MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has released Thursday its guidelines on academic honesty for the 2024 Bar Examinations.
The 2024 Bar exams, chaired by Associate Justice Mario Lopez, are scheduled for September 8, 11, and 15.
In its 29-page bulletin, the SC said examiners are required to sign the “Honor Code” and submit the completed form on the first day of the examinations, saying that failure to do so may lead to examinees being denied access to the local testing centers.
“The legal profession should not be a haven for misfits and cheats,” said Lopez.
Continuing the practice from previous years, the Court will set up various local testing centers (LTCs) in key cities throughout the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
According to Lopez, examinees are not allowed to open, access, browse, or use digital or soft copies of law-related reference materials at any time while in the testing room or any area within the LTC.
Physical copies of law-related materials must be kept away from the examinee’s desk after all non-essential belongings have been placed outside the testing room for password deployment, it said.
Students who fail to surrender their cellular phones or digital watches during the security inspection and bring them into the testing room will be barred from taking the exams.
“In all cases of prohibited actionable examinee behavior, ignorance of the rules shall not be accepted as an excuse,” Lopez said.
The Supreme Court said in April that a total of 12,246 registrants have signed up for the 2024 Bar Examinations.
The High Court also released all the prohibited and allowed items that examinees should bring on the day of examination, including the following:
So far, the following are the only items allowed to be brought by the examinee inside the testing center
Tech-related:
- 1 laptop bag/sleeve
- 1 laptop, 1 laptop charger
- USB-C to USB-A adapter
- External WiFi adapter
- Two-pin A plug adapter
- Webcam cover
- Keyboard protector/skin cover
- Mouse pad (without markings)
- External low-noise keyboard (may be wired or wireless, provided that the receiver is not a USB dongle)
- External mouse
Non-tech related:
- Non-electronic foam earplugs
- Packed lunch
- Light snacks and/or candies
- Water and/or non-alcoholic beverages
- Reusable water containers/tumblers
- 1 pen
- 3 sharpened, non-mechanical pencils
- Physical copies of reading materials
- Small religious or spiritual items
- Prayer mats
- Wallets (cash, credit and debit cards, and other small personal effects)
- Personal battery-powered fan (not larger than 4″ in diameter)
- House and/or car keys
- Solid ointments
- Prescription and over-the-counter medicine
- Change of clothes, umbrella, jackets, raincoats, and/or water boots
- Small hygiene-related items
- BCO-authorized medical devices/instruments
- Other items authorized by the BCO
The SC also released the prescribed dress codes for this year’s bar examinations.
Proper attire:
- Comfortable but decent clothes
- Sleeved tops
- Dress or pants below the knee level
- Closed footwear
Prohibited Tops
- Sleeveless, such as sando, spaghetti, crop top, ripped sleeves, etc., or any other sleeveless top
Prohibited Bottoms
- Any item shorter than knee-length or ripped, such as mini-skirts, shorts, or ripped jeans
Prohibited Footwear
- Exposed toes or exposed heels such as slippers, mules, sandals, crocs, etc.
In the 2023 Bar exams, 3,812 out of 10,387 examinees passed, resulting in a passing rate of 33.77 percent.
