The Supreme Court (SC) has released the official testing sites and guidelines for the conduct of the 2025 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations, which will be held in a regionalized and digitalized format.
In a notice published on April 4, the Court announced that the exams will be administered across four local testing centers, namely UP Diliman in Quezon City, MSU-IIT in Iligan, Ateneo de Davao University, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
It further noted that testing venue assignments, based on stated preferences and slot availability, were released through examinees’ BARISTA accounts starting April 7 and are final and non-appealable.
Moreover, examinees with special needs, including persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and senior citizens, are instructed to submit requests via the designated VES form, along with supporting documents, no later than May 9.
Meanwhile, Shari’ah Special Bar Bulletin No. 4, released on April 14, outlines the technical and procedural requirements for the digital administration of the exams through the Examplify platform.
Examinees are required to install Examplify version 3.8.0 for Windows or Mac on their personal laptops by April 23 and ensure compliance with the system’s minimum specifications.
The bulletin also stated that three sample exams will be conducted to verify software compatibility and build user familiarity, with the third—available from April 28 to May 5—being mandatory for all examinees.
Failure to take and successfully upload the mandatory sample exam within the prescribed period will lead to account deactivation and disqualification from the SSBE.
The Court also advised best practices such as disabling antivirus software, uninstalling unnecessary programs, and turning off automatic system updates to minimize technical disruptions during the exams.
This is the second time the Shari’ah Bar Exams will be conducted in a digitalized and regionalized format, a method adopted from the Bar Exam, which first implemented this approach during the pandemic.
SC Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho Jr. serves as the chairperson for the 2025 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations, which will be held on May 25 and 28, 2025.
Further details, updates, and official communications are accessible through the 2025 Shari’ah Bar microsite and the Court’s verified online platforms.
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