How to Answer Essay Questions for the Bar Exams and Law School in the Philippines / Tagalog Version

Summary

Bacon Palacio's video offers valuable tips for acing essay-type questions in law school and the Philippine bar exams. Key advice includes reading questions before facts, using active voice, staying on topic, and keeping answers concise. The four-paragraph method is highlighted for structured responses: stating the answer, providing legal basis, applying it to facts, and concluding. The video also discusses issue spotting for open-ended questions and tailoring answers to question weight. Palacio recommends 'Bar Blues' as a reference and invites viewers to engage with the content.

Takeaways

• 📘 The Philippine bar exam requires a well-presented answer, emphasizing the importance of appearance and organization in responses.
• 🔍 Read the essay question ('call') before the facts to better sort the relevant information needed to answer the problem.
• 📝 Use the active voice in answers to make them more direct and clear.
• 🚫 Avoid straying from the subject matter when answering, and do not use the Rules of Court for Civil Law problems unless applicable.
• 📉 Keep answers concise to avoid examiner annoyance with lengthy responses.
• 👍 Engage with the content by liking, sharing, and subscribing to support the channel and receive more topnotch tips.
• 🖊️ Handwriting is crucial; practice writing key codal provisions for better exam performance.
• 📑 The four paragraph method is recommended for essay type questions to ensure an organized and logical presentation.
• 📝 In the first paragraph, directly answer the question and restate the call to clearly communicate your position to the examiner.
• 📚 Place the legal basis in the second paragraph without citing exact legal provisions or case titles to maintain focus.
• 🔑 Apply the legal basis to the problem's facts in the third paragraph, using terms like 'Here,' or 'In this case,' for clarity.
• 🔚 Conclude with a restatement of your position from the first paragraph, summarizing the conclusion in the fourth paragraph.

Q & A

What is the key to succeeding in the Philippine bar exam according to the video?

The key to succeeding in the Philippine bar exam is the presentation of a good answer, where the appearance of the answer matters and it should be short, simple, and direct to the point.

What is the first practical tip given for answering the Philippine bar exam?

The first practical tip is to read the question or 'call' before reading the facts of the problem, and to answer each call one at a time to avoid confusion.

Why is using the active voice recommended when answering the bar exam?

Using the active voice is recommended because it makes the answer clearer and more direct, even though the presenter admits to struggling with this habit.

What should be avoided when answering a Civil Law problem in the Philippine bar exam?

One should avoid using the Rules of Court to answer a Civil Law problem, even if the Rules apply to it, and should not leave the scope of the subject.

Why are long-winded answers discouraged in the Philippine bar exams?

Long-winded answers are discouraged because examiners are annoyed by them, as they prefer concise and to-the-point responses.

What is the purpose of the four paragraph method for essay type questions in the Philippine bar exams?

The purpose of the four paragraph method is to help present an organized and logical answer to essay type hypothetical questions in the Philippine bar exams.

What should be included in the first paragraph when using the four paragraph method?

In the first paragraph, one should categorically answer the question and re-state the call, providing a clear and direct response to the examiner.

What is advised against when citing legal provisions in the second paragraph of the four paragraph method?

One should not cite exact provisions of law or case titles, but rather provide a general reference to the legal basis, such as 'The Law on Contract states that...'.

How should the third paragraph of the four paragraph method apply the legal basis to the facts of the problem?

In the third paragraph, one should apply the legal basis to the facts of the problem using terms like 'Here,' or 'In this case,' and by incorporating the key terms of the legal basis.

What is the recommended approach for answering open-ended essay questions in the Philippine bar exam?

For open-ended essay questions, one should first spot the issues, which are anything being contested by the parties, and then apply the four-paragraph method to answer the issue in an orderly and logical manner.

What book is recommended for those planning to take the bar exam next year?

The book 'Bar Blues or everything you want to know about the new bar exams but are too busy to ask,' by Tanya Katrina A. Lat, Maria Gracia R. Gomez, and Marilyn S. Manait is highly recommended.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Strategies for Answering the Philippine Bar Exam

The paragraph introduces the Philippine bar exam, emphasizing the importance of presentation and the use of active voice in answering essay-type questions. It offers practical tips, such as reading the question before the facts, keeping answers short and direct, and not using the Rules of Court for Civil Law problems. The presenter, Bacon Palacio, encourages viewers to engage with the content, subscribe for more tips, and watch related videos on handwriting and the four-paragraph method for structured answers.

05:03

📘 Applying the Four-Paragraph Method and Issue Spotting

This paragraph delves into the specifics of the four-paragraph method for essay-type questions in the Philippine bar exam. It explains the purpose of this method in organizing and presenting logical answers. The paragraph also discusses how to identify and address the 'practice of law' and how to approach open-ended essay questions. It includes an example of how to answer a sub-question from the 2018 bar exam, highlighting the importance of issue spotting and the application of legal principles to the facts presented. The paragraph concludes with a recommendation for a reference book and an invitation for viewers to engage with the content and subscribe for updates.

Keywords

💡Philippine bar exam

The Philippine bar exam is a crucial examination for aspiring lawyers in the Philippines. It is a key theme in the video as the presenter, Bacon Palacio, discusses strategies for tackling essay-type questions in this exam. The video emphasizes the importance of presentation and structure in answering questions, which is a central aspect of the exam.

💡Essay-type questions

Essay-type questions require a written response that typically involves analysis and explanation. In the context of the video, these questions are a significant part of the Philippine bar exam and law school exams. The presenter provides tips on how to effectively answer these questions, highlighting the four-paragraph method as a structured approach.

💡Active voice

The active voice is a grammatical term referring to a sentence structure where the subject performs the action. The video advises the use of the active voice in answering exam questions, suggesting it makes the writing more direct and clear. The presenter admits to struggling with this habit, indicating its importance in exam responses.

💡Rules of Court

The Rules of Court are procedural guidelines for conducting legal proceedings in a court of law. The video mentions not to use the Rules of Court to answer Civil Law problems unless directly applicable, emphasizing the need for specificity and relevance in exam answers.

💡Four-paragraph method

The four-paragraph method is a structured approach to answering essay-type questions recommended in the video. It involves a categorical answer, legal basis, application to the facts, and a conclusion. This method is presented as a way to organize and logically present answers, which is essential for clarity and effectiveness in the Philippine bar exam.

💡Practice of law

The term 'practice of law' refers to the professional activities of a lawyer, which include providing legal advice and representation. In the video, it is used in the context of a bar exam question to determine if a character's activities qualify as practicing law. The presenter uses this term to illustrate how to apply legal principles to a given scenario.

💡Issue spotting

Issue spotting is a critical skill in law where one identifies the legal issues in dispute within a case or problem. The video explains that open-ended essay questions in the Philippine bar exam test this skill, requiring examinees to recognize and address the contested points in a logical and ordered manner.

💡Bar Blues

'Bar Blues' is a book mentioned in the video as a reference for preparing for the bar exam. It is recommended by the presenter for those planning to take the bar exam, indicating its value as a resource for understanding the exam's structure and content.

💡Legal basis

Legal basis refers to the underlying principles, laws, or precedents that support a legal argument. In the context of the video, establishing a legal basis is a key step in the four-paragraph method, where the presenter advises not to cite exact legal provisions but to provide a general reference to the law or jurisprudence.

💡Key terms

Key terms are the essential elements or concepts within a legal argument that need to be emphasized for clarity. The video script illustrates the importance of repeating key terms when applying legal principles to the facts of a problem, which helps in reinforcing the argument and maintaining focus on the relevant legal issues.

💡Engagement

Engagement in the video refers to viewer interaction, such as leaving comments, liking, sharing, and subscribing. The presenter encourages this type of engagement as it helps in growing the channel and also allows for a dialogue where questions can be answered, contributing to the community aspect of learning.

Highlights

The Philippine bar exam requires a well-presented answer, emphasizing the importance of appearance in addition to content.

Bacon Palacio introduces practical tips for answering essay-type questions in Law School and the Philippine bar exams.

Reading the question before the problem facts is advised to avoid confusion and sort relevant facts efficiently.

The active voice is recommended for clarity and conciseness in exam answers.

Staying within the scope of the subject is crucial, avoiding the misuse of Rules of Court for Civil Law problems.

Keeping answers short, simple, and direct is advised to avoid examiner annoyance with long-winded responses.

Engagement with the audience is encouraged through likes, shares, and subscriptions to support the channel.

Handwriting practice is emphasized, especially noting down frequently asked codal provisions during review.

The four paragraph method is introduced as a structured approach to presenting organized and logical answers.

The first paragraph of the four paragraph method should categorically answer the question and restate the call.

Legal basis should be succinctly presented in the second paragraph without citing exact legal provisions or cases.

The third paragraph should apply the legal basis to the problem's facts using terms like 'Here' or 'In this case'.

The fourth paragraph should restate the conclusion, mirroring the first paragraph's structure for clarity.

An example is provided using Question No. 4 of Legal and Judicial Ethics from the 2018 Philippine Bar Exams.

The importance of issue spotting in open-ended essay questions and applying the four-paragraph method is discussed.

A detailed example answer for sub-question (a) demonstrates the application of the four-paragraph method.

The video provides a pro-tip and recommends the book 'Bar Blues' for bar exam preparation.

Bacon Palacio concludes by encouraging viewers to like, share, subscribe, and turn on notifications for updates.

Transcripts

The Philippine bar exam is a beauty pageant. The presentation of a good answer is the key to hurdle it.

Literally, the appearance of your answer matters. This also applies to law school.

Good morning Pilipinas! I'm Bacon Palacio and lest us discuss how to answer essay type questions in Law School and the Philippine bar exams.

Some practical tips

Here are some practical tips on how to answer the Philippine bar exams.

Read the question [aka "call"] before reading the facts of the problem of the Philippine bar exam.

Do this for every call, but do it one at a time. To avoid confusion, answer the first call before reading the next call.

So when you read the facts of the problem,

you will be able to sort the facts you need to answer the problem.

Second tip, use the active voice.

Because of my old habits, I struggle with using the active voice myself

I advice you to just make a conscious effort to use the active voice.

Do not leave the scope of the subject.

Do not use the Rules of Court to answer a Civil Law problem

even if the Rules applies to it.

Keep your answer short, simple, and direct to the point.

The examiners are annoyed by long-winded answers.

Don't believe me? Go ask your review professor if what I said is true:

That examiners are annoyed at long-winded answers to the Philippine bar exams.

Hi, if you like my content please leave a like,

share this video to your social media accounts,

and subscribe to help my channel grow! Thank you very much!

For more topnotch tips, click on the (i) card here.

(presenter laughs) click on it once you are done watching this video.

On handwriting... AGAIN!

Ok, we are on handwriting again. However, I've already made a video about this

Click on the (i) card here after you've watched this video.

I'll just add that when I was reviewing for the Philippine bar exams,

I write three frequently asked codal provisions for the subject that I'm reviewing.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment down below and I will answer it. The engagement really helps me a lot.

Use the four paragraph method to PRESENT a GOOD answer.

Why do we use the four paragraph method?

The point of the four paragraph method is

to help you present an organized and logical answer

to essay type questions in the Philippine bar exams

Do note that the four paragraph method is used only for essay type hypothetical questions

I will first discuss the components of the four paragraph method

then later on I will teach you how to apply everything we have discussed.

In the first paragraph, categorically answer the question and re-state the call.

For example: May Atty. X legally charge his client based on contingent fees? (2018 Bar Exam Question)

Your first paragraph should read: (Yes / No), Atty. X (may/may not) charge his clients based on contingent fees.

The reason for this paragraph construction: To clearly present your answer to the examiner.

Put your legal basis in the second paragraph.

But, don't cite exact provisions of law, or case titles.

For example: “The Law on Contract states that xxx.”; “According to the Rules on Evidence, xxx.”; “Jurisprudence has ruled that xxx.”

Please note the coverage of the Rules of Court and the Civil Code is pretty extensive. You need to narrow down the topic

These are unlike the Labor Code and the Revised Penal Code that have narrow scopes

that you can cite as: "According to the Labor Code, xxx." or "According to the Revised Penal Code, xxx."

In your thirds paragraph, apply your legal basis to the facts of the problem.

Use terms like “Here, xxx”, or “In this case, xxx” for ease of writing.

Then copy the key terms of your legal basis in your third paragraph.

In your fourth paragraph, copy the second phrase of your first paragraph then state it as a conclusion

Example: Thus, Atty. X (may/may not) charge his clients based on contingent fees

Application of our discussion.

For this example, we will use Question No. 4 of Legal and Judicial Ethics of the 2018 Philippine Bar Exams

Atty. Cornelio Carbon, 36 years of age, had always dreamed of becoming a judge,

and eventually, a justice, but his legal career took a different turn.

Upon graduation, he joined a government-owned financial institution

where he worked in the Loans and Claims Division.

He also taught Negotiable Instruments Law in a nearby law school at night.

He has been active in his IBP Chapter and other law organizations.

However, in his 12 years of practice, he has never done trial or litigation work.

(a) Is Atty. Carbon engaged in the "practice of law"? (2.5%)

(b) Is Atty. Carbon qualified to become a Regional Trial Court Judge? (2.5%)

I moved because of the to the noise!

Please answer the question in the comments,

and you are welcome to critic my answer.

If you read the call before reading the [facts of the] problem,

then you will ascertain that the problem itself said that he has a legal career but he is not engaged in litigation work.

You are now tasked to look for the facts that fits the definition of the "practice of law".

It is advisable to use as basis that he teaches Negotiable Instruments Law in law school.

Because it requires the application of legal knowledge, training, and experience.

To avoid being overwhelmed, once you have answered sub-question (a), then read the call of sub-question (b).

All in all, you only need a few facts in order to apply your legal basis.

A lot of the facts in a Philippine bar exam problem are not relevant to the call.

Remember to use plain English!

This is how I will answer sub-question (a):

Jurisprudence defined the practice of law as any activity

which requires the APPLICATION OF LEGAL TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE. (key terms)

Here, he has been teaching Negotiable Instruments Law in a law school,

an activity that requires the APPLICATION OF LEGAL TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE. (repeat key terms)

Thus, Atty. Carbon is engaged in the practice of law.

You may have noticed that this question is only worth 2.5%. That is why I used only three paragraphs, and removed the first paragraph.

So that you could save time.

Note that the bar examiner does not expect a lengthy answer.

Specially, if he gave it a low weight.

If sub-question (a) is worth 5%. I will answer:

Yes, Atty. Carbon is engaged in the practice of law.

Jurisprudence defined the practice of law as any activity,

in or out of court, which requires the application of

law, legal procedure, knowledge, training and experience. (note the key terms)

Here, he has been teaching Negotiable Instruments Law in a law school,

an activity that requires the application of law, legal training, knowledge, and experience. (repeat ket terms)

Thus, Atty. Carbon is engaged in the practice of law.

Sometimes, you will encounter a call in the Philippine bar exam with this tenor:

For example: “Rule on the defense of XXX”, or “You are the judge, decide the case.”

Those are open-ended essay questions.

The examiner is testing your ability to spot the issues, (issue spotting)

and your ability to answer the issue in an orderly and logical manner.

What is an "issue"? In summary, it is anything being contested by the parties.

A good indication of an issue in a Philippine bar exam problem is

when the parties use the same set of facts

but they are using different legal bases to justify their position. If they are using the same legal basis, they have different interpretations.

Once you've spotted the issue, apply the four-paragraph method.

Bacon, what is with sub-question (b)?

Let us analyze the problem.

The only activity of Atty. Carbon that qualifies as "practice of law" is that he teach Negotiable Instruments Law in a law school.

The problem does not elaborate on Atty. Carbons specific tasks at the government financial institution.

It also does not elaborate on his activities at his IBP chapter or the law organizations he is involved with.

The last sentence of the problem only informs us that he has been in practice for twelve years.

However, it does not specify the kind of practice he is engaged in.

At most, all we can say is that he is not doing litigation or trial work.

In my opinion, the last sentence is baiting you to answer the second call in the affirmative.

Pro-tip of the day.

for this video is used the book: "Bar Blues or everything you want to know about the new bar exams but are too busy to ask."

by Tanya Katrina A. Lat, Maria Gracia R. Gomez, and Marilyn S. Manait as reference for this video.

I highly recommend this book if you plan to take the bar next year.

Back to our program =)

In preparation for this video, I did not read the suggested answers for the 2018 Philippine bar exam questions

For this video, I used my stock knowledge as much as possible

to simulate how a barrista would answer the Philippine bar exams

If you like my content please leave a "like", and share this video with your friends and on your social media wall.

Please subscribe and hit the bell notification [icon] to keep up to date with my videos.

Again, this is Bacon Palacio, and I will see YOU in the next video. Bye bye!