ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY- SCHOOL OF LAW

Consolidated Bar
Review Tips from
Batch 2015
A Student Council Bar Tips Series
Compiled by: Cyndy dela Cruz

Good luck Batch 2016! God bless you all!



Atty. Quito Nitura

Block A, Batch 2015

Materials Used
Subject 1st Read 2nd Read
Political Law Bernas Primer Bernas Primer
Sarmiento PIL Sandy Crab
Recent Jurisprudence (2010-2015) by ASIL PIL Reviewer
Atty. Jack Jimenez Recent Jurisprudence (2010-2015)
CROMBONDS Consti2 (cross reference) by Atty. Jack Jimenez
Atty. Agras Admin, Public Officers, Ateneo Reviewer (for non-consti
Election Law, and PubCorp Reviewers parts)
(cross reference)
Candelaria PIL Outline
ASIL PIL Reviewer
Labor Law Chan Labor Law Reviewer Chan Labor Law Reviewer
Azucena Green Book (for my personal Labor Law Review slides by Atty.
notes) Marlon Manuel
Labor Law Review slides by Atty. Marlon Labor Law Review notes by Atty.
Manuel Glenn Tuazon (as updated)
Disini Social Legislation Tables Recent Jurisprudence
Civil Law Persons Persons
Sempio-Diy book Reviewer for Dean Del Castillos
Sta. Maria book (cross-reference) class by Guerrea and Maniego
Reviewer for Dean Del Castillos class by (Regina reviewer)
Guerrea and Maniego Sta. Maria Recent Jurisprudence
Property Property
Paras book San Beda Red Book
Ampil/Albano charts Reviewer for Dean Deal Castillos
San Beda Red book class (Regina reviewer)
Jurado Book Succession
Succession Balane book
Balane book RAM/Champ Reviewer (either is
RAM/Champ Reviewer (either is fine) fine)
ObliCon ObliCon
Balane notes by Atty. Nava Balane notes by Atty. Nava
Jurado Book SecTrans
Aquino Civil Law Reviewer Zuniga Notes
SecTrans Agency, Partnership, Sales
Zuniga Notes Jurado Book
Agency, Partnership, Sales Sales Updates by Atty. Alex Dy
CLV Outlines Land Titles
Jurado Book Dean delos Angeles Notes
Sales Updates by Atty. Alex Dy Torts and Damages
Land Titles Aquino Civil Law Reviewer
Dean delos Angeles notes Conflict of Laws
Aquino Civil Law Reviewer Sempio-Diy Reviewer (same
Torts and Damages content as the book but more
Aquino Civil Law Reviewer concise)


Conflict of Laws
Sempio-Diy book (theres a shorter Others
reviewer) Recent jurisprudence
San Beda Red Book Paras Pre-week Reviewer
Notes from Atty. Gulapas class (by Atty. (consolidate notes here)
Sheena Tengco) Top 100 Provisions by Atty. Abano
(mark these on your codal)
Taxation Mickey Ingles Reviewers UP Tax Reviewer
PM Reyes Reviewers Recent jurisprudence
Notes and Outline of Atty. Montero
UP Tax Reviewer
Commercial Sundiang Commercial Law Reviewer Commercial Law Reviewer by Atty.
Law Commercial Law Review by CLV (for Starr Wiegand (Aleitheia reviewer)
certain subjects) Sundiang Commercial Law
Updated Transcripts of Atty. Jack Reviewer
Jimenez by 4A2015 Recent Jurisprudence (2010-2015)
Perez Quizzers (Transpo, NIL, by Atty. Jack Jimenez
Insurance, Corp, SecReg) Ateneo Reviewer
Intellectual Property handouts by Atty.
Jack Jimenez
Criminal Law Boado RPC San Beda Red Notes
Boado SPL Recent Jurisprudence
San Beda Red Notes
Remedial Law Riano CivPro I, CivPro II, CrimPro, San Beda Red Book
(Tip: Evidence Recent Jurisprudence
Memorize the ApPrac book by Justice Magdangal de
rule numbers Leon
and their SpecPro, SCA, ProvRem Reviewer by
corresponding Justice Magdangal De Leon
titles. This ApPrac Case Digests for Atty. George
helps A Aquinos class (as compiled by Atty.
LOT.) Glorie Pineda and Atty. JT Taylo)
Aleitheia reviewer for Atty. Melos SCA
class
San Beda Red Book
Legal Ethics Antiquierra Comments on Legal Ethics Antiquierra Ethics
Aguirre Legal Ethics Reviewer San Beda Red Notes
San Beda Red Notes

Ideal Schedule
The ideal schedule really depends on you. You should consider (1) the amount of time you have for review, (2) your
relative strengths and weaknesses for each subject, and (3) the relative weight (in terms of content and Bar
percentage) of each subject. If you are strong in one subject, you wont have to spend too much time in that. Study
more for the subjects which you are not as strong in. Ideally, your second (or more) read(s) will be shorter than the
first read.
For me, I started studying on May 4, 2015 (Star Wars Day). We had 6 months to study for the Bar in November so
your schedule will most likely be different from mine. I also did not study during weekends, except during my
second read (when I studied during Saturday morning). My schedule was like this for first read: Political Law 10


days, Labor Law 8 days, Civil Law 15 days, Taxation 10 days, Commercial Law 10 days, Criminal Law 7
days, Remedial Law 10 days, Ethics 3 days.
For my second read, my schedule was like this: Remedial Law 7 days, Ethics 2 days, - Criminal Law 5 days,
Commercial Law 8 days, Taxation 7 days, Civil Law 10 days, Labor Law 5 days, Political Law 5 days. If
you notice, I reversed the order of subjects for my second read. This is just a personal preference. You can decide
on which order to use. IMPORTANT: Make your own schedule according to your own personal assessment.

Other General Tips

Quality over quantity. It doesnt really matter how many reads you do. Whats important is that you really
understand what you need to understand and memorize what you need to memorize. Its useless to read the
same material many times but you still dont understand it. I do suggest to have at least 2 reads because
repetition helps you remember the material. If you can do more, good for you. But if youre a slow reader
like me, dont worry that some of your peers have read more times than you. Just be sure that you have a
quality read.
Rest when you need to. Bar Review is not easy. Its hard to stay in the same spot and read for hours
everyday for 5 or 6 days straight. Take breaks when you need to, especially when youre already losing focus.
Its hard to concentrate and understand what youre reading if youre tired. Just dont take too many breaks.
Sleep. Make sure to get a good nights sleep everyday. For most people, thats usually 6-8 hours of sleep
everyday. Sleep will also help you remember what you studied that day. If you lack sleep, your brain will
have a harder time of processing new information. Try to also adjust your body clock for the Bar. During
Bar Sunday, you will have to wake up at around 4 or 5am to take the test starting at 8am. If you are a night
owl (or you just regularly wake up late), Bar review might be the time when you adjust your body clock so
that your brain will be ready to take the test at 8am.
Discipline yourself. The different thing with Bar review as compared to regular law school is that you
really control your time. This is good because you dont have to stress about deadlines. But its also bad
because its so easy to just slack off. Making a defined study schedule and sticking to it will really help.
Study with people who have similar study techniques as you. This presupposes that you actually want
to study with other people. If you know that you study better alone, do so. But if you prefer to study with
others, make sure that they are similar to you in terms of study style. Dont study with people who read
much faster than you do or much slower than you do because it will make you either feel that youre too
slow or that its ok to slack off a bit. Study with people who have a similar disposition as you. Ideally, they
shouldnt be too high strung when stressed. I was lucky enough to have studied with people who had a fun
and cheerful disposition even while stressed during Bar review.
Dont worry about who the examiners are. Barristers almost always stress about who the examiners are,
as if such information will help them in their study. It wont. All these information are just unconfirmed
rumors which cause unnecessary anxiety. Better to just focus on the subject matter which you are studying.
Anyway, whoever the examiner will be, he or she will still ask about the same law which you are studying.
Reward yourself. Its ok to reward yourself from time to time to keep yourself motivated.
Practice active studying. Plainly reading books and reviewers is what is called passive studying because
you just take input into your brain. Its also helpful to quiz yourself from time to time about the concepts
you are studying. This is called active studying because you also practice the way your brain retrieves the
information which has been stored. After all, the Bar exam will be a whole exercise of retrieving and
processing information stored in your brain. Active studying will help a lot in memorization and
understanding of concepts.
Pomodoro Technique. This is a time management technique where you break down the day into several
cycles of 25 minutes of active work and 5 minutes of rest. A full cycle of 30 minutes is one pomodoro. (I
dont know why its called that way but you can Google it to learn more.) There will be days when it just


becomes too hard to study for several reasons. Thats normal. It happens to everyone. For me, I found that
when I encounter these road block days, I use the pomodoro technique to push myself to study. After
several cycles of 25 minutes of active studying and 5 minutes of resting, chances are that youll be able to get
back your momentum for studying.
Codal, codal, codal. And also, jurisprudence. Read your codal. This is perhaps the most important thing
to do during Bar review. Dont be afraid to write notes on your codal. Make sure also that you read the
latest jurisprudence in each subject. The Bar exam will mostly be a question of how you understand the law
as interpreted by the jurisprudence. If you dont have enough time, make sure to at least completely read the
codal.
Always have the Bar syllabus. Refer to this often while studying. Make sure that youre covering what
needs to be covered and skipping what needs to be skipped. It will help you be more efficient in studying.
Daily quota? Having a daily quota is part of having a set schedule. Some have quotas in terms of page
numbers (i.e. 100 pages per day). I found that it was more helpful for me to have quotas in terms of topics
because it helped me remember what I read. Just make sure that you read a substantial amount per day.
Highlight or no highlight? This really depends on you. Initially, I would highlight what I read, but I later
on realized that this just slowed me down. Instead, what I did was to write all my notes onto my codal or to
one reviewer. In that way, all my notes will be consolidated in my codal and one reviewer which I can then
use for pre-week. Writing your notes down also serves two purposes. First, studies show that things which
are handwritten tend to be more easily remembered and recalled. Second, it practices your handwriting
which is VERY important for the Bar exam.
Caveat on reviewers. Not all reviewers are perfect. There might be some errors so be careful. If you sense
that something in a reviewer is wrong, cross-reference with a book or with your codal.

Typical Study Day

I would usually wake up at around 6 or 7am and then start studying at around 8 or 9am. I dont have a particular
schedule everyday but I make sure to put in around 10-12 hours of study time, depending on my pre-determined
quota for that day. I also make sure that I have enough time each day to rest and relax (by watching Game of
Thrones or some other show). Usually, Im asleep by around 11 or 12 midnight. As November drew closer, I started
sleeping and waking up earlier and earlier.

Prescribed Review Center

I enrolled with Ateneo and Chan Robles for bar review. Both are good. The thing about Bar Review programs is
that you dont need to attend all the lectures. Only attend those which you think will be really helpful. Sometimes,
reading your books and reviewers will be more efficient than attending a lecture. Consider this when choosing
which review center you want to pay for. In any case, attend the pre-week lectures in Ateneo, especially the ones by
Atty. Jack Jimenez.
One last thing
Everything that will be asked of you in the Bar, you already know. Believe in yourself. Good luck! One Big Fight!

Atty. Jose Taylo

Block A, Batch 2015

Materials Used
POLI
o First read: Bernas Primer (Consti), Nachura (Admin, Elec, Locgov, Puboff), ASIL Reviewer (PIL)
o Succeeding reads: Bernas Primer (Consti), Beda Red Book (Admin, Elec, Locgov, Puboff), ASIL
Reviewer (PIL) Pre-week: Bernas Primer (Consti), Beda Red Book (Admin, Elec, Locgov, Puboff),
ASIL Reviewer (PIL)

LABOR
o First read: Chan
o Succeeding reads: Azucena Green Book
o Pre-week: Chan Pre-Week Notes, Azucena Green Book

CIV
o First read: Sempio-Dy (Persons), Balane (Succession), De Los Angeles Notes (Land Titles), Jurado
(Property, Oblicon, Sales, Agency, Partnership, Lease, Torts), Zuiga (Cred Trans), Beda Red Book
(Conflict, Land Titles)
o Succeeding reads: Regina-Dean Del Reviewer (Persons, Property), Squillantini Notes (Oblicon),
Champ (Succession), Beda Red Book (Conflict, Land Titles), Zuiga (Cred Trans), Jurado
(Everything else)
o Fourth read: Jurado (Sales, Agency, Partnership, Cred Trans, Lease, Torts)
o Pre-week: Unli codal + Abao 400

TAX
o First and succeeding reads: Pierre Notes all the way!
o Pre-week: JTs Tax Stuff to Memorize (text/message me, and Ill send you a copy)

COMM
o First read: CLV Reviewer (yes, that very big book!)
o Succeeding reads and Pre-Week: A2015 Jack Transcript (all except IP), Sundiang (IP)

CRIM
o First and second reads: Boado (all the way!), Beda Mem-Aid (for SPL not otherwise covered by
Boado)
o Third read and Pre-week: Beda Mem-Aid

REM
o First read: Riano (Civpro, Apprac, Provrem, SCA, Crimpro, Evidence), Festin (Specpro)
o Succeeding reads and Pre-week: Beda Mem-Aid

ETHICS
o First read: Aguirre Succeeding reads and Pre-week: Ateneo Bar Ops Reviewer

IN ADDITION: Random notes from Albano and UP (but mostly notes on updated jurisprudence)

Ideal Schedule
Start out with 9-6 (with a lunch and a merienda break, for the sake of your sanity).
Then as the Bar month starts to approach, start earlier--8am, then 7, then 6.
If you wanna study at 5, go lang.
But I always end around 6 or 7 (extended to 9pm during Oct/Nov), so I can sleep around 10 or 11 PM.
Basta 6-8 hrs of sleep a day!

Other General Tips

Best advice upperclassmen ever gave me: Study how you usually study. Don't change your style just because
Bar na.

Typical Study Day

Wake up at 6 (became 5am around October)
Go to Starbs One Rock by 6:30/7 Study till 11/12 (with random yosi or TV series breaks in between)
Lunch (if tipid hits, sa 7/11)
Study till 6 or 7 (again, with random yosi or TV series breaks in between)
Gym till 8 or 9 (I stopped going to the gym around September. Hence, weight gain galore)
Random activities till 10 or 11 (FB, more TV series, kain pa more, or some other wholesome activity..pero if
trip mo ang hindi wholesome, why not diba)
Sleep around 10 or 11.

Prescribed Review Center

Ateneo, so that you'll have that sense of familiarity. You don't need to attend all lectures (actually, DO NOT
ATTEND ALL LECTURES). Just those you think you need help with.
BUT DEFINITELY GO TO PRE-WEEK LECTURES AND UPDATED JURISPRUDENCE
LECTURES.

Atty. Patricia Sta. Maria

Block B, Valedictorian, Batch 2015

Materials Used
Reviewers when possible. Try to limit reading text books you otherwise have not read before. When I used more
than one material for a certain subject, I annotated notes from one material onto the one that was shorter/quicker
to read, so eventually I would only be reading one or two things per subject as I got nearer to the bar.
For everything: Codal and updates in jurisprudence

Labor - Chan book, Chan pre-week

Poli - Bernas Primer, Nachura, Beda Red Book
Civ - Ateneo Reviewer (Persons, Oblicon, Conflicts, Lease, Compromise, Torts. Note: There were some
mistakes here and I put my own corrections and notes from books so take this recommendation with
qualification), Champ reviewer (Wills), Ingles reviewer (Property), Zuniga with notes from De Leon
(Sectrans), Agcaoili notes (Land Titles), CLV outline (Sales, Agency)
Tax - Ingles book, Montero slides
Comm - Abad (Nego), CLV reviewer (Corp), Ateneo reviewer (Banking, Transpo, IP, Other laws),
Sundiang (Insurance, SecReg, Transpo), Jack Notes (Insurance)
Crim - Reyes (Crim I), Reviewer based on Reyes (Crim II, I was using this since first year and crim law rev
so more of convenience than anything else), Boado (SPL), Ateneo reviewer (other SPLs not in Boado)
Rem - Ingles reviewer (Civ, Apprac), Beda Mem-Aid (Evidence, CrimPro, other laws), Ateneo Reviewer
(Spec Pro, SCA, ProvRem, other laws), Villasis Notes (Civ, SCA, Provrem), Parts of Festin (SpecPro)
Ethics - Bar Questions and Suggested Answers, Ateneo 2014 Reviewer

Ideal Schedule
Depending on how you did in law school, 2-3 reads should be enough. Assess whether you absorb more
information in your first or second read (based on past experience with Law School) and allot that read longer time.

Other General Tips

Always get sleep, no matter what. Sometimes, studying alone will get to you. Study with friends if that keeps you
saner. Test yourself. You don't need to take the mock bar specifically, but try answering the past bar exams after
every subject or whenever it's convenient for you. Better to have a runner.

Typical Study Day

Get up at around 6 or 7, start studying from 9 to around 7 or 8. Sleep by 10.

Prescribed Review Center

UP Review is a good option for those who live in QC. It's a nice change in scenery, but keep a low profile.

Atty. Reginald Arceo

4th Place, 2015 Bar Examinations

Materials Used
Generally, I used my old law school books and materials. For updates, I just thought that it would be covered by recent
jurisprudence notes and pre-week lectures and materials. The reviewers and some of the books in my reading list were just
supplements, but I was not able to read all of them. The focus was really on my outlined codals with handwritten notes.
For the 1st Reading, I read books (mostly old law books). For the 2nd Reading, I transferred the important parts of those books
into my outlined codals (Please see the image in Part II-Other General Tips). For 3rd and 4th Readings, I read those outlined
codals with notes, supplemented by recent jurisprudence. However, I used new books for some subjects.

REVIEW MATERIALS
SUBJECT (Main Material: Outlined Codal with Personal Notes from my Law
School Books and Reviewers)

I. POLITICAL LAW (15%)

A. CONSTI LAW (i) Bernas Primer; (ii) Nachura

B. PUBLIC OFFICERS (i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

C. ADMIN LAW (i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

D. ELECTION (i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

E. LOC GOV (i) Nachura; (ii) SBC MemAid; (iii) Agra Notes

F. PIL (i) Sarmiento; (ii) SBC MemAid

II. LABOR LAW (10%)

A. LABOR STANDARDS (i) Azucena Green Book; (ii) SBC MemAid

B. LABOR RELATIONS (i) Azucena Green Book; (ii) SBC MemAid

III. CIVIL LAW (15%)

A. PERSONS & FAM. REL. (i) Aquino; (ii) Sta. Maria

B. OBLICON (i) Aquino; (ii) Paras

C. PROPERTY (i) Aquino; (ii) Paras

D. SALES (i) Aquino; (ii) CLVs Syllabus

E. SEC TRANS (i) Aquino; (ii) Zuiga Notes

F. AGENCY (i) Aquino; (ii) CLVs Syllabus

G. PARTNERSHIP (i) Aquino; (ii) CLVs Syllabus


H. COMPROMISE (i) Aquino; (ii) SBC MemAid

I. LEASE (i) Aquino; (ii) SBC MemAid

(i) De los Angeles

J. LAND TITLES

K. SUCCESSION (i) Aquino; (ii) Balane

L. TORTS AND DAMAGES (i) Aquino

M. CONFLICT OF LAWS (i) SBC MemAid

IV. TAXATION LAW (10%)

(i) Personal Notes from the Lecture of Atty. Barlis; (ii) PMReyes Reviewer;
A. TAX I (iii) Ingles; (iv) Co-Untian

(i) Personal Notes from the Lecture of Atty. Barlis; (ii) PMReyes Reviewer;
B. TAX II (iii) Ingles; (iv) Co-Untian

V. MERCANTILE LAW (15%)

A. LETTERS OF CREDIT (i) Sundiang; (ii) Agbayani; (iii) ALS Reviewer

B. TRUST RECEIPTS LAW (i) Sundiang; (ii) De Leon; (iii) ALS Reviewer

C. NIL (i) Sundiang; (ii) Abad; (iii) Perez; (iv) ALS Reviewer

D. INSURANCE (i) Sundiang; (ii) Perez; (iii) ALS Reviewer

E. TRANSPORTATION (i) Sundiang; (ii) Perez; (iii) ALS Reviewer

F. CORPORATE LAW (i) Sundiang; (ii) CLV Comm; (iii) Perez; (iv) ALS Reviewer

G. SECREG (i) Sundiang; (ii) CLV Comm; (iii) Perez; (iv) ALS Reviewer

H. BANKING (i) Sundiang; (ii) ALS Reviewer

I. IPC (i) Sundiang; (ii) CLV Comm; (iii) ALS Reviewer

J. AMLA (i) Sundiang; (ii) ALS Reviewer

K. FOREIGN INVESTMENTS (i) ALS Reviewer

VI. CRIMINAL LAW (10%)

A. BOOK I (i) Reyes (ii) Boado; (iii) Gregorio; (iv) Ortega Notes

B. BOOK II (i) Reyes (ii) Boado; (iii) Ortega Notes

C. SPL (i) Boado; (ii) Festin

VII. REMEDIAL LAW (20%)


A. CRIM PRO (i) Riano

B. CIV PRO (i) Riano

C. EVIDENCE (i) Riano

D. SPEC PRO (i) Festin

(i) Aguirre; (ii) Antiquiera; (iii) SBC Red Book

VIII. LEGAL ETHICS (5%)

Ideal Schedule
This is just ideal because I was not able to follow it. For instance, I started reviewing for Legal Ethics only during the 4th
Reading, which is not advisable;
For the 1st Reading, I started with the subjects that I had for 4th year - 2nd Sem. in law school (Remedial Law, Mercantile Law,
Taxation Law, and some Civil Law subjects);
Except for the 4th Reading, each day of the review was allotted for only one subject.

IDEAL SCHEDULE
1ST READING 2ND READING
No. of Days No. of Days
(35 Days) (31 Days)
1. Remedial Law 5 1. Legal Ethics 2
2. Mercantile Law 2 2. Remedial Law 4
3. Taxation Law 6 3. Criminal Law 4
4. Civil Law 5 4. Mercantile Law 4
5. Political Law 5 5. Taxation Law 4
6. Criminal Law 6 6. Civil Law 5
7. Labor Law 4 7. Labor Law 4
8. Legal Ethics 2 8. Political Law 4
3RD READING 4TH READING
No. of Days No. of Days
(31 Days) (31 Days)
1. Remedial Law 5 1. Remedial Law 5
2. Legal Ethics 2 2. Legal Ethics 2
3. Criminal Law 4 3. Criminal Law 4
4. Mercantile Law 4 4. Mercantile Law 4
5. Taxation Law 4 5. Taxation Law 4
6. Civil Law 5 6. Civil Law 5
7. Labor Law 3 7. Labor Law 3
8. Political Law 4 8. Political Law 4

Other General Tips

Use your old books and review materials, but take note of recent developments. When I was in law school, it was my habit to put
highlights and notes on my books. I decided not to prioritize new materials because I did not want to spend time for highlighting
or writing notes;
While reviewing, some questions will pop up. Do not be pressured to find the answer right away. Write the questions in a
designated notebook, then answer them only after finishing your review for that particular subject. More often than not, you will
find the answer without intentionally searching for it;
It was my goal to top the bar, but after the bar exams, I did not expect to achieve it. Nevertheless, I continued praying really hard
and hoped for a miracle. Even with this goal, there was no pressure throughout my bar review. Before law school graduation, I
was actually excited for the bar review because of the thought of having no recitations, staying at my home, doing what I wanted
to do, and having control of my time. I took breaks when I needed to;
Prepare physically. Eat healthy food. Exercise. Sleep well. You lost so much sleep in law school. Now is the time to make up for it,
assuming of course that you will manage your time well;
Pray a lot. Trust God that He will take care of the things that you cannot control. Do not waste your time thinking about them;


The Lex Pareto Notes has a list of the most asked provisions in the bar exams. I used a color coding system (Green: if the
provision was asked 5x or more; Blue: 2 5x; Red: 1x), wherein I put a box on the article/section numbers in my codals using the
color that is applicable. It is particularly helpful during the bar month when there was no enough time to read the whole codals. I
prioritized the provisions with green, blue, and red boxes. Please see the image below as an illustration. Article 148 of the Revised
Penal Code was already asked 5 times or more, while Articles 151 and 152 were asked 2-5 times.

Typical Study Day

4:00 5:30 AM (Breakfast, Internet, TV)

5:30 AM 12:00 PM (Study)**

12:00 PM 1:00 PM (Lunch)

1:00 5:30 PM (Study)**

5:30 6:30 PM (Basketball)

6:30 8:30 PM (Dinner, Internet, TV, etc.)

8:30 PM 4:00 AM (Sleep)

*I followed this schedule every day of bar review, except that the study time was reduced to 2-4 hours during weekends.

**Includes numerous 15-minute breaks and/or power naps.

Prescribed Review Center

Instead of enrolling in a traditional/classroom review center, I opted to stay at my house in Bulacan. However, I was enrolled in
two online review centers: ChanRobles Bar and Jurists Bar. I highly recommend the pre-bar lectures of Atty. Barlis, Atty. Manuel,
and Atty. Chan and the pre-week lectures of Atty. Barlis and Atty. Jack Jimenez.

Atty. Mandy Anderson

5h Place, 2015 Bar Examinations

Materials Used
Political Law
Bernas Primer (Consti)
Nachura (Non-Consti)
Recent Jur (Jimenez)

Labor Law
Chan Reviewer (waited for the 2014 version to come out which was pretty late)
Manuel Labor Review Slides and my notes from his class
Codal

Civil Law
Aquino
Chan Robles Pre-week Lecture
Codal

Taxation Law
UP Reviewer (used 2014 version since Im kuripot and didnt want to get the new one)
Codal

Commercial Law
Sundiang
Recent Jur (Jimenez)

Criminal Law
Boado
Beda Memaid (Crim II only since I felt Boado wasnt enough, but still read Boado once.)
Chan Robles Pre-week Lecture Garcia (love her)
Codal

Remedial Law
Beda Memaid (from law school til the bar, used 2014 version since that was what I used for Rem Review)
Codal Codal Codal

Ethics
Chan Robles Preweek Lecture (the lecturers last name started with the letter L, she saved my life)
Ateneo Reviewer (the q&a type)
Memorize Lawyers Oath
Familiarize Canons

Ideal Schedule
Number of Days (up until the first bar
exam) less Sundays (no study day) x Weight of subject = Days to Study Subject

Days to Study Subject = Number of days for first read

2 (Reads)

I got a calendar and wrote the topics per subject and pro-rated them according to the number of days per read. I
studied in the following order:

First Read: Second Read:

POLI CRIM
LABOR COMM
CIV TAX
TAX CIV
COMM LABOR
CRIM REM (since theres a lot to remember)
REM POLI
ETHICS (Studied ethics again during pre-week)

Note: Dont follow the number of days you get from the equations above strictly. Assess yourself and see which
subjects you dont feel confident on. For example, if I got 20 days for Tax, Id only use 10 days since I felt I was
confident with the subject. I would instead use the extra 10 days to study Rem (which didnt really matter since that
exam was crazy).

Other General Tips

I relied a lot on what I learned during law school. It might help to have some confidence yourself. Learn to relax
and please please please, DO NOT PANIC. Understand what youre reading. Dont compare your pace with your
friends. Everyones study habits are varied and our capacity to retain and understand things are different. We are all
special in that sense. Weve studied for four years in law school, if whatever study habits you had worked for you
during that time, then dont change your strategy. Make sure you sleep well at night. It helps with your memory.
Do not cram! I never studied the day before the exams since I believe it messes up youre understanding of things
youve already understood (or thought you understood). DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION
WHERE YOU COULD PANIC. Ive known a lot of people whove blacked out from cramming the night before
and not getting enough sleep.

Typical Study Day

Second Week of May until August
7:00am Wake Up
7:15am 8:00am Gym and shower
8:00 11:30am Study (with random breaks since I can only study for an hour straight max.)
11:30 12:00 Walk my dog and teach her tricks


12:00 1:00 pm Lunch break
1:15 6:30pm Study at a coffee shop near me (with random breaks)
I usually didnt study after 6:30pm since I had to take care of other aspects of my life. But when that aspect didnt
apply, I could read until 830 pm or Id just go out for a walk with my dog. I always had a glass (or two) of beer after
studying. I read it boosts memory. J (hey it worked for me and Ive been doing it since law school)
11:00pm (the latest) --- Beauty sleep J
September October
6:00am Wake Up
6:15am 7:00am Gym and shower
7:00 11:30am Study (with random breaks in between)
11:30 11:45 Walk my dog
12:00 1:00 pm Lunch break
1:15 7:00pm Study at a coffee shop near me (with random breaks)
7:00 7:30 Dinner
7:30 9:30 Light studying or sometimes Id walk my dog again
9:30 10:00 Watch one episode of anything and have a glass of beer
10:00pm Beauty sleep J

Prescribed Review Center

Chan Robles Online Review
Albano Review Center for pre-week (I only attended Poli and the Saturday class for Civ.)