around 10 or 11.

Prescribed Review Center • •

 

Ateneo, so that you'll have that sense of familiarity. You don't need to attend all lectures (actually, DO NOT ATTEND ALL LECTURES). Just those you think you need help with. BUT DEFINITELY GO TO PRE-WEEK LECTURES AND UPDATED JURISPRUDENCE LECTURES.

 

Atty. Patricia Sta. Maria Block B, Valedictorian, Batch 2015

Materials Used Reviewers when possible. Try to limit reading text books you otherwise have not read before. When I used more than one material for a certain subject, I annotated notes from one material onto the one that was shorter/quicker to read, so eventually I would only be reading one or two things per subject as I got nearer to the bar. For everything: Codal and updates in jurisprudence • • •

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Labor - Chan book, Chan pre-week Poli - Bernas Primer, Nachura, Beda Red Book Civ - Ateneo Reviewer (Persons, Oblicon, Conflicts, Lease, Compromise, Torts. Note: There were some mistakes here and I put my own corrections and notes from books so take this recommendation with qualification), Champ reviewer (Wills), Ingles reviewer (Property), Zuniga with notes from De Leon (Sectrans), Agcaoili notes (Land Titles), CLV outline (Sales, Agency) Tax - Ingles book, Montero slides Comm - Abad (Nego), CLV reviewer (Corp), Ateneo reviewer (Banking, Transpo, IP, Other laws), Sundiang (Insurance, SecReg, Transpo), Jack Notes (Insurance) Crim - Reyes (Crim I), Reviewer based on Reyes (Crim II, I was using this since first year and crim law rev so more of convenience than anything else), Boado (SPL), Ateneo reviewer (other SPLs not in Boado) Rem - Ingles reviewer (Civ, Apprac), Beda Mem-Aid (Evidence, CrimPro, other laws), Ateneo Reviewer (Spec Pro, SCA, ProvRem, other laws), Villasis Notes (Civ, SCA, Provrem), Parts of Festin (SpecPro) Ethics - Bar Questions and Suggested Answers, Ateneo 2014 Reviewer

Ideal Schedule Depending on how you did in law school, 2-3 reads should be enough. Assess whether you absorb more information in your first or second read (based on past experience with Law School) and allot that read longer time.

Other General Tips Always get sleep, no matter what. Sometimes, studying alone will get to you. Study with friends if that keeps you saner. Test yourself. You don't need to take the mock bar specifically, but try answering the past bar exams after every subject or whenever it's convenient for you. Better to have a runner.

Typical Study Day

Get up at around 6 or 7, start studying from 9 to around 7 or 8. Sleep by 10.

Prescribed Review Center UP Review is a good option for those who live in QC. It's a nice change in scenery, but keep a low profile.

 

 

Atty. Reginald Arceo 4th Place, 2015 Bar Examinations

Materials Used •

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Generally, I used my old law school books and materials. For updates, I just thought that it would be covered by recent jurisprudence notes and pre-week lectures and materials. The reviewers and some of the books in my reading list were just supplements, but I was not able to read all of them. The focus was really on my outlined codals with handwritten notes. For the 1st Reading, I read books (mostly old law books). For the 2nd Reading, I transferred the important parts of those books into my outlined codals (Please see the image in Part II-Other General Tips). For 3rd and 4th Readings, I read those outlined codals with notes, supplemented by recent jurisprudence. However, I used new books for some subjects.

SUBJECT

REVIEW MATERIALS (Main Material: Outlined Codal with Personal Notes from my Law School Books and Reviewers)

I. POLITICAL LAW (15%) A. CONSTI LAW

(i) Bernas Primer; (ii) Nachura

B. PUBLIC OFFICERS

(i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

C. ADMIN LAW

(i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

D. ELECTION

(i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

E. LOC GOV

(i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

F. PIL

(i) Sarmiento; (ii) SBC MemAid

II. LABOR LAW (10%) A. LABOR STANDARDS

(i) Azucena Green Book; (ii) SBC MemAid

B. LABOR RELATIONS

(i) Azucena Green Book; (ii) SBC MemAid

III. CIVIL LAW (15%)

 

A. PERSONS & FAM. REL.

(i) Aquino; (ii) Sta. Maria

B. OBLICON

(i) Aquino; (ii) Paras

C. PROPERTY

(i) Aquino; (ii) Paras

D. SALES

(i) Aquino; (ii) CLV’s Syllabus

E. SEC TRANS

(i) Aquino; (ii) Zuñiga Notes

F. AGENCY

(i) Aquino; (ii) CLV’s Syllabus

G. PARTNERSHIP

(i) Aquino; (ii) CLV’s Syllabus

  H. COMPROMISE

(i) Aquino; (ii) SBC MemAid

I. LEASE

(i) Aquino; (ii) SBC MemAid

J. LAND TITLES

(i) De los Angeles

K. SUCCESSION

(i) Aquino; (ii) Balane

L. TORTS AND DAMAGES

(i) Aquino

M. CONFLICT OF LAWS

(i) SBC MemAid

IV. TAXATION LAW (10%)

A. TAX I

(i) Personal Notes from the Lecture of Atty. Barlis; (ii) PMReyes Reviewer; (iii) Ingles; (iv) Co-Untian

B. TAX II

(i) Personal Notes from the Lecture of Atty. Barlis; (ii) PMReyes Reviewer; (iii) Ingles; (iv) Co-Untian

V. MERCANTILE LAW (15%)

A. LETTERS OF CREDIT

(i) Sundiang; (ii) Agbayani; (iii) ALS Reviewer

B. TRUST RECEIPTS LAW

(i) Sundiang; (ii) De Leon; (iii) ALS Reviewer

C. NIL

(i) Sundiang; (ii) Abad; (iii) Perez; (iv) ALS Reviewer

D. INSURANCE

(i) Sundiang; (ii) Perez; (iii) ALS Reviewer

E. TRANSPORTATION

(i) Sundiang; (ii) Perez; (iii) ALS Reviewer

F. CORPORATE LAW

(i) Sundiang; (ii) CLV Comm; (iii) Perez; (iv) ALS Reviewer

G. SECREG

(i) Sundiang; (ii) CLV Comm; (iii) Perez; (iv) ALS Reviewer

H. BANKING

(i) Sundiang; (ii) ALS Reviewer

I. IPC

(i) Sundiang; (ii) CLV Comm; (iii) ALS Reviewer

J. AMLA

(i) Sundiang; (ii) ALS Reviewer

K. FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

(i) ALS Reviewer

VI. CRIMINAL LAW (10%)

A. BOOK I

(i) Reyes (ii) Boado; (iii) Gregorio; (iv) Ortega Notes

B. BOOK II

(i) Reyes (ii) Boado; (iii) Ortega Notes

C. SPL

(i) Boado; (ii) Festin

VII. REMEDIAL LAW (20%)  

  A. CRIM PRO

(i) Riano

B. CIV PRO

(i) Riano

C. EVIDENCE

(i) Riano

D. SPEC PRO

(i) Festin

VIII. LEGAL ETHICS (5%)

(i) Aguirre; (ii) Antiquiera; (iii) SBC Red Book

Ideal Schedule • • •

This is just “ideal” because I was not able to follow it. For instance, I started reviewing for Legal Ethics only during the 4th Reading, which is not advisable; For the 1st Reading, I started with the subjects that I had for 4th year - 2nd Sem. in law school (Remedial Law, Mercantile Law, Taxation Law, and some Civil Law subjects); Except for the 4th Reading, each day of the review was allotted for only one subject.

1ST READING (35 Days) 1. Remedial Law 2. Mercantile Law 3. Taxation Law 4. Civil Law 5. Political Law 6. Criminal Law 7. Labor Law 8. Legal Ethics 3RD READING (31 Days) 1. Remedial Law 2. Legal Ethics 3. Criminal Law 4. Mercantile Law 5. Taxation Law 6. Civil Law 7. Labor Law 8. Political Law

IDEAL SCHEDULE 2ND READING No. of Days (31 Days) 5 1. Legal Ethics 2 2. Remedial Law 6 3. Criminal Law 5 4. Mercantile Law 5 5. Taxation Law 6 6. Civil Law 4 7. Labor Law 2 8. Political Law 4TH READING No. of Days (31 Days) 5 1. Remedial Law 2 2. Legal Ethics 4 3. Criminal Law 4 4. Mercantile Law 4 5. Taxation Law 5 6. Civil Law 3 7. Labor Law 4 8. Political Law

No. of Days 2 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 No. of Days 5 2 4 4 4 5 3 4

Other General Tips •

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Use your old books and review materials, but take note of recent developments. When I was in law school, it was my habit to put highlights and notes on my books. I decided not to prioritize new materials because I did not want to spend time for highlighting or writing notes; While reviewing, some questions will pop up. Do not be pressured to find the answer right away. Write the questions in a designated notebook, then answer them only after finishing your review for that particular subject. More often than not, you will find the answer without intentionally searching for it; It was my goal to top the bar, but after the bar exams, I did not expect to achieve it. Nevertheless, I continued praying really hard and hoped for a miracle. Even with this goal, there was no pressure throughout my bar review. Before law school graduation, I was actually excited for the bar review because of the thought of having no recitations, staying at my home, doing what I wanted to do, and having control of my time. I took breaks when I needed to; Prepare physically. Eat healthy food. Exercise. Sleep well. You lost so much sleep in law school. Now is the time to make up for it, assuming of course that you will manage your time well; Pray a lot. Trust God that He will take care of the things that you cannot control. Do not waste your time thinking about them;

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The Lex Pareto Notes has a list of the most asked provisions in the bar exams. I used a color coding system (Green: if the provision was asked 5x or more; Blue: 2 – 5x; Red: 1x), wherein I put a box on the article/section numbers in my codals using the color that is applicable. It is particularly helpful during the bar month when there was no enough time to read the whole codals. I prioritized the provisions with green, blue, and red boxes. Please see the image below as an illustration. Article 148 of the Revised Penal Code was already asked 5 times or more, while Articles 151 and 152 were asked 2-5 times.

 

Typical Study Day 4:00 – 5:30 AM (Breakfast, Internet, TV) 5:30 AM – 12:00 PM (Study)** 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (Lunch) 1:00 – 5:30 PM (Study)** 5:30 – 6:30 PM (Basketball) 6:30 – 8:30 PM (Dinner, Internet, TV, etc.) 8:30 PM – 4:00 AM (Sleep)

*I followed this schedule every day of bar review, except that the study time was reduced to 2-4 hours during weekends. **Includes numerous 15-minute breaks and/or power naps.

Prescribed Review Center •

 

Instead of enrolling in a traditional/classroom review center, I opted to stay at my house in Bulacan. However, I was enrolled in two online review centers: ChanRobles Bar and Jurists Bar. I highly recommend the pre-bar lectures of Atty. Barlis, Atty. Manuel, and Atty. Chan and the pre-week lectures of Atty. Barlis and Atty. Jack Jimenez.

 

Atty. Mandy Anderson 5h Place, 2015 Bar Examinations

Materials Used Political Law Bernas Primer (Consti) Nachura (Non-Consti) Recent Jur (Jimenez) Labor Law Chan Reviewer (waited for the 2014 version to come out which was pretty late) Manuel Labor Review Slides and my notes from his class Codal Civil Law Aquino Chan Robles Pre-week Lecture Codal Taxation Law UP Reviewer (used 2014 version since I’m kuripot and didn’t want to get the new one) Codal Commercial Law Sundiang Recent Jur (Jimenez) Criminal Law Boado Beda Memaid (Crim II only since I felt Boado wasn’t enough, but still read Boado once.) Chan Robles Pre-week Lecture – Garcia (love her) Codal Remedial Law Beda Memaid (from law school til the bar, used 2014 version since that was what I used for Rem Review) Codal Codal Codal Ethics Chan Robles Preweek Lecture (the lecturer’s last name started with the letter L, she saved my life) Ateneo Reviewer (the q&a type) Memorize Lawyer’s Oath Familiarize Canons

 

 

Ideal Schedule Number of Days (up until the first bar exam) less Sundays (no study day) x Weight of subject = Days to Study Subject Days to Study Subject = Number of days for first read 2 (Reads) I got a calendar and wrote the topics per subject and pro-rated them according to the number of days per read. I studied in the following order: First Read: POLI LABOR CIV TAX COMM CRIM REM ETHICS

Second Read: CRIM COMM TAX CIV LABOR REM (since there’s a lot to remember) POLI (Studied ethics again during pre-week)

Note: Don’t follow the number of days you get from the equations above strictly. Assess yourself and see which subjects you don’t feel confident on. For example, if I got 20 days for Tax, I’d only use 10 days since I felt I was confident with the subject. I would instead use the extra 10 days to study Rem (which didn’t really matter since that exam was crazy).

Other General Tips I relied a lot on what I learned during law school. It might help to have some confidence yourself. Learn to relax and please please please, DO NOT PANIC. Understand what you’re reading. Don’t compare your pace with your friends. Everyone’s study habits are varied and our capacity to retain and understand things are different. We are all special in that sense. We’ve studied for four years in law school, if whatever study habits you had worked for you during that time, then don’t change your strategy. Make sure you sleep well at night. It helps with your memory. Do not cram! I never studied the day before the exams since I believe it messes up you’re understanding of things you’ve already understood (or thought you understood). DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU COULD PANIC. I’ve known a lot of people who’ve blacked out from cramming the night before and not getting enough sleep.

Typical Study Day Second Week of May until August 7:00am – Wake Up 7:15am – 8:00am – Gym and shower 8:00 – 11:30am – Study (with random breaks since I can only study for an hour straight max.) 11:30 – 12:00 – Walk my dog and teach her tricks  

 

12:00 – 1:00 pm – Lunch break 1:15 – 6:30pm – Study at a coffee shop near me (with random breaks) I usually didn’t study after 6:30pm since I had to take care of other aspects of my life. But when that aspect didn’t apply, I could read until 830 pm or I’d just go out for a walk with my dog. I always had a glass (or two) of beer after studying. I read it boosts memory. J (hey it worked for me and I’ve been doing it since law school) 11:00pm (the latest) --- Beauty sleep J September – October 6:00am – Wake Up 6:15am – 7:00am – Gym and shower 7:00 – 11:30am – Study (with random breaks in between) 11:30 – 11:45 – Walk my dog 12:00 – 1:00 pm – Lunch break 1:15 – 7:00pm – Study at a coffee shop near me (with random breaks) 7:00 – 7:30 – Dinner 7:30 – 9:30 – Light studying or sometimes I’d walk my dog again 9:30 – 10:00 – Watch one episode of anything and have a glass of beer 10:00pm – Beauty sleep J

Prescribed Review Center Chan Robles Online Review Albano Review Center for pre-week (I only attended Poli and the Saturday class for Civ.)