SC: Review “Academic Honesty” Policy; 2024 Bar Exam Remains Digitalized and Regionalized

As this year’s Bar Examinations, #BarNiJLo2024, is set on September 8, 11, and 15, the Supreme Court reminds all examinees to review the Academic Honesty policy on specific acts and omissions that constitute actionable behavior relating to reviewers and law-related reference materials, Examplify-enabled laptop and electronic devices, and other prohibited and suspicious behaviors. 

The above policy upholds the highest standards of integrity with a zero-tolerance policy for cheating and academic dishonesty. Specific acts and omissions that constitute actionable examinee behaviors are classified as either prohibited or suspicious.

For reviewers and other law-related reference materials, it is considered a prohibited actionable examinee behavior that constitutes cheating to open, access, browse, or use any of its digital or soft copies, at any time before, during, or after the examinations, while inside the testing room or any area within the Local Testing Centers. It is likewise prohibited for examinees to keep physical copies of any law-related reference materials near the examinee’s desk after all non-essential belongings have been placed in front of or outside the testing room in preparation for password deployment. 

On the other hand, it is considered suspicious to bring or possess any paper near the examinee’s desk, whether blank or with printed or handwritten content, other than the scratch paper officially provided by the proctor.

For Examplify-enabled Laptops, it is considered a prohibited actionable examinee behavior that constitutes cheating for examinees to put any markings in their submitted answers. Changing the prescribed font size in the Examplify Manual, including names that may allow an examiner to recognize an examinee, and adding extraneous text are among the enumerated examples of markings.

Additionally, copying the answers of another examinee, allowing another examinee to copy their answers, and taking the laptop outside the testing room during lunch breaks are also prohibited among others.

Among the suspicious actionable examinee behaviors are the handling of another examinee’s laptop before and during the examinations or during lunch break, using a format other than what is prescribed, and opening pop-up notifications or automatic web browsers from the social media or messaging apps after connecting to the LTC’s Wi-Fi.

Furthermore, the SC prohibits examinees from communicating with other examinees, in any form, without prior permission from the Head Proctor during the entire examination period. It also clearly stated that in all cases of prohibited actionable examinee behavior, ignorance of the rules shall not be accepted as an excuse.

Examinees are also required to sign the Honor Code, prepare the Health Liability Waiver to safeguard their health and that of others, and other undertakings to authorize the SC, its offices, and representatives to collect, use, and process their personal data, including capturing their images on Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) during the 2024 Bar Examinations.

Moreover, the following are the subjects that will be taken during the upcoming examinations: September 8 (Political and Public International Law, Commercial and Taxation Laws); September 11 (Civil Law, Labor Law, and Social Legislation), and September 15 (Criminal Law, Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises).

Finally, although examinees are allowed to wear comfortable clothes during examinations, SC requires them to wear decent clothes. They must wear sleeved t-shirts or tops, pants or skirts that extend below the knee, and closed footwear. 

The 2024 bar exam remains digitalized and regionalized as part of the changes initiated by the SC. Examinees are required to bring one laptop in good working condition with installed Examplify Version 3.4.4 for macOS or Version 3.4.6 for Windows OS. There are thirteen (13) Local Testing Centers (LTCs) all over the Philippines for this year, six (6) of which are in the National Capital Region, two (2) in Luzon, while three (3) are located in Visayas, and there are two (2)  in Mindanao specifically Xavier University and Ateneo de Davao University.