SC: Bar exam scores are sensitive personal information

The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that Bar examinees' scores are considered sensitive personal information under the Data Privacy Act, prohibiting their disclosure without consent.

This ruling is part of newly approved Guidelines on Requests for Disclosure of a Law School's Bar Examinations Performance (Bar Matter No. 4968).

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo clarified that while the SC cannot share personal details of bar candidates, law schools can still request aggregated, averaged, or anonymized data.

Permissible data includes the number or percentage of graduates by type, those within specific score ranges, and average scores per subject and overall.

Anonymized scores, with all identifiers removed, are also allowed for disclosure.

Requests from law schools must be signed by the dean or an equivalent official and state a legitimate purpose, such as improving law degree programs.

Despite the ruling on personal data, the 2024 Bar Exam results will still be announced and flashed on screen at the SC Main Building on Friday, December 13, as in previous years.