MANILA, Philippines - (Updated May 3, 12:15 p.m.) The November 2016 Philippine Bar Exam results are officially released online after the special en banc session on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. Out of 6,344 law graduates who have completed the tests on the four Sundays of November 2016 (6, 13, 20, and 27), the full list of passers and topnotchers who got at least 75 percent average grade were announced by the Supreme Court (SC).
UPDATE: A record-high 3,747 out of 6,344 (59.06%) passed the 2016 bar exam.
The 115th bar exam, which ended without a hitch according to SC spokesman Theodore Te, was administered to 3,317 new candidates and 3,514 retakers at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Espana, Manila.
SUMMARY: Here's the full list of results for the 2016 Bar Exam (updated):
UPDATE 1: The oathtaking of the successful #BAR2016 candidates will be held on May 22, 3 PM, Mall of Asia Arena. Registration will start at 11 AM.
UPDATE 2: The #BAR2016 passers may secure their clearances from the Office of the Bar Confidant from May 8 to 21, 2017 starting at 8 am.
The Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) on November 29 announced that 487 of the 6,831 admitted candidates did not show up to complete the examinations.
As a protocol, examinees who did not proceed on succeeding exams were not required to explain their absence. In effect, SC has no way of knowing if the examinees fell ill or were simply overwhelmed by fear of the grueling exams.
Amid the allegations of cheating, bar exams committee led by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. has issued statement to deny the issue. "There is no truth to unsubstantiated social media rumors," SC posted on Twitter.
Coverage of examination
Same with the previous exam, the 2016 Philippine Bar exams had 100% essay-type questions based on bulletin about guide and rules of conduct of bar examinations posted on SC website.
The examination covered the following topics and their associated subtopic, popularly known as the bar subjects: Political Law and Public International Law, Labor and Social Legislation, Civil Law, Taxation, Mercantile Law, Criminal Law, Remedial law and Legal and Judicial Ethics.
2016 Bar Exam passing percentage
While a bar examinee is “deemed to have passed his examinations successfully if he/she has obtained a general average of 75%”, the Supreme Court en banc has always retained for itself (based on its authority to amend the Rules) the discretion to make adjustments, as it did in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Bar Examinations to lower the bar exam passing percentage.
In 2012, the Bar exam committee lowered the passing average to as low as 70%. In 2013 and 2014, the highest court lowered the passing grade to 73% in view of the structure of the results, the difficulty the candidates encountered with the MCQ portion of the exam, and in light of past precedents.
Meanwhile, the standard passing grade of 75% was kept for the 2015 examinations. Section 14, Rule 138 of Revised Rule of Court added that there should be no grade falling below 50% in any bar subject.
2016 Bar exam results official release
In the October 2014 bar exam, results have been released on the fourth week of March.
Due to Philippine Association of Law Schools' recommendation and the shift of academic calendars, the schedule of bar examinations for 2015 and 2016 has been moved to November. In 2015 bar, results were released on the first week of May.
The OBC is tasked to release the Official List of Successful Bar Examinees, expected anytime in April to May.
Traditionally, the full list of successful bar examinees will be flashed on a widescreen at the Supreme Court front yard and simultaneously be viewed at the official website of the SC.
2016 Bar Exam updates and announcements
Same on the previous years, The Summit Express will update this website once we got reliable updates prior to the release of results. On this page, the list of passers and topnotchers will be posted immediately.
March 27, 2017 Update: 2016 Bar exam results out before Holy Week?
April 3, 2017 Update: According to reliable sources, the 2016 bar exam results will be released on May 2 after the special en banc session.
Once announced, the Bar passers may secure their clearances from the Office of the Bar Confidant during office hours, 8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. on the specified date.
April 26, 2017 Update: The Supreme Court (SC) has confirmed on Twitter that #Bar2016 results are out on May 3, 2017 after the special en banc session.
May 3, 2017 1st Update: Bar exam results are out today! Refresh page for the updates.
May 3, 2017 2nd Update: SC is getting ready for #BAR2016 announcement after the special en Banc session.
May 3, 2017 4th Update: #BAR2016 results out at 11:30 am at the SC quadrangle. (Note: results will be posted also on this page once available online.)
Philippine Bar Examination overview and history
The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the country. It is the only professional exam not handled by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and exclusively supervised by the Supreme Court.
The SC conducts the Bar examinations pursuant to Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution which provides that it shall have the power to promulgate rules governing the admission to the practice of law.
Some Filipino lawyers say the Philippine Bar exam is especially tough because it is centralized on eight bar subjects, with the expected annual passing rate of 20% to 30%. Due to the scope and difficulty, the bar examinations are regarded as the most prestigious professional licensure exam in the country.
Prior to the release of results, special en banc session for the 'decoding of bar exam results' is being done. Decoding is the process where the SC orders the Office of the Bar Confidant to open the sealed envelopes with the names of the candidates who passed the exams.
From 2000 to 2006, the Bar exam passing rate exceeds 30 percent three times (in 2001, 2004, and 2006). After that, the passing rates saw a decline, with the rate going as low as 20.26 percent in 2010.
However, the following year, in 2011, the passing rate suddenly increased to more than 30 percent (31.95%). This was the year the SC introduced multiple-choice questions (MCQ) in the exams.
For two years, results for MCQs weighed more (60 percent) than the results for essay questions (40 percent). But unlike in the 2011 results, the 2012 passing rate plummeted to a 12-year low of 17.76 percent.
The following year, in 2013, the SC decided to change the Bar exam rules anew. This time, essay questions were made to weigh more (80 percent) than the MCQ (20 percent). That year, the passing rate recovered (22.18) but still far from the 30-percent mark in the early 2000s.
Last year, passing rate of 26.21 percent (1,731 out of 6,605) is the the sixth highest since 2001 which had a 32.89 percent.
SUMMARY: Here's the overview of Philippine bar exam results in the past 10 years
Rachel Angeli B. Miranda of the University of the Philippines topped the 2015 bar exam with 87.40 percent.
RELATED STORY
November 2015 Philippine Bar Exam Results
UPDATE: A record-high 3,747 out of 6,344 (59.06%) passed the 2016 bar exam.
The 115th bar exam, which ended without a hitch according to SC spokesman Theodore Te, was administered to 3,317 new candidates and 3,514 retakers at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Espana, Manila.
SUMMARY: Here's the full list of results for the 2016 Bar Exam (updated):
- List of Passers: 2016 Philippine Bar Exam Results (A-G Surname)
- List of Passers: 2016 Philippine Bar Exam Results (H-O Surname)
- List of Passers: 2016 Philippine Bar Exam Results (P-Z Surname)
- Top 10 List: November 2016 Philippine Bar exams
- 2016 Bar topnotcher encourages public school students to dream big
- LIVE UPDATES: SC releases 2016 bar exam results today
UPDATE 1: The oathtaking of the successful #BAR2016 candidates will be held on May 22, 3 PM, Mall of Asia Arena. Registration will start at 11 AM.
UPDATE 2: The #BAR2016 passers may secure their clearances from the Office of the Bar Confidant from May 8 to 21, 2017 starting at 8 am.
The Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) on November 29 announced that 487 of the 6,831 admitted candidates did not show up to complete the examinations.
As a protocol, examinees who did not proceed on succeeding exams were not required to explain their absence. In effect, SC has no way of knowing if the examinees fell ill or were simply overwhelmed by fear of the grueling exams.
Amid the allegations of cheating, bar exams committee led by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. has issued statement to deny the issue. "There is no truth to unsubstantiated social media rumors," SC posted on Twitter.
Coverage of examination
Same with the previous exam, the 2016 Philippine Bar exams had 100% essay-type questions based on bulletin about guide and rules of conduct of bar examinations posted on SC website.
The examination covered the following topics and their associated subtopic, popularly known as the bar subjects: Political Law and Public International Law, Labor and Social Legislation, Civil Law, Taxation, Mercantile Law, Criminal Law, Remedial law and Legal and Judicial Ethics.
2016 Bar Exam passing percentage
While a bar examinee is “deemed to have passed his examinations successfully if he/she has obtained a general average of 75%”, the Supreme Court en banc has always retained for itself (based on its authority to amend the Rules) the discretion to make adjustments, as it did in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Bar Examinations to lower the bar exam passing percentage.
In 2012, the Bar exam committee lowered the passing average to as low as 70%. In 2013 and 2014, the highest court lowered the passing grade to 73% in view of the structure of the results, the difficulty the candidates encountered with the MCQ portion of the exam, and in light of past precedents.
Meanwhile, the standard passing grade of 75% was kept for the 2015 examinations. Section 14, Rule 138 of Revised Rule of Court added that there should be no grade falling below 50% in any bar subject.
2016 Bar exam results official release
In the October 2014 bar exam, results have been released on the fourth week of March.
Due to Philippine Association of Law Schools' recommendation and the shift of academic calendars, the schedule of bar examinations for 2015 and 2016 has been moved to November. In 2015 bar, results were released on the first week of May.
The OBC is tasked to release the Official List of Successful Bar Examinees, expected anytime in April to May.
Traditionally, the full list of successful bar examinees will be flashed on a widescreen at the Supreme Court front yard and simultaneously be viewed at the official website of the SC.
2016 Bar Exam updates and announcements
Same on the previous years, The Summit Express will update this website once we got reliable updates prior to the release of results. On this page, the list of passers and topnotchers will be posted immediately.
March 27, 2017 Update: 2016 Bar exam results out before Holy Week?
April 3, 2017 Update: According to reliable sources, the 2016 bar exam results will be released on May 2 after the special en banc session.
Once announced, the Bar passers may secure their clearances from the Office of the Bar Confidant during office hours, 8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. on the specified date.
April 26, 2017 Update: The Supreme Court (SC) has confirmed on Twitter that #Bar2016 results are out on May 3, 2017 after the special en banc session.
May 3, 2017 2nd Update: SC is getting ready for #BAR2016 announcement after the special en Banc session.
May 3, 2017 4th Update: #BAR2016 results out at 11:30 am at the SC quadrangle. (Note: results will be posted also on this page once available online.)
Philippine Bar Examination overview and history
The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the country. It is the only professional exam not handled by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and exclusively supervised by the Supreme Court.
The SC conducts the Bar examinations pursuant to Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution which provides that it shall have the power to promulgate rules governing the admission to the practice of law.
Some Filipino lawyers say the Philippine Bar exam is especially tough because it is centralized on eight bar subjects, with the expected annual passing rate of 20% to 30%. Due to the scope and difficulty, the bar examinations are regarded as the most prestigious professional licensure exam in the country.
Prior to the release of results, special en banc session for the 'decoding of bar exam results' is being done. Decoding is the process where the SC orders the Office of the Bar Confidant to open the sealed envelopes with the names of the candidates who passed the exams.
From 2000 to 2006, the Bar exam passing rate exceeds 30 percent three times (in 2001, 2004, and 2006). After that, the passing rates saw a decline, with the rate going as low as 20.26 percent in 2010.
However, the following year, in 2011, the passing rate suddenly increased to more than 30 percent (31.95%). This was the year the SC introduced multiple-choice questions (MCQ) in the exams.
For two years, results for MCQs weighed more (60 percent) than the results for essay questions (40 percent). But unlike in the 2011 results, the 2012 passing rate plummeted to a 12-year low of 17.76 percent.
The following year, in 2013, the SC decided to change the Bar exam rules anew. This time, essay questions were made to weigh more (80 percent) than the MCQ (20 percent). That year, the passing rate recovered (22.18) but still far from the 30-percent mark in the early 2000s.
Last year, passing rate of 26.21 percent (1,731 out of 6,605) is the the sixth highest since 2001 which had a 32.89 percent.
SUMMARY: Here's the overview of Philippine bar exam results in the past 10 years
| Year | No. of Examinees | No. of Passers | Passing Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6,344 | 3,747 | 59.06% |
| 2015 | 6,605 | 1,731 | 26.21% |
| 2014 | 5,984 | 1,126 | 18.82% |
| 2013 | 5,292 | 1,174 | 22.18% |
| 2012 | 5,343 | 949 | 17.76% |
| 2011 | 5,987 | 1,913 | 31.95% |
| 2010 | 4,847 | 982 | 20.26% |
| 2009 | 5,903 | 1,451 | 24.58% |
| 2008 | 6,364 | 1,310 | 20.58% |
| 2007 | 5,626 | 1,289 | 22.91% |
| 2006 | 6,187 | 1,893 | 30.60% |
Rachel Angeli B. Miranda of the University of the Philippines topped the 2015 bar exam with 87.40 percent.
RELATED STORY
November 2015 Philippine Bar Exam Results
