HOW TO PASS LAW SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMS IN THE PHILIPPINES: SO YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME A LAW STUDENT? (PART 1 OF 4)
While the pursuit of medical studies in the Philippines, on the one hand, normally begins with the NMAT followed by the entrance exam conducted by the university of your choice, the pursuit of law studies, on the other hand, involves the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and the entrance exam conducted by the law school of your choice. Beyond the LSAT, local law schools are free to devise their own formulas to gauge an applicant's mental aptitude and emotional readiness to survive the grueling demands of life as a law student.
While the pursuit of medical studies in the Philippines, on the one hand, normally begins with the NMAT followed by the entrance exam conducted by the university of your choice, the pursuit of law studies, on the other hand, involves the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and the entrance exam conducted by the law school of your choice. Beyond the LSAT, local law schools are free to devise their own formulas to gauge an applicant's mental aptitude and emotional readiness to survive the grueling demands of life as a law student.
One of the principal considerations on whether or not you'll make it to your law school of choice is your score on the entrance exam. On top of this, other factors are similarly given weight. These include your GWA during your undergraduate years, your list of extracurricular activities, and some other measures, including the reputation of the school where you earned your undergraduate degree from, your letters of recommendation, as well as the influence and backing of the people you know.
(Yes, as is true in almost every branch of the government, nepotism and the "padrino" system are very much alive even in law schools. You'd be surprised to see classmates who managed to get in, thanks to the support provided by some unnamed backers and probably an undisclosed amount.)
If you graduated with Latin honors in college, then you have a fighting chance of getting considered at any law school. Note, however, that this is not a hard and fast rule, especially if the university where you graduated from is a relatively unknown institution. Stories abound of summas and magnas flunking law school entrance exams for reasons that can perhaps only be speculated but not ascertained; as a policy, most law schools do not release specific scores earned during the exam, and the list of passers is often final and not subject to appeal. Put simply: if you failed, it means you just blew your chance.
If you have poor grades in college, your only chance of passing is by doing exceptionally well in the entrance exam. But similar to the preceding paragraph, this is not a hard and fast rule. Some law school applicants spend thousands in pesos for law school entrance exam review classes and materials, but still fail. You will, however, encounter applicants who evidently had one too many drinks the night before the exam, or whose transcript of records is bleeding red with failing marks, but still manage to ace the exam.
So what gives?
Nothing, really. Some people are just really smart, some are naturally hard working, some are lucky, and some are, well, just not lucky enough. But these horror stories should not in any way dissuade you from taking your chances at snagging a slot in your law school of choice. After all, save for a few padrino-backed exceptions, taking the entrance exam is an indispensable step you need to take if you are serious about taking up law studies in the Philippines.