MANILA, Philippines – The September 2024 Philippine Bar Exam results are expected to be released online after the special en banc session in early December 2024 or in 2-3 months after the grueling exams. Out of 10,490 law graduates who completed the fourth digitalized and regionalized bar exams, the full list of passers and topnotchers will be announced by the Supreme Court (SC).
The 2024 Bar exam was held on September 8, 11, and 15, 2024 in 13 local testing centers nationwide – National Capital Region (San Beda University – Manila, University of Santo Tomas, San Beda College Alabang, University of the Philippines – Diliman, Manila Adventist College and University of the Philippines – Bonifacio Global City), Luzon (Saint Louis University and University of Nueva Caceres).
Testing centers also include Visayas (University of San Jose – Recoletos, Central Philippine University and Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation) and Mindanao (Ateneo de Davao University and Xavier University).
Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez served as the Chairperson of the 2024 Bar Examinations Committee.
The Supreme Court once again used a computer-based examination program that allows examinees to securely take a test using their own devices. Aspiring lawyers took the 2024 Bar Examinations in-person, in their venue of choice, supervised by proctors, and monitored through closed-circuit television cameras.
2024 BAR EXAM RESULTS SUMMARY
- A-G Passers: 2024 Bar Exam Results
- H-O Passers: 2024 Bar Exam Results
- P-Z Passers: 2024 Bar Exam Results
- Topnotchers: 2024 Bar Exam Results
- Top Law Schools: 2024 Bar Exam Results
- GUIDE: 2024 bar passers online clearance procedure, oathtaking
SUPREME COURT OF THE PHILIPPINES
LIST OF PASSERS: 2024 BAR EXAM RESULTS
Held on SEPTEMBER 8, 11 & 15, 2024
Release in December 2024
Stay tuned for the list of bar passers... Follow us on Facebook or X for real-time updates.
WHEN IS THE RELEASE OF 2024 BAR EXAM RESULTS?
The Supreme Court announced in an article on September 8 that results of the bar exam are set to be released in early December this year. In addition, the oath taking and signing of the Roll of Attorneys are scheduled on January 24, 2025.
"The release of the results of this year’s Bar Exams is tentatively scheduled in early December, while the oath taking and signing of the Roll of Attorneys are scheduled on January 24, 2025," Supreme Court said.
On the actual day of release of exam results, SC is expected to flash the list of successful examinees at LED walls in SC courtyard, Padre Faura Street, Manila.
Similar with previous years, results will be released as well on the Supreme Court's website and official social media pages on X and Facebook.
2024 BAR EXAM UPDATES, ANNOUNCEMENTS
Prior to the official release of list of passers, topnotchers and top law schools, reliable sources give updates on the possible or exact time of release of bar exam results. Specifically, the SC and the personnel related to the administration of the bar exam are sharing information of the special en banc updates leading to the release of results.
The Summit Express will once again provide immediate and live updates on this page and our social media accounts in time for the announcement of results.
2024 BAR STATISTICS
The 2024 Bar Examinations successfully concluded with 10,490 out of 10,504 (99.87%) hopefuls completing all three exam days.
The Chairperson added that on the second day of the exams, attendance decreased to 10,493.
During the first day of exams, Lopez said that 155 senior citizens and 313 examinees with special needs were among the examinees. The youngest examinee is 23 years old, while the oldest is 78.
A total of 12,246 applicants originally applied to take the exams but, according to Justice Lopez, some of them did not graduate or have encountered unforeseen circumstances that led to withdrawals.
TOPNOTCHERS AND TOP LAW SCHOOLS
For the 2024 bar exam, SC is expected to release list of topnotchers and top law schools, in similar format to the 2023 and 2022 bar exams.
In the 2020/21 Bar Examinations, the Supreme Court did not release the list of topnotchers but instead recognized examinees who recorded “exemplary performance” in the licensure test.
COVERAGE OF EXAMS AND QUESTIONNAIRES
Asked about how difficult these year’s questions are compared to last year’s, Justice Lopez said they are neither difficult nor easy, “exacto lang (just right).”
This year’s Bar Examinations tackled six core subjects (see link of for the given questions):
1. Political and Public International Law (15%)
2. Commercial and Taxation Laws (20%)
3. Civil Law (20%)
4. Labor Law and Social Legislation (10%)
5. Criminal Law (10%)
6. Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises (25%)
According to SC, these core subjects were determined and approved by the Court En Banc upon thoughtful review of previous syllabi and due consideration of the latest developments in legal practice.
2024 BAR EXAM PASSING AVERAGE
Bar hopeful will have to earn at least 75% as total weighted score to pass. This score is the product of Bar subject’s relative weight and raw score as a percentage of the maximum possible score.
While a bar examinee is “deemed to have passed examinations successfully if he/she has obtained a general average of 75%,” the SC en banc has the discretion whether to make adjustments, as it did in the previous Bar Examinations to lower the bar exam passing percentage.
Note: In the 2019 bar exam, passing average was lowered from 75% to 74%.
PHILIPPINE BAR EXAM OVERVIEW AND HISTORY
The Philippine bar examinations, dubbed as the most prestigious and hardest professional licensure exam in the country for aspiring lawyers, is the only professional exam not handled by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). It is 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.
Many Filipino lawyers say the bar exam is hard because it is centralized on wide-range bar subjects, with the expected annual passing rate of 20% to 30%.
Special en banc session for the 'decoding of bar exam results' is being done prior to the release of results. Decoding is the process where the SC orders the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) to open the sealed envelopes with the names of the candidates who passed the exams.
In 2011, SC introduced multiple-choice questions (MCQ) in the exams resulting for higher passing rate. In 2012, passing rate plummeted to a 12-year low of 17.76%.
In 2013, SC revised the rule giving essay questions more weight (80 percent) than MCQ (20 percent). Passing rate recovered (22.18) but still far from the 30-percent mark in the early 2000s.
The 2014 exam also resulted to a low passing rate of 18.82% while a big jump was saw in 2015 having 26.21%.
The historic high of 59.06% passing rate in 2016 was recorded as Chairman Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr was more "reasonable" as "points were given to answers, even if the positions taken may not exactly be the right answer."
In the 2018 bar exam, passing rate was down to 22.07%. Sean James Borja of the Ateneo de Manila University aced the bar with 89.31%.
In the 2019 bar exam, passing rate rose a bit to 27.36% after adjusting the passing percentage to 74%. Mae Diane Azores of the University of Santo Tomas in Legaspi topped the bar with a rating of 91.0490%.
In the 2020-2021 bar exam, SC once again recorded a historic high of 72.28% passing rate, the first bar exam during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the 2022 bar exams, passing rate was also higher than usual, 43.47%. University of the Philippines College of Law alum Czar Mathew Gerard Torres aced the bar with 88.8083%.
In the 2023 bar exams, passing rate was 36.77%. Ephraim Porciuncula Bie from University of Santo Tomas led the passers with 89.2625%.
Check out the Comparative Results for the Bar Examinations in the past 24 years (statistics courtesy of OBC):
| Year | No. of Examinees | No. of Passers | Passing Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 10,387 | 3,812 | 36.77% |
| 2022 | 9,183 | 3,992 | 43.47% |
| 2020-2021 | 11,402 | 8,241 | 72.28% |
| 2019 | 7,685 | 2,103 | 27.36% |
| 2018 | 8,158 | 1,800 | 22.07% |
| 2017 | 6,748 | 1,724 | 25.55% |
| 2016 | 6344 | 3747 | 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% |
| 2005 | 5,607 | 1,526 | 27.22% |
| 2004 | 5,249 | 1,659 | 31.61% |
| 2003 | 5,349 | 1,108 | 20.71% |
| 2002 | 4,659 | 917 | 19.68% |
| 2001 | 3,849 | 1,266 | 32.89% |
| 2000 | 4,698 | 979 | 20.84% |
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, in his message during the Turn-over Ceremonies for 2025 bar exams, remarked that while passing the Bar Examinations is a significant milestone in a lawyer’s journey, “it marks only the beginning.”
"The ultimate measure of success lies in how lawyers champion justice, how they handle both victories and challenges with integrity, and how they remain steadfast in their ethical responsibilities. The Bar Examinations prepare the stage, but a lawyer’s real path to distinction is shaped by their contributions to the society and the nation, at large.”
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— The Summit Express
