How I Did It

By Mark John H. Simondo

1) How I studied From May to October (The Defrost, Cook, and Reheat Method)
I used what is called as the “Double Mirror Method.” I started with Poli, then Labor,
followed by Civil, Tax, Merc, Crim, Rem and finally Legal Ethics. This concluded my “first
reading”
After Legal Ethics, my “second reading” began with Rem, followed by Crim, Merc, Tax,
and Civil. Then I first studied Labor, the afternoon subject of the first Sunday, before finally
capping it off with Poli.
I started my review in May. I had two “Readings” from May until the last week of October.
I spent nearly three months on my first reading and about the same amount of time on
my second reading.
Defrost
I like to treat the first reading as a phase where you defrost frozen knowledge. It is this
time when you refresh your memory. You revisit everything you have learned in law
school (and maybe learn some of those things which you failed to learn back then).
For this, I went back to my books for most of the subjects. I reread the two books of Cruz
for Poli and reread books 1 and 2 of Azucena for labor. As for Civil, I reread selected
portions of Sta Maria’s perfam, reread Book 3 of Paras, and read the Jurado Reviewer.
For tax, I used the book of Ingles since the Casasola Tax book which I used in law school
was just too much for me to reread. I supplemented the book of Ingles with a thorough
rereading of the NIRC Codal. Merc was particularly troublesome as it is composed of so
many different laws and requires a lot of books. So I simply relied upon the Sundiang
Reviewer and supplemented it with a thorough rereading of the Corp Codal and the NIL
Codal.
For Crim, I reread Reyes Book 1 and Estrada Book 2. Then for Rem, I reread the four
books of Riano. Being a 20% subject, I thoroughly reread my badly battered, highly
abused, and barely-clinging-to-its-dear-life codal. Honestly, I forgot what I used in Ethics
but it was a 30-page reviewer. I supplemented it by rereading relevant codal provisions.
Yes, using that same tortured codal.
As this was the defrosting stage, memorization was kept to a minimum. I just wanted my
knowledge to feel fresh and new. However, in Merc, I tried to “semi-memorize” many of
the enumerations found in the Sundiang Reviewer. I quickly read the enumeration
followed by a deliberately slow rereading of the same. I then closed the book and tried to
recall what I have just read. I did this entire process twice before moving on to the next
page.
A couple of weeks later, did I still remember the enumerations referred to above which I
semi-memorized? Of course not. But mind you, as far as I am concerned, semi-
memorizing helped made the actual memorization later on a lot easier. Enter the Cooking
phase.
Cook it very hot then stamp it into your mind
The second reading is the most brutal part of the review as far as I am concerned. This
is the phase where you should learn and know everything covered in the syllabus. More
significantly, this is the phase where memory work comes in. Thus, this is usually the
phase where you either eat a lot or forget to eat at all. But it’s okay. Pounds are temporary,
ATTY is forever (unless you get disbarred).
I used a syllabus-based reviewer for this phase. At times, I supplemented the reviewer
with the codal. I tried, with all of my capacity, to memorize every definition, every
enumeration, and even some of the more prominent codal provisions. In a typical 12 hour-
study period, finishing just 50 pages feels like it is already a great accomplishment. If you
believe that peanuts help strengthen your memory, then by all means, eat a ton of it
(watch your blood pressure and cholesterol levels though). Pimples will erupt all over your
face. But it’s okay. Pimples are temporary (hopefully), ATTY is forever.
After I finish a reviewer for a particular subject, I then proceed to the Bar Q and A portion.
I answer 10 to 15 Bar Q and A years. If I get an overall average of 75 or better, then I
move on. But if I get a sub 75 average, I reinforce my knowledge of certain portions of
the subject by rereading select portions of the book or codal.
NOTE: Be mindful of the days remaining in the review. In the event that you are already
delayed as per your schedule, it is acceptable not to reinforce your deficiencies and simply
move on to the next subject. But do pray a little harder. (This happened to me when I was
in the Crim portion of my second reading.)
Reheat before consuming
The last phase is the preparation during the pre-week. Try as we may, most of us will still
forget many of what we have memorized during the second reading. But fret not. If you
have done the second reading properly, you will be surprised that during crunch time, you
tend to memorize information quite rapidly. Sometimes, all you need is a quick browse of
the pre-week notes and you tend to remember everything about certain topics.
When the previous two phases are done properly, then the reheating phase is purely
recall. Sure, out of an enumeration of ten items, you may be able to enumerate only half
outright. But spend a minute or two on that number and most likely than not, you will be
able to enumerate them all. This is the essence of the reheating phase. By now,
everything you need to answer the bar is already in your head. You simply practice getting
information out of your head and into your test booklet in a timely manner.
I emphasize that in my view, it is far too late to start memorizing only during the pre-week.
As far as I am concerned, pre-week is for recall. Study during law school, review during
the defrosting phase, memorize during the cooking phase, and recall during the reheating
phase. It is that simple.
For this phase, I used two pre-week notes for each subject. Usually, I do not study on
Mondays after a set of bar exams. I then spend Tuesday, Wednesday and half of
Thursday to study the morning subject for the next set of exams. I use the other half of
Thursday and Friday to study for the afternoon subject. Last minute notes usually pour in
during Saturdays. I use Saturday mornings to study last minute notes for the afternoon
subject. I then spend Saturday afternoons and evenings reading last minute tips and
notes for the morning subject.
2) How I used the UP Law Center Bar Q and A
Read the problems while covering the suggested answers.
In your mind, formulate an answer. First part: Yes or no, guilty or not guilty, in favor or
against, crimes committed, etc. Second part: Justify the answer with legal basis/bases.
Read the suggested answer then rate your own answer according to the following grading
system:
Perfect score- first and second parts are the same as the suggested/alternative answer.
All the legal bases (if more than one is asked for or if it is necessary to cite more than one
basis to properly support the answer) should have been included in your mental answer
1/2 of the perfect score- a) First part of the answer is correct but the second part of the
answer is partially wrong or is incomplete. Legal basis is incomplete when multiple legal
bases are necessary to properly support your answer and you failed to completely point
out such necessary bases. An answer is partially wrong if the legal basis you pointed out
mentally is different from that used in the suggested/alternative answer provided that your
legal basis, in your sincerely honest opinion, is convincing enough to support the first part
of your answer; or
b) first part of your answer is incomplete (in cases where the question is something like,
what crimes were committed, what provisions should be changed, etc); or
c) in case of an enumeration where you failed to enumerate the required number of items
but managed to enumerate at least the majority of the items required.
Zero- a) the first part of your answer is wrong; or
b) the second part of your answer is totally wrong or is non-existent; or
c) in case of an enumeration where you failed to enumerate at least the majority of the
required items
Write your score for each number and tally them at the end of one bar Q and A year. 75
to 80 is good. 81 to 89 is fantastic. 90 and up means you deserve an ice cream (assuming
your are not intolerant to lactose). Do not be depressed if you get below 75. It is common
for me to get sub 75 scores. But be alarmed if you get below 60 in at least 2 out of 10 bar
Q and A years.
When you have done at least 10 to 15 Bar Q and A years, add up your scores for each
year then divide it with the number of Bar Q years that you have answered. Smile if you
get an average of at least 75.
Note: There may be some suggested answers that seem really wrong. In these cases,
research the answer or (better yet) have your bar ops research it for you. Rate your mental
answer in accordance with the researched answer.
Another Note: In some subjects where jurisprudence or the law has shifted through the
years, rate your answer based on the latest jurisprudence or law (assuming such
jurisprudence or law made the cut off date)
Yet Another Note: In case a question involves a topic not covered in the current syllabus,
or if you have “accidentally” looked at the answer before forming a mental answer,
exclude that number from the total score as well as from your score. To standardize your
grade for the purpose of obtaining your rating for that Bar Q year and your overall average
later on, divide your score with the perfect score as diminished by the total number of
points not covered in the syllabus. (e.g. if you only got 10 mistakes aside from a question
worth 5% which covered topics not found in the current syllabus, then your score should
be 85/95 or a rating of 89.47%)
Additional Matters
Quota System
There is no doubt that time is of the essence in reviewing for the bar. Review one or two
subjects for too long and you might end up barely reviewing other subjects. Time
management is very important. Thus many resort to daily quotas of readings to help
manage time. This is fine. Here are some things you might want to watch out for when
using quotas:
1. Reading/studying too fast. Many tend to equate a larger quota of pages to a better
study program. Many also equate an accomplished daily quota to a successful review
day. Sadly, these beliefs are not always well-founded.
Never trade the quality of your reading for the quantity thereof. You do not need to read
300 or 400 pages per day to pass or even top the bar. Sometimes, reading half that
number is actually good for you. I am not a fast reader but I make sure that when I read
something, I understand it thoroughly. There are parts of the book which you can skim
through. Understand though that there are parts where you need to go slow. Never be
too confident even when you have read that same book several times before. If you think
a certain part is important, then you read that part with extraordinary diligence.
Moreover, a completed quota is not always an indicator that you have studied well for the
day. How you reach your daily quota is just as important, if not more important, than
actually reaching it. Accept the fact that there will be some days when you will fall short.
Also, accept the fact that at some point, you will fall behind your study schedule. Find a
way to make up for the shortfall but never sacrifice the quality of your readings.
2. Reaching a quota just for the sake of reaching it. When you can no longer
understand what you are reading, for Pete’s sake, stop reading for a while. Do not read
just for the sake of reading. Do not be impressed by the number of pages that you have
finished.
3. Too tight a schedule. You may get sick. You may get burned out every now and then.
From time to time, you may encounter a review material that is much tougher to study
than you have expected. All of these will cause havoc on your schedule. If you have
planned a really tight and crammed schedule, perhaps as a result of having too much
material to study, then your entire schedule will easily crumble.
Limit the material that you are going to use. Choose them carefully. Then set a schedule
that will afford you some elbow room. In my case, I designed my schedule as if I only
have 6 days each week. I usually end up studying for 6 and a half days each week. I
spent most of my Sunday afternoons making up for my delays in the past six days. I
seldom panic when I am behind schedule because I know that I have an entire day each
week which I can use to make up some ground. The peace of mind that my schedule
afforded me was priceless.