11,437 examinees start 2025 Bar exams, 86.7% turnout

A total of 11,437 aspiring lawyers commenced the 2025 Bar examinations, representing an 86.7% turnout out of 13,193 admitted examinees.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, who chairs the bar examinations committee, noted that the increase in examinees compared to last year's 10,483 is attributed to a high number of repeat takers due to previous failures.

Of the 11,437 examinees, 5,215 were first-time takers, 4,239 were repeaters, and 1,984 were refreshers.

Special groups included 241 persons with disabilities, 206 senior citizens, 41 pregnant women, and 139 with medical conditions.

Female examinees (6,673) continued to outnumber men (4,764) for the second consecutive year.

New Era University had the highest number of examinees with 1,698.