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Arellano Law Gazette
Last Minute Tips
by Yasmin Laurene Cabansag
After years of arduous work you've made it through law school and now you are about to face the most important hurdle of all (No pressure here...). You have probably done nothing else but studied and reviewed the past few months, shunned your friends, let your personal appearance go, thus, been shunned in return by your family.
You probably spent the last few months following a rigid timeline to devote equal study period for each of the eight subjects, studied past bar questions, practiced on sample exams, went to Baclaran and Manaoag, and offered eggs to Sta. Clara. In short, did everything short of dancing naked in front of a raging fire under the full moon-or you've probably done that, too. Nonetheless, "Forewarned is forearmed" so pay heed to these valuable reminders and helpful tips courtesy of Atty. Edmund T. Espina from the Office of the Legal Aid.
- Whether you opt to stay at your own home or prefer getting a hotel room, choose a place where you will be most relaxed Simple things like this could affect your performance.
- You will just be exhausting your energy by endeavoring to go over all materials you can get hold of, hours before the actual Bar Exam - except, of course for the last minute tips. This may only cause confusion on your part. Your mind should be busy relaxing by now.
- Rely only on last minute tips that came from a reliable source.
- At times when you want to soothe your mind and calm your senses, it may help to stare at anything having the shade of green.
- For questions on enumerations and where you have no complete answers, you may answer it in a paragraph form, so that what's lacking may not be too obvious.
- When you could not remember or could not think of a legal basis for your answer, you may fall back on the Constitution. After all, it is the source of all statutes.
- After the first Sunday, avoid discussing the previous exam if only to spare yourself from posSible aggravation. Just stay focused on what's ahead.
- Have enough faith in yourself that you have read the law. Stick to what you know. Unless of course you're well aware of the fact that what you know was palpably wrong.
- It's perfectly normal to be at least nervous at the time of exam. That's something you cannot avoid. At this moment, just pray and relax. Remember that the more tense you are the less you will actually be effective in trying to answer questions correctly.
Additional advice and words of caution from some of the highly respected faculty of AUSL to help ease the anxiety you are currently feeling:
If you were given the Chance to take the Bar Exam all over again what would you do differently?
"I would choose the best line up of bar reviewers and attend their review classes religiously. I would not limit myself to one review material or book. I would pray as if everything depends on God; and study as if everything depends on me. - Atty. Henedino Brondial
"I would try to stay calm and focused." - Atty. Gabriel Dela Pena
"I will devote the pre-week praying." - Dean Virgilio Jara
"I would have managed my time better -- to allow for reading, rest, exercise and recreation at appropriate moments." - Solicitor General Antonio Eduardo Nachura
"If I were to take the Bar Exam again, I would perhaps devote just a bit more time to reading. But on the whole, I would stick to the same style of preparation which I used before. - Dean Domingo Navarro
"Pray and trust myself more. - Atty. Jesus Obra
What are the most important things for the barristers to remember before they set foot inside the examination room?
"PRAY, PRAY and PRAY ...without forgetting your examination permit and extra pens..." - Atty. Henedino Brondial
"1. Pray 2. Stay Focused 3. It's an exam so take note of the instructions." - Atty. Gabriel Dela Pena
"They should be composed and serene." - Dean Virgilio Jara
"Remember that God is with you as you take the examination, and that having prepared adequately, He will do the rest " - Solicitor General Antonio Eduardo Nachura
"They should try to be as relaxed as possible. That may sound impossible, but the worst possible thing is to panic or be overly anxious. At this point, everything they need is already stored in their minds, and it is simply a question of retrieving what is stored. A relaxed mind is in a better condition to retrieve stored information. Just one word of advice then: Relax!" - Dean Domingo Navarro
"Use all their time even if they will be the last to pass their examination booklet." - Atty. Jesus Obra
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