The Supreme Court (SC) will allow reviewer files in laptops and lunch break reviews under the revised rules for the Bar examinations next month.
The SC said Monday examinees may keep reviewers in their laptops, which should be saved in folders and should not be downloaded from Cloud accounts.
For the first time, examinees can use their own laptops and will use the Examplify test software. No other gadgets are allowed.
“The handwritten examinations will still be allowed but only in very exceptional cases where it can be adequately proven that the examinee suffers from a physical disability that does not permit them to take the examinations through a computer,” stated the latest bulletin that refined Bar Bulletin No. 18 issued in February last year.
Once done with the security and health check at the start of the exams on February 4 and 6, examinees may open their laptops to access their files for last-minute reviews.
Reviews of files are likewise allowed during lunch breaks, either at assigned areas or inside the exam room.
Examinees must close all reviewers and other related files 30 minutes before the bell rings at 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Unless authorized, examinees are prohibited from connecting to the Internet at all times. Social media use is similarly not allowed.
An Internet connection can be accessed only inside the testing room upon the proctor’s signal for downloading questionnaires and later on, for uploading answer files.
The Examplify software is designed to prohibit examinees from viewing other files once the test proper has begun.
“Trying to access files during the test proper is a futile effort and a violation of the honor code,” Bar Bulletin No. 35 read. “Attempting to connect to the Internet while inside the premises of the local testing center, other than to download the examination file and to submit the answer file, shall be considered cheating.”
The policy against talking to fellow examinees stands while sharing files or even showing what’s on the laptop screens are prohibited.
During the entire examinations and within the premises of the test sites, a physical distance of at least two meters should be observed.
“Any form of cheating will not be tolerated. Anyone who will be caught violating these rules will be automatically disqualified from the 2020/21 Bar Examinations and future Bar examinations. No second chances will be given for any breach of the Honor Code,” the bulletin warned.
An examinee must bring a battery-powered, WiFi-enabled laptop running on Mac or Windows operating systems, with at least 2.0 GHz Intel i3 processor, at least 4 gigabytes (GB) of random-access memory (RAM), a working universal serial bus (USB) port, and at least 4GB of hard drive space.
For Mac users, the operating system should be at least OS 10.14 (Mojave) and the genuine version and with Intel processor, 4GB of RAM, and 4GB of hard disk space.
Surveillance cameras will be installed in all testing rooms.
Source: Philippines News Agency
