Cebu law students to join upcoming mock bar exam

CEBU, Philippines — The Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) will have to wait for further instructions by the Supreme Court as to the distribution of the 120 law students who will be taking the mock bar examinations on January 31, 2021.

“We are waiting for word from J Leonen. We aren’t at liberty to divulge details other than those found sa Bar Bulletin,” said PALS president Joan Largo, the dean of University of San Carlos-School of Law and Governance.

This follows after SC Associate Justice and 2020-2021 Bar Exams chairperson Marvic Leonen issued Bar Bulletin No. 17, series of 2021, announcing that it will conduct a pilot mock bar examinations to around 120 students divided in four testing sites in Cebu, Baguio City, Metro Manila, and Davao.

The conduct of the mock bar examinations in coordination with PALS, the Asia Foundation and Examsoft, is in preparation for the digitalized bar examinations scheduled in November 2021.

Leonen said that pilot (mock) bar examinations will be a small-scale simulation of the actual bar examinations using computer software, proctored both physically and virtually.

He said that the goal of this exercise is to improve on the procedures and technical specifications for the first-ever localized bar examinations this coming November.

Leonen added that the pre-selected students must apply through the Supreme Court’s online portal starting January 12, 2021. The deadline for applications will be on January 20, 2021.

He further stated that selected examinees’ grades for these mock bar examinations will not be part of the actual bar examinations.

“No merit or demerit shall be received by students who participate in the pilot (mock) bar examinations, should they later take the actual bar examinations,” Leonen said.

Leonen further said that the procedure and timeline for this year’s bar examinations shall be announced soon after the conduct of this mock bar examinations, but not later than February 14, 2021.

It can be recalled that the SC En Banc postponed the 2020 Bar Examinations and issued Bar Bulletin No. 11, series of 2020 on April 29, 2020 in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country and the resulting enhanced community quarantine.

Leonen had said that this is to give the Court ample time to determine the necessary adjustments and to make adequate preparations for the safe and orderly conduct of the examinations. — GMR (FREEMAN)