MANILA - The Supreme Court has decided to readopt the policy of designating 2 examiners for every subject in the 2019 Bar Examinations.

In a resolution dated January 15, 2019 but made public only on Monday, the SC en banc approved 2019 Bar Exams Chair Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe’s recommendation to readopt the “two-examiner policy” in order to “promote operational efficiency.”

The two-examiner policy was first adopted during the 2009 Bar Exams under then-Associate Justice Antonio Nachura and in 2010 under then-Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales.

The Supreme Court decides to adopt two-examiners (per subject) policy for the 2019 Bar Exams, similar to the system adopted in 2009 and 2010. It also approves increase in honoraria for Bar examiners and chairperson. pic.twitter.com/sptr4UE2Cs

— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) February 25, 2019

In her letter to the SC en banc dated January 11, 2019, Bernabe cited the “notable increase of admitted candidates in recent years.”

Last year, some 8,701 law graduates qualified to take the 2018 Bar Exams. Only 8,155 applicants finished all 4 Sundays. The results are due to come out in May.

In 2017, 7,227 applicants qualified to take the Bar but only 1,724 or 25.5 percent passed.

The 2016 Bar Exams saw the highest number of passers at 3,747 or 59.06 percent out of the total 6,344 who were allowed to take the exams.

The Bar Exams, touted as the toughest professional licensure exams in the country, are divided into 8 subjects spread over 4 Sundays:

-Political Law

-Labor Law and Social Legislation

-Civil Law

-Taxation Law

-Mercantile Law

-Criminal Law

-Remedial Law

-Legal and Judicial Ethics and Practical Exercises

“In implementing the two-examiner policy, every Bar subject shall be divided into two (2) parts – Part I and II. Each examiner shall be assigned a specific scope from which to formulate his/her questions. During the examinations, each Bar examinee shall be given one questionnaire (containing Parts I and II) and two conjoined booklets (marked Part I and II), where answers corresponding to each part of the questionnaire shall be written,” the resolution said.

“Each booklet shall contain a card wherein the grades or rating received by the Bar examinee for each part shall be indicated. After the examinations, Part I booklets will be released to the first examiner simultaneous with the release of Part II booklets to the second examiner for checking, in order to expedite the checking of booklets while ensuring the quality of assessing them,” it explained.

In the same resolution, the high court also increased the honoraria of examiners from P275 to P400 for each candidate or P200 per examiner, and from P350 to P400 for each candidate for the Bar chairperson.