READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

I.

CHOOSING A REVIEW CENTER

A. Choose a review center which has a good schedule of subjects, minimal
discrimination (for the provincianos), and of course, low enrolment fee;
B. A review center which is near to your dorm or place and the examination
center (La Salle) is better. This is to avoid traffic jams and wasted time;
C. A well known review center is not a guarantee that you will pass the bar.
The measure of your success is how well you were able to prepare
yourself for the examination. It is suggested that one that is convenient to
you and offers fair memory aids and materials;
D. In any case, measure each option according to its advantages and
disadvantages;

II.

CHOOSING A PLACE TO STAY

A. You should be near to your review center, place of examination and
immediate help;
B. Well ventilated and lighted, peaceful;
C. With labandera to wash for your clothes and someone who will be
preparing your meals or a nearby eatery, canteen or restaurant;

III.

PREPARATION
A. Prepare a timetable and strictly observe it.
Example of a timetable: (if your pre pre-bar review is one year prior to bar exam)
1-2-3-2(3) [mirror technique (martial arts?) integrated]
1 month per subject; 2 weeks per subject; 3 and 2 (or 3, without rest on
Saturdays) days per subject;
1 month per subject (Sept. to Apr.: 8 bar subjs. 8 months) [comprehensive]
Sep: Political Law
Oct: Labor Law
Nov: Civil Law (can be extended and overlapped with other subjects)
Dec: Taxation Law
Jan: Mercantile Law
Feb: Criminal Law
Mar: Remedial Law
Apr: L.E. and P.E. (can be shortened to just few weeks to accommodate R. Law)
2 weeks per subject (May to Aug.: 8 bar subjs. 4 months) [focus: frequently asked bar
questions and legal provisions; fast paced]
1st and 2nd weeks of May: Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises (can be
shortened to 1 week to accommodate Remedial Law)
3rd and 4th weeks of May: Remedial Law
1st and 2nd weeks of June: Criminal Law
3rd and 4th weeks of June: Mercantile Law
1st and 2nd weeks of July: Taxation Law
3rd and 4th weeks of July: Civil Law
1st and 2nd weeks of Aug.: Labor Law
3rd and 4th weeks of Aug.: Political Law
3 days per subject (September: 8 bar subjs. 20 days) [focus: frequently asked bar
questions or legal provisions; fast paced]
1st Sunday Mon. to Tue: Labor Law (or Mon. to Wed.)
1st Sunday Wed. to Fri.: Political Law (or Wed. To Sat.); Sat. rest (optional)
2nd Sunday Mon. to Tue.: Taxation Law
2nd Sunday Wed. to Fri.: Civil Law; Sat. rest (optional)
3rd Sunday Mon. to Tue.: Criminal Law
3rd Sunday Wed. Fri.: Mercantile Law; Sat. rest (optional)
4th Sunday Mon. to Tue.: L.E. and P.E.
4th Sunday Wed. to Fri.: Remedial Law; Sat. rest (optional)

B. Worry only about meeting your timetable (without jeopardizing your study
quality) and nothing else. Congratulate yourself if you have met your
timetable.

By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 1 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

C. Be mentally and physically active during the hours you should be taking
the examination and study on these hours.
D. Do not study with a full stomach. Eat only when the need arises.
E. Do breathing exercises if you are feeling sleepy when studying. Ten deep
inhales and exhales every time will help. Others suggest psychotropic
substances help such as those in cigarettes, coffee or chocolates.
F. Get a hold of those materials which are substantially complete but not
lengthy. One or two reviewers each subject with memory aids will do. A
material is useful for review if it can answer most questions or problems
posed.
G. Do not study depending only on the subjects weight. A subject that is
overlooked or disregarded might fail you.
H. Read Answers to Bar Qs by the UP Law Center. Be careful to note the
applicable laws and jurisprudence each examination year, how a problem
is phrased or worded and answered.
I. Read recent SC decisions 2 (or 5) years prior. Note especially the
landmark, novel etc., cases and highlight the gist.
J. Note and mark the frequently asked bar questions (objective and problem
type), and codal provisions. When time constrained, study only these.
K. Some recommend that you have to memorize what you do not
understand, others, understand what you cannot memorize. You can
choose which one that suits you.
L. It is not uncommon that there are questions in the examination that are
specially designed to rattle you. Expect also far-fetched, unrelated, unfair
or erroneous (creatively prepared) questions.
M. A legible handwriting (observing proper margins), a correct grammar and
logic, and reasonable opinion on the question might save you if you are
not sure with your answer.
N. Have a time to unwind.
O. Call to your Divine Providence whenever possible.
IV.

EXAMINATION PROPER
A. Sleep and wake up early.
B. Eat light breakfast specially the one you are used to.
C. Check whether you have with you all the necessary things to bring.
D. Dress comfortably, reserve a jacket and wear waterproof shoes.
E. Do writing warm-ups.
F. Reading at this moment will generally not help you anymore, but others
suggest otherwise;
G. Do not argue with your fellow examinees or with whomever about what
you or they know, or at least not this moment.
H. Observe proper sitting posture to avoid back pains.
I. If you are feeling nervous or tired, do breathing exercises.
J. If not answering, rest your arms and hands.
K. In each Sunday of the examination, you have 4 hours in the morning (240
minutes = 12 minutes each item in a 20 question examination) and 3
hours in the afternoon (180 minutes = 9 minutes each item in a 20
question examination). Reserve 3 to 5 minutes (included in the 9 or 12
minutes per item) to mentally arrange the answer in your mind, and then
write with normal speed to avoid erasures.
L. After you are done, leave the examination premises quickly and keep to
yourself what happened inside the room.

V.

READING FOR THE BAR EXAM (Read this before you ignite for review)
A. Memorization
- To help you memorize, picture the words into images and relate it to
each other by linking. Having it in mind will help you remember the

By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 2 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

definition, enumeration etc. Or you may try memorizing the keywords in a
definition or phrase;
- When using mnemonics, each letter of the alphabet should have a
corresponding similar sounding word. Example: A ace; B - bee etc.
The letter mnemonic should be the keyword of the definition or paragraph.
This is because if you forget the exact word in the definition or phrase, by
pronouncing the letter-word equivalent, you can at least guess the
forgotten word;
- Take a 2 to 10 minutes rest after 1 hour of reading. This will help you to
sort things out. Reading for long hours without breaks may drain you.
After the 2 to 10 minutes break, have a quick review and preview of what
you have learned, and then continue your study.
Example: 8:00 9:00: Articles 2 30, Civil Code
9:00 9:10: Break (rest your mind)
9:10 9:15: Quick Review and Preview
9:15 Start of the new topic
B. Speedreading and speedlearning
- Fast readers read chunks of information at a time. This means they read
a few words at a time instead of word by word. By reading in chunks, you
will learn to be a faster reader.
- Try to picture what you read. If the text refers to a 'bear', think of a bear.
Picturing things will help you remember and understand what you read.
- Try not to say the words in your head when you are reading. This will
slow you down.
- To save time, read quickly the material and mark the important
keywords (words! specially the nouns and verbs or if not practicable
simple phrases). After quick reading, you can assess the material whether
it is worth reading at all, otherwise, proceed to the next topic or material;
- Remember that the reason why you are reading the material is to find the
answer in the examination;
To read fast and comprehend fast
1. Procedure
a. Strategies to speed read. (or use the software Rocket Reader)
i.
One factor in slow reading is subvocalization. The
process is that, if we are reading silently, our throat
muscles betray very subtle electrical signals from our
brain, as if these are being engaged in speaking. Our
reading speed is thus largely controlled by our
speaking rate. You could try reading aloud faster,
using the same material you tested on, and you will
encounter certain barriers to the process of speeding
up, such as your ability to pronounce the words and
control the movement of your eyes line by line without
skipping. This exercise demonstrates that we can only
go so far if our approach is rapid speech.
By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 3 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

To break this habit, you can read while uttering a
series of letters or numbers (my suggestion is hum a
song or a nursery rhyme while reading). With this,
your mind is forced to focus on the printed text and
abstract the ideas directly. (The fact is that the
processing speed of the mind is much faster than
either silent reading or oral reading speed. Thus, the
faster you read, the faster you process.)
ii.

Another factor depends on some of our physical and

mental aspects of the reading act. We realize that
attention, emotion and cognition have strong
effects on the reading rate. If you are alert and fully
concentrated on the task of reading, your reading rate
goes higher. While to some extent you can condition
your mind to becoming alert and focused, it also helps
to work on to your reading setup. Your posture should
be erect, from your buttocks to the top of your head,
your head and shoulders relaxed, your heads raised
up and positioned very slightly forward (following the
Alexander technique). This is a natural posture of your
upper body assumes when you are alert and
attentive, and by a neat psychological trick, this is
also the posture that induces alertness and attention.
The setting for your reading also matters. A straightbacked chair with armrests and a table at a standard
height (about 29 inches from the floor) is prescribed. A
chair with a small adjustable support for the small of
the back is even better. You may also use a
bookstand to keep the plane of the page
perpendicular to your to your sightline, and keep your
hands and arms from getting tired (You can also do
this when you are already taking the examination).
Natural light through the windows, coupled with
fluorescent lighting, provides good illumination for
reading. If you use a reading lamp, position it such
that its light strikes the text from the left (also
prescribed for writing). An ambient sound may also
help you relax but choose the sound that will not put
you to sleep, or get your attention away from your
reading (such as popular songs like Wowowee).
Instrumental music which has the tempo of about one
beat per second has been proven to induce alpha
waves in the brain, which signify a kind or relaxed
alertness.
If you are interested in the text, you tend to read
faster and understand better. To induce this, try to be
curious about or even intrigued by the information in
the text. Another is to react emotionally (positive) to
the text, even if it is non-fiction. Feeling happy about
having learned something is a good combination of
curiosity and positive emotional reaction. The
negative emotions have to be avoided though,

By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 4 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

because they tend to bring down your
comprehension.
VI.

WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAM

A. Discourse
1. Unity
a. Focus on a particular topic. All ideas should be relevant to the
main point.
b. Length of answer should be a function of generality or
complexity. Do not at the outset think of filling up three or five
pages of writing, rather, think of ideas you would like to
communicate in the piece of writing and their sufficient
development would determine the length of your text.
NOTE, however, if the examiner asks for a brief answer or
explanation.
2. Integrity
a. Text communicates your intended meaning completely such that
your reader will be able to comprehend and evaluate your text
by itself.
b. Adequate development. Answer should be supported.
3. Cohesiveness
a. Answer should read smoothly.
i.
Use transitions
1. Coordination joining equal or related ideas
2. Subordination joining ideas and clarifying the
relationships between ideas of unequal
importance
ii.
Words that can be used:
Examples:
TIME RELATIONSHIP
first, second, third
later, now
next, last
during
before, finally
earlier
finally
after
meanwhile
then
outside
inside
beyond
behind
here

SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP
before
ahead
beneath
near
above

COMPARISON OR CONTRAST
however
nevertheless
yet
in like manner
likewise
on the contrary
similarly
instead
nonetheless
conversely
CAUSE AND EFFECT
thus
so
then
because of
therefore
on the account of
as a result
since
accordingly
consequently
ADDITION

By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 5 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

also
besides
too
moreover

second
as well
in addition
furthermore

EMPHASIS
indeed
in fact
even

in other words
especially

EXAMPLES
for instance
for example
namely
also

as an illustration
that is
in particular

COORDINATING DEVICES
Coordinating conjunctions Correlative Conjunctions
and
but
either or
or
nor
neither
nor
yet
so
not only but also
Conjunctive adverbs
; nevertheless,
; moreover,
; consequently,
; otherwise,
; however,
; indeed,
SUBORDINATING WORDS
Comparisons
As though
As if
As well as

just as
as much as

Addition or identification
That
where
Which
whom
Who
whose
Time relationships
After
Whenever
Before
Since
Cause and effect
Because
So that
In order that
Contrasts
Though

until
when
while
as soon as
whether
provided that

whereas

although

NB: use coordination and subordination in

moderation, in logical places, and at appropriate
times.
b. Succeeding developers should be relevant with supporting
details.
- Good for explaining
B. The Form of Answer
1. Use of syllogism (deductive reasoning)
- Establishing a general principle and then drawing conclusions
about specific situations, facts, examples etc.
a. Example

By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 6 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

All Bicolano dishes are spicy.
Bicol Express is a Bicolano dish.
Bicol Express is spicy.

(Major premise)
(Minor premise)
(Conclusion)

Deconstruction:
Bicolano dishes
(subj.)
(Middle term)

spicy
(pred.)
(Major term)

(Major premise)

Bicol Express
(subj.)
(Minor term)

Bicolano dish
(pred.)
(Middle term)

(Minor premise)

Bicol Express
(subj.)
(Minor term)

spicy
(pred.)
(Major term)

(conclusion)
(The sweet marriage
of minor and major
terms)

NB: The orders in which premises and conclusions are

stated are not significant from the point of view of logic.
Frequently, the premises come first, and the conclusion
follows. But it is also common for the conclusion to appear in
the first sentence and the premises after it. Sometimes the
conclusion precedes in a one-sentence argument. When
arguments offer several premises in support of their
conclusions, those premises maybe given numbers, or
letters, or they maybe enumerated as first, second third, etc.,
or otherwise indicated through the use of premise indicators.
(ex. since, because, for as, for the reason that, etc.). It is
also not necessary that the conclusion be at the beginning or
at the end of the argument. It maybe sandwiched between
different premises offered in its support.
i.

An example of syllogism used in Answers To Bar

Examinations Questions by U.P. Law Center
Rosa is correct because the donation is void.

Conclusion

Major Premise

The property donated is an immovable. For such

donation to be valid, Art. 749 of the NCC requires that
the donation and the acceptance to be in a public
instrument.

Minor Premise

There being no showing that Amandas acceptance

was in a public instrument, the donation is void.
ii.

Other examples

APPLICABLE LAWS:
Art. 40. Birth determines personality, but the conceived
child shall be considered born for all purposes that are
favorable to it, provided that it be born later with all the
conditions specified in the following article.
Art. 41. For civil purposes, the fetus is considered born if
it is alive at the time it is completely delivered from the
mothers womb. However, if the fetus had an intrauterine life of less than seven months, it is not
considered born if it dies within twenty-four hours after

By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 7 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

its complete delivery from the maternal womb. (Civil
Code)
Facts: After seven months of conception, W gave birth to a dead baby
girl.
Question: Did the child acquire personality?
Answer: No.
(Conclusion): The child did not acquire civil personality.
(Major premise): Under the Civil Code, birth determines personality, but
the conceived child is considered born if it is alive at the time it is
completely delivered from the mothers womb.
(Minor premise): The child was not alive at the time of its delivery from
the maternal womb; it was born dead.

Another example:
APPLICABLE LAW:
Art. 4. Criminal liability. Criminal liability shall be incurred:
1. By any person committing a felony (delito) although the wrongful act
done be different from that which is intended.
2. By any other person performing an act which would be an offense
against persons or property, were it not for the inherent impossibility
of its accomplishment or on account of the employment of
inadequate or ineffectual means. (RPC)
Facts: A was waiting for B with the intention of killing him. He later saw
C, believing him to be B, he fired upon and killed c, whom he had not the
slightest idea of hurting.
Question: Is A criminally liable for the death of C?
Answer: Yes.
(Major premise): Under the law, criminal liability is incurred by any
person committing a felony even if the wrongful act be different from that
which he intended.
(Minor premise): While A had no intention of killing C, the act of firing at
and killing a person whom he assumed to be another person constituted
a felony.
(Conclusion): A is criminally liable for the death of C.

2. Avoid begging the question/ repeating the question ***

- Begging the question or circular reasoning occurs when the
examinee attempts to use the pattern of cause and effect
reasoning. Thus, the examinee ends up saying something like:
I am happy because I am contented. or He is wealthy
because he has a lot of money. You must answer the question
posed and not simply express it in slightly different language.
3. Brief but concise
- Without being too terse or curt, use the shorter forms to express
your meaning.
4. Direct and clear

By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 8 of 9

READING AND WRITING FOR THE BAR EXAMINATION

-

State your point directly.

When explaining, assume that the reader do not know anything
about the topic. In other words, explain thoroughly, unless told
otherwise but without being wordy.

C. Answering Certain Types of Questions

1. Compare
- Focus on similarities. Informative for items which are thought to
be different, such as discussion on the common features.
Example: social security from union security clause
2. Contrast
- Focus on differences. Informative for items that are usually
perceived as similar to each other.
Example: ordinary partnership from implied partnership
3. Distinguish (either compare or contrast)
- Determine if the principles, words, clauses etc., to be
distinguished are similar or different with each other then
proceed to compare or contrast. If you are not sure, distinguish
by their definition.
4. Define
- Define a word, clause, principle etc, by how the law defines it. If
you can not remember the definition, define by how you
understand the word, clause or principle. Use the proper words
and terms.
5. Explain/Discuss
- Succeeding developers should be relevant with supporting
details.
- Impress the examiner by what you know, and with humility.
6. Problem type fact centered
- Get only the relevant facts. Apply the relevant law/s to the facts.
Use the prescribed form of an answer.
7. Enumerate
- If your answer is incomplete, enumerate in paragraph form.
-Bibliography
Answers to Bar Examination Questions in Civil Law 1975-2000. 2001. UP Law Center:
Quezon City.
Applied Logic. 2001. Unknown source.
Grammar and Composition. 1990. Mass.: Prentice Hall.
Buzan, Tony. 1986. Use Your Memory. London.
Malicsi, Jonathan. 2000. The ELP Writing and Reading Strategies. Philippines: Quezon
City.
By: Guess Who?

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Page 9 of 9