The First Bar Subject That I Reviewed For the Philippine Bar Exam

Friends, I'll give you the answer to my teaser on this first line of my story -- Taxation. Yes, I reviewed taxation first. And it’s because of the following reasons:

• I'm a BS Biology graduate. We only had 3 math subjects in college;

• I don't even know how to compute my income tax; and

• I only got by and barely passed my Taxation subjects in law school

In short, I reviewed Taxation first because I knew that the best thing that I know about taxation is my second to none knowledge on the subject. With all honesty, that was my starting point, I was next to nothing. If I won't exert some effort, I was doomed to fail.

My No. 1 Rule: Guard My Confidence

Reviewing taxation first does not follow the best bar advice given during my time. Some review the subjects chronologically like how they are scheduled per Sunday. Others do a reverse schedule wherein the subjects scheduled on the last Sunday of the exam are reviewed first.

Since Taxation is scheduled to be taken on the second Sunday, it is not supposed to be reviewed first based on the earlier mentioned review schedules.

If you have read my previous stories, I've always told you that I was a unique non-conformist reviewee. I defied the norms and reviewed in my own way. That's why I confidently sang "I faced it all and I stood tall... and did it MY WAY" when I passed the bar.

Now I tell you, apart from the superficial and elementary reasons that I enumerated above, read:

"reviewing Taxation first was one of my ways to increase my confidence"

This was one piece of advice that I was telling everyone, guard your confidence as your confidence will see you through. Taxation is a subject that I don't have a bit of confidence to start with. To add pressure to my fear, taxation has been dubbed as the hardest subject in the bar. Hence, "strategize" was the name of my game during that time.

If I follow the expert lawyer's recommended method of review, for sure it will work but I didn't follow. Because if I did, I know, I'll be reviewing one subject while my mind is busy worrying about Taxation. It's like a love problem.

Akin to loving someone, you want to know him more. You want to be with him. You feel that you can conquer the world when he's yours. BUT logic says, there's a correct way of doing things so use your mind over your heart. Just like that metaphor, experts say, you may have taxation in your mind all day but there's a logical way to study and Taxation shouldn't come first.

But I was hard headed, I chose to prioritize the one that is always on my mind. I did review taxation first and it was the best decision I have ever done. I have results to back it up.

Taxation was my highest score in the bar exams. It may not be a wow score but I've worked hard for it and I'm proud:

Realizations:

1. Taxation has a short coverage compared to other subjects. It can be a source of "quick win". Imagine having finished taxation quickly. It gives an instant confidence boost and loads of energy needed to tackle the next subject.

2. Listening to good bar reviewers is a MUST. They made the subject easy for me. I only listened to two bar reviewers, Prof. Virginia Jeannie Lim whose lectures were accessible via Chan Robles Internet Bar Review, and Prof. Domondon whose recorded lectures are freely being shared online during my time.

My rules: one book per subject, Pareto notes, Siliman reviewer, and codal are also applicable to Taxation. Sticking to this solid rule plus having the best bar lecturers made me win the game.

3. With the guidance of the bar lecturers and my deep motivation to study. I realized, Taxation is not hard after all.

Taxation was the easiest subject for me during the actual bar exam. The confidence that I built may be one of the reasons why. That's another proof that I can say that there is a psychological aspect to taking the bar. It's not a 100% game of intelligence.

Final words:

Friends, know thyself. You can use tried and tested methods to review but you can always deviate from the norm at any time based on your needs. You know what's best for yourself.

Again, I will not tell you what to do. I just shared what I did. If you can relate and it's applicable to you then go and duplicate it. My sharing may spark a new idea that you can implement in your review, who knows.

Sharing is caring. I care for you. I wish you all the best in your review.

Remember, you too will become a lawyer!

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