The short answer
In pre-week, stop reading new material. Spend the final days on review only: the rules you wrote in your own words, the topics you flagged as shaky, and the subjects of the first exam day. Plan the rest days between exam days too: before the second and third days, use them for a last pass through the next day's subjects.
Key points
- No first-time reading in pre-week. Review only.
- Read from your own notes: the rules you wrote and the topics you flagged.
- Plan the gaps between exam days: the next day's subjects only.
- Protect sleep. A rested mind recalls better than a crammed one.
Why pre-week is review only
The final days before the Bar are not the time to learn something new. There is not enough time for new material to settle, and every new page competes with what you already know. Pre-week is for making what you know quick to reach.
That is why a good plan keeps a buffer of about two weeks free of first-time reading. Our pages-a-day guide builds that buffer into the arithmetic.
What to read
- Your own sentences. If you have been writing each key rule in one sentence in your own words, this is the moment they pay off. They are short, they are yours, and they are in the form you will need to write them. See active recall.
- Your flagged topics. Throughout the review, mark topics as shaky. Pre-week is when you visit that list, starting with the heaviest subjects.
- The first exam day's subjects last. End pre-week on the subjects you will write first.
Plan the gaps between exam days
The 2027 Bar is on 5, 8 and 12 September, with two subjects each day. That leaves two rest days before the second exam day and three before the third. Plan them now:
| Before | Review |
|---|---|
| Sunday 5 September | Political and Public International Law; Commercial and Taxation Laws |
| Wednesday 8 September | Civil Law and Land Titles and Deeds; Labor Law and Social Legislation |
| Sunday 12 September | Criminal Law; Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics, with Practical Exercises |
The gap before the third day is the longest, and the third day carries Remedial Law, the heaviest subject at 25%. Many reviewees save their best review hours for it.
Practise the format once more
Answers are written on a computer, and each subject has 20 essay problems in four hours. Do at least one timed set in pre-week to settle your pace at about 12 minutes per problem. Our guide to answering essay questions covers the structure.
Look after the basics
Sleep, food and an unhurried morning matter more in the final week than one more hour of reading. Check the Supreme Court's official Bar microsite for requirements and venue details well before exam day, so the last days hold no surprises.
How Lagda does this
Lagda keeps a Revisit list of the topics you mark as shaky, and a record of every sentence you filed in your own words. In pre-week, that is all it shows you. Lagda is coming soon to iOS.
Questions
What should I study during Bar pre-week?
Review only: the rules you wrote in your own words, the topics you flagged as shaky, and, last, the subjects of the first exam day. Avoid first-time reading.
What should I do between Bar exam days?
Use the rest days for a last review of the next exam day's subjects only. In 2027 there are two rest days before the second exam day and three before the third.
Should I keep reading new material in the last week?
No. New material has no time to settle and competes with what you already know. Keep a buffer of about two weeks free of first-time reading.
Published 13 November 2026. Read how we write and check our guides in our editorial standards. The Supreme Court's bulletins and announcements always control. Lagda is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with the Supreme Court of the Philippines.