MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday extended the deadline for bar examinees to choose their preferred local testing center for the next bar examination.
“In view of some technical issues in the Bar Personal Login Unified System (Bar PLUS) the Venue Matching Module shall close on Oct. 24, 2021 subject to further extension if the technical issues persist,” the SC said in a bar bulletin.
The court had previously set an October 20 deadline for examinees to select their preferred venue under innovations made by the court in response to the challenges caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Due to the health crisis, the tribunal postponed last September the bar examinations from November 2021 to January 16, 23, 30, and February 6 of the following year.
After the SC approved the 24 testing locations in August, it will be the first time the bar exams would be held in various sites.
Due to the pandemic last year, the four-Sunday examination was canceled.
The bar examinations chair, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, noted that while bar applicants would be able to choose their preferred local testing center, matching will not be done on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants from rural places, on the other hand, would be prioritized, according to the court.
“We reiterate that venue matching shall not be on a first-come, first-served basis. The system will process all choices simultaneously. Earlier submissions of venue choices shall not gain priority over the available slots in the local testing centers,” Leonen said. “All bar candidates will be given the opportunity to choose their local testing centers within the appropriate period,”.
The SC previously advised applicants to select the testing center nearest to their residence.
