Hi, doon sa mga second or third takers na nagtatanong ng advice, share ko lang story ko.

Repeater din ako ng bar. I failed the 2014 exams by 0.15 points (72.85, passing is 73.00).
When I found out that I failed, I immediately started gathering my materials. I vowed na I
will avenge myself and prove everyone wrong on my second take.

I did 5 readings, pre-week included. HOWEVER, hindi ito katulad nung readings na uulitin
mo yung same book ng limang beses. More on rounds ako, like 5 rounds of Remedial Law.

Yung libro na mahaba is only for the first reading. Try to get a really good book for your first
read (example Riano for REM supplemented with codal, Jurado for CIV supplemented with
codal etc.) Take down notes while reading, it takes away the boredom. Mas mabagal ka
magbasa pero YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF LATER for making your own notes.

Second reading get a shorter reviewer. Memory Aid, Beda Red Book, reviewers from your
bar review lecturer. I would not recommend yung mga mahahabang memory aid. For Poli,
Tax, and Ethics, I would recommend Ateneos. Pwede rin for Tax yung Tax Notes ni Atty.
Pierre Reyes, you can message him, he usually gives it for free. For Civ and Merc, I would
recommend UPs. For REM, Crim, and Labor, I would recommend Bedas. Supplement this
round with a run through of the recent jurisprudence on that particular subject, which will
usually be provided by your review center. If you have friends na sa Albano, Baste or Jurists
nag-rereview, makiusap kayo if pwede makihiram nito. Pinakamaganda yung recent
jurisprudence ng Albano, but for REM and Poli, kunin niyo yung sa Jurists.

If self-study ka, Google mo yung free materials ng PALS. Uploaded siya sa FB page nila.
Basta wag mo na babalikan yung libro, make sure lahat nung important topics and points sa
libro naisulat mo na sa own notes mo. Yung run through ng Jurisprudence pwede mo naman
yun gawin kahit patulog ka na sa gabi.

If theres still time for a third or fourth read, if taga Albano or Jurists ka nag-review usually
namimigay yung lecturers ng own lecture notes nila. Like Atty. Rigueras Specpro and
Evidence notes and yung Tax Notes ni Atty. Barils or Atty. Ortega. For those reviewing sa
Baste, ito yung mga pinamimigay nila na tig 40 pages na reviewers per subject pero nandon
na yung important na topics. Maikli lang itong mga notes na ito, you can finish it in 2 days
max. Use this for your third read tas supplement again with yung recent jurisprudence and
codal. If may feel ka na kulang sa topic, re-read your memory aid. Pero most of the time,
yung mga topics na nilalagay nila sa maliliit na lecture notes na ito, yun na yung mga
palaging lumalabas sa bar exams.

I could not stress enough na basahin yung recent jurisprudence, lalong lalo na for Political
Law. Usually, dyan talaga kumukuha ang examiners ng tanong.

For Pre-Week, gamitin mo yung own notes na ginawa mo from your previous readings. Time
consuming lang siya pero now ang dali na basahin kasi ikaw yung gumawa nito. Use short
reviewers, WAG NA WAG MAGBABASA NG LIBRO SA PRE-WEEK. Iwasan na rin ang memory
aid kung kaya, sayang lang sa oras yon. Codal, short reviewer, recent jurisprudence, and
your own notes na lang dapat ang binabasa mo. Maganda yung mga pre-week notes ng
Beda and Ateneo, try to get a copy if may friends kayo from Beda or Ateneo, willing to share
naman sila most of the time.
More importantly, attend the pre-week lectures! There are legendary lectures na sobrang
galing manghula ng lalabas sa bar like sila Dean Albano (Civ), Atty. Carlo Cruz (Poli), Atty.
Jack Jimenez (Poli and Merc), Atty. Zarah Castro (Merc), Atty. Lumbera (Tax), and Atty.
Tranquil Salvador (REM). Ilang taon na silang lecturers kaya more or less mahuhulaan na
nila kung ano lalabas sa exam. If wala ka na time sa pre-week, piliin mo na lang ang lecture
na pupuntahan mo. However, if you can attend the lectures of these so-called oracle
lecturers, PLEASE ATTEND THEM. 3-5 questions sa bar lalabas based solely sa lectures nila.
Around 15-30 points rin yon per subject, and every point COUNTS.

Kapag inaantok ako or ayaw ko na magbasa, manood na lang kayo ng online lectures or
download audio lectures. At least kahit nakahiga ka lang habang umuulan, di sayang oras
mo. Also, reserve one day na wala kang gagawin kung di mag enjoy at mag relax. Tao ka pa
rin, hindi makina. Kailangan mo rin magpahinga.

Sadly, wala talagang short-cut sa pag-pasa ng bar. Hardwork lang talaga ang katapat and
studying smartly. Yung dasal, it comes after the bar, after you have already given everything
that you have got. Kasi at that point na nagawa mo na lahat, si God na ang bahala sayo.
Always remember that God helps those who help themselves. So help yourself first. Study.
Prepare. Never give up.

I made it on my second try. Got a grade of 83.85, eleven points higher than my previous
grade, and with no grade below 76 on any subject. So hindi porket bumagsak ka nung first
take mo, wala ka na pag-asa na pumasa ng bar. Wag mo pansinin ang mga nagsasabi sayo
na wala ka na pag-asa pumasa at bobo ka. Hindi ka bobo, di ka naman matatapos ng law
school kung bobo ka. Ignore the negative people and focus on studying.
Study hard, then study smartly. Youll make it. Maniwala ka lang sa sarili mo.