A record 12,029 candidates completed the first day of the 2026 Bar Examinations on Sunday, Sept. 6, as the Supreme Court (SC) continued its digitalized and regionalized administration of the licensure test.
The examinees took the computer-based tests at 15 local testing centers nationwide. The setup allows candidates to take the Bar exams closer to their respective regions instead of traveling to a single examination site in Metro Manila.
The turnout represented 89.49% of the 13,441 candidates admitted to take this year’s examinations. Of those who appeared on the first day, 6,773 were women and 5,256 were men. The youngest examinee was 24 years old, while the oldest was 84.
The court said the 12,029 examinees marked the highest first-day attendance recorded in Philippine Bar history.
The 2026 Bar Examinations chairperson, SC associate justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, noted how the test has shifted from a centralized, handwritten examination to a fully digital and regionalized format.
“It still does not feel so long ago when we first had fully digitalized and regionalized examinations,” Gaerlan said.
The digital setup was also used for a person deprived of liberty who was allowed to take the examination under arrangements made by the Court.
Gaerlan assured candidates that the court’s role was not to prevent qualified examinees from pursuing the legal profession.
“It is not for us to obstruct, confine, or extinguish a dream. Because aspiring is for everyone,” he said.
The remaining examination days are scheduled for Sept. 9 and 13.
