SC: 11,437 aspiring lawyers take 2025 Bar exams

A total of 11,437 aspiring lawyers took the 2025 Bar examination on Sunday, the first of the three-day exams, according to the Supreme Court.

In a press briefing, Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, 2025 Bar Exams chairperson, said this number is equivalent to 86.7% of the 13,193 examinees who were admitted to take the annual test.

Compared to the 2024 Bar exam takers, more aspiring lawyers took the exams on the first day.

Last year, 10,483 examinees took the Bar exams.

“Palagay ko every year tumataas kasi may mga mortality din. So I think that’s one reason that we have a higher number of examinees this year,” Lazaro-Javier said.

(I think the number increases every year due to mortality. So, I believe that's one reason we have a higher number of examinees this year.)

“In fact, the trend is going up, so whenever we have a big casualty rate, the tendency is for these people to repeat the following year,” she added.

Of the 11,473 aspiring lawyers this year, 5,215 were new bar takers, while 4,239 were previous takers, and 1,984 are refreshers.

The High Court also logged 241 persons with disabilities, 206 senior citizens, 41 pregnant women, and 139 individuals with medical conditions who took the latest Bar exams.

It added there are 6,673 female and 4,764 male bar takers this year.

Of the 14 testing centers, New Era University recorded the highest number of bar takers with 1,698 aspiring lawyers.

The other testing centers have the following number of bar takers on the first day:

• University of Santo Tomas: 704
• San Beda University - Mendiola: 874
• Manila Adventist College: 427
• San Beda College - Alabang: 764
• University of the Philippines - BGC: 584
• Ateneo de Manila University School of Law: 512
• Saint Louis University in Baguio: 1,253
• University of Nueva Caceres in Naga: 600
• University of San Jose - Recoletos: 1,264
• Dr. V Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban: 471
• Central Philippine University in Iloilo: 547
• Ateneo Davao University: 1,099
• Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan: 640

“Keep going; success is not a product of just one decision or action. It's a series of decisions to show up and do your best,” Lazaro-Javier told bar takers, urging them to continue taking the exams on the following days.

This year’s Bar takers will continue to take the exams on September 10 and 14.

She also said there were no recorded incidents of violence or serious disturbances so far on the first day.

“General peace, wala at all record of violence. It’s absolutely peaceful, at least for the morning examinations, and we’re thankful for that,” she said.

She also assured that every testing center has a contingency plan to address the possible inclement weather that could hamper the bar exams. — RF, GMA Integrated News