A total of 154 out of 629 examinees passed the 2025 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations, registering a 24.48% passing rate in its first fully digitalized administration.
The results were announced on July 25 by Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho, Jr., who chaired this year’s SSBE.
The exams were held on May 25 and 28 at four testing centers across the country: University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City; Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT); Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU); and Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU).
Princess Jannah Saudagar Pumbaya topped the exams with a score of 89.9667%, followed by Ali Hadji Yusoph Batugan (87.2167%) and Mae Joyce Sala Magbanua-Anjalin (86.3750%).
Completing the top ten were Ahmed-Khaled Papandayan Guro (86.1250%), Marianne Esther Gutierrez Aniceto-Guinomla (85.2167%), Sittie Ayra Yusoph Abedin (84.4667%), Norhaya Ali Lago (84.1875%), Al-Fatah Panginma Abdullah (83.8792%), Noraldin Comacasar Norodin (83.5667%), and Ayinie Batalo Basher (83.1250%).
According to Justice Kho, the successful conduct of the 2025 SSBE introduced major innovations, including the use of translation software that converted English exam questions into Arabic.
Examinees were also able to type responses in Arabic using an Arabic keyboard—another first in the exam’s history. Human translators aided in converting Arabic answers back to English for evaluation.
Examinees were tested on four subjects over two days: Jurisprudence and Customary Laws (15%) and Persons, Family Relations, and Property (35%) on Day 1, followed by Succession, Wills/Adjudication, and Settlement of Estates (35%) and Procedure in the Shari’ah Courts (15%) on Day 2.
For this year, the examiners included Dean Abdulcader M. Ayo, Dr. Hamid Aminodin D. Barra, Dr. Jamel R. Cayamodin, and Atty. Melchor Sadain.
Meanwhile, the Oath Taking and Roll Signing Ceremonies for the successful examinees are scheduled for August 6, 2025, 2:00 p.m., at the Manila Hotel.
The 2026 SSBE will be chaired by SC Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting.
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