MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) hailed the 2018 bar exam topnotchers after the special en banc session on Friday, May 3.
Committee Chairman Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo announces the results together with the list of successful examinees of the 117th bar exam.
RELATED RESULTS
Sean James Borja of the Ateneo de Manila University aced the bar with 89.306%.
RELATED STORIES
A total of 8,155 law graduates tried to hurdle the 2018 bar exam, the most prestigious professional licensure exam in the country. The series of tests were administered on November 4, 11, 18 and 25 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Espana, Manila.
SUPREME COURT OF THE PHILIPPINES
TOP 10 PASSERS: 2018 BAR EXAM RESULTS
Committee Chairman Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo announces the results together with the list of successful examinees of the 117th bar exam.
RELATED RESULTS
- MAIN PAGE: 2018 Bar Exam Results
- A-G List of Passers: 2018 Philippine Bar Exam Results
- H-O List of Passers: 2018 Philippine Bar Exam Results
- P-Z List of Passers: 2018 Philippine Bar Exam Results
Sean James Borja of the Ateneo de Manila University aced the bar with 89.306%.
RELATED STORIES
- LGBT Bar topnotcher: “I promised myself that I would push it to the very limit”
- Ateneo, University of San Carlos grads dominate 2018 Bar Exam
A total of 8,155 law graduates tried to hurdle the 2018 bar exam, the most prestigious professional licensure exam in the country. The series of tests were administered on November 4, 11, 18 and 25 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Espana, Manila.
SUPREME COURT OF THE PHILIPPINES
| RANK | NAME | SCHOOL | RATING % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borja, Sean James | Ateneo de Manila University | 89.3060% |
| 2 | Natu-El, Marcley Augustus D. | University of San Carlos | 87.5300% |
| 3 | Badayos, Mark Lawrence C. | University of San Carlos | 85.8420% |
| 4 | Fordan, Daniel John A. | Ateneo de Manila University | 85.4430% |
| 5 | Gaw, Katrina Monica C. | Ateneo de Manila University | 85.4210% |
| 6 | Tongco, Nadaine P. | University of the Philippines | 85.0320% |
| 7 | Sevilla, Patricia O. | University of the Philippines | 84.8590% |
| 8 | Ting, Kathrine T. | De La Salle University - Manila | 84.8570% |
| 9 | Cane, Jebb Lynus Q. | University of San Carlos | 84.8050% |
| 10 | Pita, Alen Joel R. | University of San Carlos | 84.6930% |
PREVIOUS EXAMINATION
In the 2017 bar exam, graduates of provincial law schools dominated the list of topnotchers. Mark John Simondo of University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod, Negros Occidental aced the bar with a grade of 91.05 percent.
In the 2016 exams, all topnotchers came from the provincial schools, a first without the usual top-performing NCR-based schools. University of San Carlos' Karen Mae Calam aced the bar with a rating of 89.05%.
Meanwhile, University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law alum Rachel Angeli B. Miranda topped the 2015 Bar Examinations with a rating of 87.40%.
Here's the summary of topnotchers during the past seven bar exams.
| YEAR | TOPNOTCHER | SCHOOL | RATING |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mark John H. Simondo | University of St. La Salle - Bacolod | 91.05% |
| 2016 | Karen Mae L. Calam | University of San Carlos | 89.05% |
| 2015 | Rachel Angeli B. Miranda | University of the Philippines | 87.40% |
| 2014 | Irene Mae B. Alcobilla | San Beda College - Manila | 85.50% |
| 2013 | NIelson Pangan | University of the Philippines | 85.80% |
| 2012 | Ignatius Michael D. Ingles | Ateneo de Manila University | 85.64% |
| 2011 | Atadero, Raoul Angelo D. | Ateneo de Manila | 85.54% |
BAR EXAM OVERVIEW
Bar exam is also the only licensure examination not administered by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC). In the 2018 exams, hopefuls were tasked to answer open-ended questions in long hand. Questions were carefully selected by the committee, formulated to test analytical ability, facility in expression in terms of written argument, comprehension of basic principles of law, and grasp of jurisprudence.
The examination covered the following topics and their associated subtopics, 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.
— The Summit Express
