MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The passing rate for Bar Examinations 2018 is 22.07%, equivalent to 1,800 of the 8,158 examinees who took the Bar,  Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo announced on Friday, May 3.

The 8,158 Bar takers for 2018 is the highest number of Bar candidates in recent years according to the Supreme Court. 

Sean James Borja of Ateneo de Manila University is the 2018 Bar topnotcher with a score of 89.306%. (READ: FULL LIST: Bar Exams 2018 passers)

For the 2017 Bar Examinations, only 25.55% passed. It was a dramatic drop from the 59.06% passing rate in 2016 attributed by law schools to the “reasonable” Bar chairman then, retired Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco. 

The highest percentage of exam passers ever recorded was in 1954 with 75.17%, while the lowest was in 1999 with 16.59%. – Rappler.com