ATTY. MARJORIE IVORY S.

FULGUERAS

General Tips: My strategy was just to treat the exam just like an ordinary law school final
exam. I maintained my usual study habits and read the same textbooks and reviewers I used
in law school. It takes a while for me to adjust to new schedules so a sudden change in study
style for the bar would prove to be very difficult. When I started reviewing after graduation,
it was like I never left law school. It was just like preparing for a recit five/six times a week,
one subject at a time, and taking the finals in October.

So my advice is to stick to your study habits and trust in your Ateneo education. That would
be enough to give you the composure and confidence you need when you take the bar this
October. However, don’t get overly confident. Remember, you may have graduated from this
school but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to work hard to pass (or top it).

Study Day: During review, my usual day starts at 7am. Start early so you’ll end early! You can
do so much if you start your day at 7/730am. I’d wake up at 7 or 730 and by 8 or 830, I was
already in Starbucks (my regular study place). I would then study until 11am and eat brunch
until 12nn or 1230pm. Thereafter, I’d continue reading until dinner but gave myself a 30
minute break in between. During my first reading, I stop studying before dinner but as the bar
gets closer (around late July) I’d continue reading until 12mn or until I finish my quota for the
day. If you finish early, stop studying. Get some rest, watch a movie, have a drink, or go on a
date. Believe it or not, I managed to go out on dates at least thrice a week. I even saw all the
movies I wanted to see during bar review. J

Materials Used: Before we started reviewing for the bar, my friends and I made a list of books
and reviewers that we promised ourselves to concentrate on. Our list included those that we
have already read in law school. We have also consulted the 2012 barrister’s manual provided
by BarOps that lists all the books previous Topnotchers have used.

Subject Materials PRE-WEEK

Bernas and Nachura (I read all the books
again because I scheduled my last reading
Bernas Primer; Nachura-for non poli;
a week before preweek, so I had two
Political Sarmiento for IL(I read this only once); Beda
weeks to prepare for the first Sunday); Fr.
Law Red Book; Agra, Candelaria, and Jack
B updates, Agra, Candelaria, and Jack
Jimenez Handouts; CODAL.
Jimenz Pre Week Lectures and Handouts,
CODAL.
Alcantara (1 read only); Azucena Green Azucena; Ateneo BarOps, Manuel Pre-
Labor Law
Book; Ateneo BarOps; CODAL. week and Powerpoint, CODAL.
Sempio Dy Persons; Champ Reviewer Delos Angeles Pre-week for Land Titles,
Succession; Sempio Dy Conflicts; Balane CODAL.
Civil Law
Oblicon; Delos Angeles Land Titles; Jurado
for other subjects; Beda Red Book; CODAL.
Taxation Ingles Reviewers; Co-Untian; Ateneo AteneoBarOps; Montero Notes; CODAL.
Law BarOps; Montero Notes; CODAL.
Abad Nego; Quimson Insurance and Corp Beda Red Book; Jack Jimenez Pre Week
Outlines; Blancaflor IP Handout; Sundiang Lecture and Handouts; Dy Corp
Commercial
Transpo, Nego, Letters of Credit, Trust, Powerpoint;Blancaflor IP Handouts; Jack
Law
Warehouse; Jack Jimenez Notes AMLA, Preweek.
Secreg, Foreign Investments, Banking, and
 jurisprudence; CLV for everything; Beda
Red book, CODAL.
Criminal Reyes Book 1; Boado; Beda Red Book; Beda Red Book; AteneoBarOps 2012 and
Law CODAL. 2013(tables only); CODAL.
All Riano Books; Festin Specpro; Mickey Beda Red Book; Tranquil Pre-week;
Reviewer Civpro and Crimpro (only because CODAL.
Remedial
it has all my notes from 4th year review);
Law
Beda Red Book(except Civpro and Crimpro)
; CODAL.
Legal AteneoBarOps; CODAL.
Antiquerra; Cosico; AteneoBarOps; CODAL.
Ethics

Review Schedule and Study Period:

I started reviewing right after graduation. I had a month of vacation because our finals ended
I think at least a month before our graduation. However, vacation doesn’t mean you won’t do
anything at all. Make sure to organize your materials and to plan your schedule while on
break.

The schedule I made was pretty tight because I knew I won’t be able to remember everything
with two readings only. I was just actually aiming for 3 readings but I got so paranoid, I ended
up doing 4. 4 readings is doable if you concentrate on the same materials you have read
before. Don’t bother getting new authors/reviewers, they talk about the same law anyway.

First Reading: 8 weeks

Number of
Subject
Weeks/Days Allotted
1 week
Political Law Bernas primer (3 days); Nachura non-poli (2 days); Sarmiento
(2days)
1 week
Labor Law
Alcantara (4 days); Azucena (3 days)
2 weeks
CODAL + Jurado Prop (1 day); Jurado Preliminary Title and
Sempio Dy Persons (2 days); Champ Succession (2 days);
Civil Law Sempio Dy Conflicts (2 days); Balane Oblicon (2 days);
Zuniga and Jurado Sectrans (2 days); Sales Jurado (2 days);
Delos Angeles Land; and Jurado Lease, agency,
partnership,etc. (1 day)
1 week
Mickey Reviewers: Income Tax (2 days); Estate, Donors, VAT
Taxation Law
(2 days); Remedies (1 day); LGC, RPT, Tariff (1 day), Co
Untian (1 day).
1 week
Abad Nego and CLV Letters, Trust, Warehouse (2 days); CLV
Insruance and Quimson’s Outline (1 day); CLV Transpo (1
Commercial Law
day); CLV Corp and Quimson’s Outline (2 days); CLV Secreg,
Jack AMLA, For Inv (1 day); CLV and Jack Banking, CLV IP (1
day)
Criminal Law 1 week
 Reyes Book 1 (2 days); Boado Crim1 (1 day); Boado Crim2
(4days)
1 week
Riano Civpro Rule 1-39 (3 days); Civpro Rule 40-71 (2 days);
Remedial Law
Crimpro (3 days); Evidence (2 days); Festin Specpro (2 days);
Other Rules (2 days)
3 days
Legal Ethics
Antiquerra and Cosico (1 day); Ateneo BarOps(2days)

Second Reading: 6 weeks

Number of
Subject
Weeks/Days Allotted
4days
Political Law
Bernas primer (2 days); Nachura non-poli (2 days)
3 days
Labor Law
Azucena Green Book (3 days)
1 week
CODAL + Jurado Prop (1 day); Jurado Preliminary Title and
Sempio Dy Persons (1 day); Champ Succession and Delos
Civil Law
Angeles Land (1 day); Jurado Oblicon (1day); Jurado
Sectrans (1 day); Jurado Sales (1 day); Jurado Lease,
agency, partnership,etc. (1 day)
4 days
CODAL + Mickey Reviewers + Countian: Income Tax (1 day);
Taxation Law
Estate, Donors, VAT (1 day); Remedies (1 day); LGC, RPT,
Tariff (1 day)
1 week
Abad Nego and Sundiang Letters, Trust, Warehouse (1 days);
CLV Insruance and Quimson’s Outline (1 day); CLV Transpo
Commercial Law
and Sundiang Transpo(1 day); CLV Corp and Quimson’s
Outline (1.5days); CLV Secreg, Jack AMLA (0.5 day); CLV and
Jack Banking, For Inv (1 day); CLV and Sundiang IP (1 day)
1 week
Criminal Law Reyes Bk1 (2 days); Boado Crim2 (3days); Beda Red Book (2
days)
9 days
CODAL + Riano Civpro Rule 1-39 (2 days); Civpro Appeals and
Remedial Law
Provrem (1 day); Civpro SCA (1 day); Crimpro (2 days);
Evidence (1 day); Festin Specpro (2 day);
1 day
Legal Ethics
Antiquerra and Cosico (1 day);

Third Reading: 4 weeks

Subject Number of days allotted
Legal Ethics CODAL + Ateneo BarOps (2 days)
CODAL + Mickey Reviewer (Civpro to Crimpro); Beda Red
Remedial Law
Book (4 days)
Criminal Law Boado and Beda Red Book(4 days)
Beda Red Book; Sundaing Transpo Nego, Letters, Trust,
Commercial Law
Warehouse, Jack AMLA, Secreg, Foreign Investments,
 Banking, Blancaflor IP Handout, Quimson Insurane and Corp
(6 days)
Taxation Law CODAL + Ateneo BarOps (3 days)
CODAL + Beda Red Book, Sempio Dy Persons, Champ
Civil Law
Succession (5 days)
Labor Law CODAL + Ateneo BarOps (1 days)
Political Law Bernas and Beda Redbook for non-poli (3 days)

Fourth Reading: 4 weeks

Subject Number of days allotted
Legal Ethics Ateneo BarOps (1 day)
CODAL + Mickey Reviewer (Civpro to Crimpro); Beda Red
Remedial Law
Book (4 days)
Criminal Law CODAL + Boado and Beda Red Book (3 days)
Beda Red Book; Sundaing Transpo Nego, Letters, Trust,
Warehouse, Jack AMLA, Secreg, Foreign Investments,
Commercial Law
Banking, Blancaflor IP Handout, Quimson Insurane and Corp;
CLV Corp (4 days)
Taxation Law CODAL + Ateneo BarOps (3 days)
CODAL + Beda Red Book, Sempio Dy Persons, Champ
Civil Law
Succession (4 days)
Labor Law Azucena; Ateneo BarOps (3 days)
Bernas, Nachura, Agra Powerpoints, Candelaria IL handout,
Political Law
Jack Jurisprudence (4 days)

Number of Readings: 5 including preweek. The number of readings would actually depend on
how fast you read and how much information you can retain.

Feedback on Ateneo Review Classes: I only attended the recent jurisprudence and pre week
lectures. During pre-week, I found it hard to study right after every exam. I decided to attend
all the lectures to not waste trying to read when I don’t have the heart to. But even if you
don’t have the time to attend pre-week lectures, do not miss Atty. Jack’s.

Hardest Subject: The least I liked studying were crim and civ. I found crim the most difficult
because I didn’t take crim seriously back in first year. It was only in 4th year review that I got
to fully read the RPC. As to civ, it’s not difficult to understand but it’s just too lengthy. It
takes so much time to read and there's that tendency to get sawa and overly confident. Truth
be told, during the bar, Civ was the hardest. I wanted to shoot whoever said that you just
need to use your common sense in civ.

Easiest Subject: Poli and Comm were the easiest and I would like to thank Atty. Jack for it.
The topics he highlighted during 4th year review, bar lectures, and the blue tips, pretty much
covered everything that was asked.
Night before the Test Originally, I planned to just sleep and enjoy Sofitel. However, I still
ended up studying at least the codals and the pre week-materials I gathered from the
lectures. If you’re the paranoid kind like me, just stick with the codals.

Things to Avoid
• Avoid neglecting the codals. Push comes to shove, the codals will save you. My style is
to read the codal before reading the commentaries. This may be time consuming at
first, but after the first and second reading, it will save you A LOT of time.
• Try to avoid people that will just stress you out. DON’T compare your progress with
others.

Best Kind of Help

Just stick to what works for you and treat the bar just like an ordinary final exam. This way,
you’ll get rid of all the stress, anxiety and paranoia. Talk to Topnotchers and other barpassers
for reassurance. Make a schedule and stick with it. Don’t forget to rest but make sure you
also make up for any wasted time.

But more than anything else, always remember that taking the bar is also a test of character.
Try to go through the process with grace. You may be reviewing for the bar, but that doesn’t
mean the world will stop just to accommodate you. Just be quiet, find your own corner, read,
pray, and don’t waste your energy doing the unnecessary. And while you’re at it, try to enjoy
the experience.