By: Atty. Ruben C. Talampas, Jr., November 8, 2017
My mind and my heart; my concern and my sympathy, should be, at this time, for at least this month, as a teacher, as a former bar-taker, belong to the brave and gallant bar examinees who have just endured hours of grueling questions that tested their mental and physical stamina, not to mention their knowledge of the law last Sunday.
I may not bother to do this. What’s in it for me? Likes, shares, recognition? No. It’s a lot more important. It’s a personal commitment. IT’S PAYING FORWARD for I was once a beneficiary of those who unselfishly shared their experiences and knowledge, their precious counsels and encouragements that kept me sane and going.
The first Sunday was over. Three more left to hurdle. Forget Political and Labor Law. Focus on Civil and Taxation.
There’s a buzz over social media particularly FB about the questions in Political and Labor Law. Some said the questions are easy. But should we in the first place talk about this. For me, if we should consider the barristers, WE SHOULD NOT TALK ABOUT THE SUBJECTS THAT WERE ALREADY TAKEN.
Dissecting and discussing the previous examination subjects would not in any way help the barristers. On the contrary, this might give them false hopes or discouragement that might affect their focus and preparation for the next Sunday. EASY is relative to the barristers. Some may find the examinations easy while others may have difficulty in answering the same. Discussing the previous questions will just make them second-guess their answers and feel more discouraged.
Personally I disagree with the immediate posting of the questions in Political and Labor Law in the Social Media. The timing is not good. The intentions may be right. Yes, but not for the barristers. As I said, my concern is for the barristers. This is not the time for them to deal with the previous subjects they have already toiled and survived. The law schools, review centers, law students, spectators, could wait a month or two before they would dissect and analyze in scholarly manner the previous bar questions.
Barristers forget Political and Labor Law but remember what you did and did not in the exam day. Retain those which you think are effective and avoid those perceived mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and initiate actions to correct them.
Stay positive. Do your best to block any negative self-talk and motivate yourself for a strong comeback on second Sunday. Don’t worry about your performance on the first Sunday. It will only cause you more stress and might find hard refocusing for the next subjects. You’ll never know until the result is release, you might have just underestimated your performance on the first Sunday and end up passing Political and Labor Law.
Why then the title of this article is about going back to the basics? Am I telling that the questions in Political and Labor Law are basic? It might be. The important point is whether the questions are basic or out of this world, going back to your basic knowledge of the law concepts and principles will certainly give you a way out to give a sensible and acceptable answer.
NOTA BENE: Go back to the syllabus per subject provided by the SC Bar Committee. Go over with the coverage of the exam one by one and test yourself if you have the basic knowledge of the topic or subject area. Pay particular attention to the law or topic with the note “INCLUDE”, more likely than not a question will be drawn from it.