Last month, I took the bar exam. Again.
It really says something about the uncertainty of the times when the 2020 and 2021 bar exams were held on the February of 2022. It was originally supposed to be held on November of 2021 but was postponed to January 2022, and then again to February 2022. Frankly, I just wanted the damn thing to be over with.
The exam was especially stressful for reasons other than the actual exam itself. Aside from the "will they, won't they" postponements, if you tested positive for the China virus, you wouldn't be allowed to enter into the testing centers. Examinees were therefore forced to self-isolate for a long period of time. As you can imagine, this was a terrible pain in the ass, especially for people with jobs and other commitments. People plan their lives around this particular exam, you know. Imagine having the exam postponed three times and then having to arrange for leave just so you won't get the wu-flu.
A Historic Exam
The 2020-2021 Bar Exam was "historic" for three reasons: it was the first time the exam was held in places outside Manila, it was the first digital exam, and the exam subjects were compressed to two Sundays instead of four.
It was the digital format of the exam that facilitated the move to alternative venues, really. All we needed were the software and the internet connection. For the most part, the testing centers were necessary only to keep an eye on us. It's amazing that it only took a global pandemic to force the Supreme Court to do what ought to have been done decades ago. The bar exams of yesteryear look antiquated at best and callous at worst. The inconvenience and cost of travelling to Manila to take the exams for four Sundays of a month is clearly no longer reasonable to ask of examinees.
Personally, the move to a digital format made things much easier on the wrist and there was no more fumbling with booklets and little envelopes. All you had to do was to download the exam in the morning or at the testing center and then the password to open the exam file would be given at the testing center once the exam began. The software was easy enough to use. The best part of course, was the ability to easily edit ones answers - no more inky messes from crossing out of errors.
On the matter of the questions itself, I found them tricky. They were tricky in a sense that if you tended to overthink things, you'd probably make a mistake. Some subjects were cut while others were combined into one. It was very unusual. For example, Taxation Law, the bane of my existence, was cut down to only two questions and combined in one exam to be taken together with Commercial Law and Civil Law. The result of the compression of subjects meant that the pool to draw potential questions was very wide. Therefore, I had to stick to the syllabus diligently and pray there were no curve balls.
One other thing that I observed in the exam was that there weren't any questions regarding recent landmark jurisprudence of the Supreme Court. For example, I was very confident that KMU vs. Aquino would be asked in Political Law, but it wasn't. But I suppose that would be too predictable.
The questions were either about the practical application of the laws or indirect problems that required the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of new additions or quirks to the law. As another example, there was a curious question about whether a single proprietor can start a corporation with only himself as the sole officer and shareholder. The concept of single-person corporations is a relatively new addition to our Corporate Law. If you were confronted with that question, your mind would naturally go through the checklist on the requirements to form a single-person corporation, that is, if you remembered the law.
In Conclusion
As if to show that the exams were hip to the times, announcements regarding the exam were tweeted with the hashtag #bestbarever. Best bar ever? Well, I suppose I'm in a better position to judge if it's the best bar exam ever, seeing as how this is the second time I've taken the damn thing. I can say, out of all the bar exams I've taken, this was the best bar exam ever. There, happy?
Would it be odd to say that I enjoyed the bar exams? I guess that's only because the first one was hell. This time, it was in my home court so to speak. I actually got to rest on my own bed beforehand and go to the testing center with a home-cooked meal instead of a crushed burger from some fast food place. These little comforts are advantages that cannot be ignored. The battle is not just about knowledge but of mindset after all. I was in a better "space" and that counts for a lot.
I can't say with confidence that I passed the exam. You never really know with these things.
All I can do now is just wait.
