By Gilda Francesca G Flores and Angelika V Ortega
San Beda University, Philippines is the top-performing legal education school with more than 100 first-time takers in the 2022 Bar examinations.
Of the 165 Bedans who took the examinations for the first time, 161 passed with a passing rate of 97.58 percent.
For the overall ranking with more than 100 examinees, SBU was named the second top-performing school with a 96.67 percent passing rate, or 174 of 180 Bedans.
This is a significant leap from the 2020 and 2021 Bar Examinations where SBU was named third top-performing school for first-time candidates and overall.
Following SBU, for law schools that fielded more than 100 first-time takers, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), University of the Philippines (UP), University of San Carlos (USC), and University of Santo Tomas (UST) clinched the other top spots, placing second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the latest Bar exams.
ADMU ranked first overall anew among law schools with more than 100 examinees after recording a 96.74 percent passing rate, or 178 out of 184 takers.
UP, USC, and UST also ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, overall, among law schools with more than 100 examinees.
For law schools with 51 to 100 candidates, Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) was named the top-performing school for first-time candidates and overall. With 11 to 50 candidates, University of Asia and the Pacific School of Law and Governance was named top-performing law school for first-time takers and overall, while Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) ranked first for both categories as well with one to 10 candidates. EAC shared the top spot overall with Our Lady of Mercy College.
The 2022 Bar Examinations, chaired by Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, presented 30 topnotchers, which replaced the usual top 10. It was also different from the 2020 and 2021 Bar Examinations, chaired by Justice Marvic Leonen, that recognized excellent and exemplary passers instead of the traditional top 10.
Hailing from San Beda College Alabang, Luigi Nico Reyes placed seventh among the 30 topnotchers with a score of 87.1917 percent.
UP, meanwhile, swept the top five spots of the 30 topnotchers.
Other topnotchers that claimed the highest scores are from ADMU, USC, UST, AdDU, Mariano Marcos State University, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Saint Louis University, Arellano University, Manuel L. Quezon University, and Angeles University Foundation.
The national passing rate for the 2022 Bar examinations was 43.47 percent, or 3,992 passers out of the 9,183 examinees. This is lower than 2020 and 2021’s, which was dubbed as “Best Bar Ever,” 72.28 percent, or 8,241 of 11,402 examinees.
Similar with the 2020 and 2021 Bar examinations, the 2022 Bar examinations were regionalized and digitalized. The examinations were held on November 9, 13, 16 and 20, 2022 in 14 local testing centers.
The latest Bar examinations were the 120th professional licensure tests conducted for Philippine lawyers.
The successful examinees of the 2022 Bar exams will sign their rolls and take their oaths on May 2, 2023, at the Philippine International Convention Center located in Pasay City, Manila.
The 2023 Bar examinations, which will also be regionalized and digitalized, will be held on September 17, 20, and 24 this year. The chair for the examinations is Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, a Bedan law graduate.
Source: SBU-COL is Top Performing School in 2022 Bar Examination – SAN BEDA UNIVERSITY