(Eagle News) – Thousands of students seeking to enter law school took the required Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT) on Sunday, Sept. 23, at the New Era University in Quezon City, and in seven other testing centers nationwide.
More than 4,000 students took the test at the NEU which successfully hosted the law admission test in Metro Manila.
The other test sites were the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City; Cagayan State University in Tuguegarao City; University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu City; University of Negros Occidental Recoletos in Bacolod City; Dr. Vicente O. Romualdez Foundation in Tacloban City; Jose Maria College in Davao City; and Liceo de Cagayan University in Cagayan de Oro City.
The tests were held at 7 a.m. Test venues were opened as early as 6:30 a.m.
The Legal Education Board, which was designated by law to administer the legal education system in the country and to prescribe the minimum standards for law admission, commended the NEU management and administration for the way the school hosted the PhiLSAT on Sunday.
Legal Education Board chairperson Emerson Aquende even said that they were “very satisfied” with how the NEU prepared for the PhiLSAT hosting that the board is considering holding the next PhilSAT at the NEU again.
“Definitely, we will consider very closely the possibility of New Era University hosting again the next PhiLSAT which will be in April 2019,” Aquende said.
“By and large we are very satisfied with what we have seen as far as the preparations are concerned, and the arrangement in terms of the classrooms, the facilities to be used for the examination. We commend the management and the administration of New Era University, led by the President of the University, Dr. Nilo Rosas, for (being) very cooperative and (for) the assistance that was rendered to the Legal Education Board, and the Center for Education and Measurement.”
“In fact, the complaint that we heard was that the classrooms were very cold, which only means that the facilities are working very well at the New Era University, and we’re happy about that,” he added.
The students who took the tests at NEU also expressed satisfaction with the rooms and facilities used to accommodate the examinees who came from all over Metro Manila, Central and Southern Luzon.
They said the air-conditioned rooms were comfortable and the facilities were “above-average” allowing them to focus more on the exams.
“This is a good change, having the PhiLSAT exams here in New Era,” said one examinee, noting that the previous testing site for Metro Manila was at the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila.
The NEU’s main campus in Quezon City can easily be reached by the examinees coming from all over Luzon, he said.
The Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT) is a standardized battery of aptitude tests designed to measure academic potential to pursue the study of law.
Beginning school year 2017-2018, the PhiLSAT is a prerequisite for admission to basic law courses leading to either a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree.
This was pursuant to the power of the Legal Education Board (LEB) to prescribe the minimum standards for law admission under Section 7(e) of Republic Act No. 7662, entitled the “Legal Education Reform Act of 1993,” the LEB.
The PhiLSAT requirement for all students interested in pursuing a law decgree was specifically stated under LEB Memorandum Order No. 7 Series of 2016.
The Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. (CEM) has been accredited to manage the affairs and activities related to the operation of the PhiLSAT.
With CEM’s experience as an educational testing agency, it was commissioned to develop the PhiLSAT, ensure the reliability and validity of the test, and uphold the confidentiality of results and integrity of its administration.
Those qualified to take the law admission tests are the following:
a. Graduate of a 4-year bachelor’s degree program, or its equivalent, from a duly recognized higher education institution in the Philippines;
b. Graduating student of a 4-year bachelor’s degree program, or its equivalent, from a duly recognized higher education institution in the Philippines at the end of the school year when the PhiLSAT is administered; and
c. Graduate from a foreign higher education institution with a degree equivalent to a 4-year bachelor’s degree as certified by the Commission on Higher Education
According to the PhiLSAT website, the examinations consists of subtests on communications and language proficiency, critical thinking skills, and verbal and quantitative reasoning.
An electronic copy of the test results will be made available 21 days from the test date.
