MANILA, Philippines – The Bar examinations next year will be composed largely of multiple choice questions (MCQs), the Supreme Court disclosed today.

SC Justice Roberto Abad, head of the 2011 Bar Examinations Committee, has proposed 60 percent of the tests to be MCQ, which he said will test the examinees' knowledge not only in codal provision but also their comprehension and analysis.

The remaining 40 percent of the tests will be essay-type questions, Abad said.

In his proposal, the MCQ exams should be able to assess three main skills of the examinees: knowledge and recall; comprehension or understanding; and analysis and application.

The MCQ exams will only save time for examiners to prepare and correct the test papers.

The Bar examinations are currently comprised of essay-type questions for eight subjects — Political Law, Remedial Law, Taxation, Criminal Law, Civil Law, Mercantile Law, Labor Law, and Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises.

The SC annually conducts the Bar exams pursuant to its constitutional mandate to promulgate rules governing, among others, the admission to the practice of law.

The exams are traditionally held in four consecutive Sundays of September. - By Dennis Carcamo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)