Atty. Vanessa Raymundo- Uy is a practicing lawyer at Gerodias Suchianco Estrella (GSE) Law Firm. She was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2009 where she placed 10th. We recently caught up with her to find out more about how she prepared for the Bar Exams.
Read on how she aced the bar exams.
This may not work for other people but this is what I did to prepare for the bar:
1. Preparation starts the moment you enter law school. During the 5-month or 6-month period before the bar exam, you should only be reviewing what you have already learned during your stay in law school.
2. Prepare a review calendar and stick to it. Don’t make a calendar that will be impossible for you to stick to. Assess yourself and your study habits (i.e. how many hours in a day can you stay focused, do you need a second reading, etc.) and consider those in plotting your schedule. Your calendar should also accommodate “grace periods” for lazy days. There will be days when you will not be in the mood to review and just want to relax or unwind. If your schedule is too tight, sticking to your schedule will just give you added stress. Besides, reviewing for the bar is mentally, emotionally and physically draining. We all need a break once in a while.
3. Do not read too many textbooks/annotations during your review period. Refer to Tip No. 1. You should have already done this in law school. Besides, reading too many materials might even cause you more confusion. You should only be refreshing/mastering your stock knowledge of the law come review time. Reading reviewers instead of full annotations worked for me.
4. Always always read the Codal provisions and learn how to correlate. When I was reviewing, I made sure I read the Codal before and after I moved to the next subject. It helped me remember the basic principles.
5. Get enough sleep before the bar exam. Never pull an all-nighter before the bar exam! Sleep deprivation will affect your memory and concentration.
6. When answering the bar exam questions, write legibly. Observe margins. I observed a 1-inch margin on each side. Practice writing during your review period.
7. Pray. Pray for good physical and mental health. Pray for guidance.