Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT) – Uniform Admission to Law School



If you are an aspiring lawyer and is due to enroll in any law school in the Philippines this coming school year 2017-2018, you are among the thousands of examinees vying to pass the pilot test for a unified admission policy for all law schools. The Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT) is conceptualized to become the standard aptitude test that will measure the academic skills and capacity to be in law school. By virtue of the Legal Education Board (LEB) Memorandum Order No. 7, series of 2016 the Board declared PhilSAT as a prerequisite in law school admission either for the Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree. This Order is in pursuant to the power of the LEB on prescribing the minimum standards for admission in law schools under Section 7(e) of the Legal Education Reform Act of 1993 (RA 7662). The Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. (CEM) will be responsible in the implementation and operation of the PhilSAT throughout the Philippines.



View the Legal Education Board (LEB) Memorandum Order No. 7, series of 2016 here.

Considering the predicaments of future law students who are sending email inquiries from me through my blog, I try to come up with some comprehensive information regarding the PhilSAT to manage your expectations and to make adequate preparation of passing the uniform admission test to law schools in the Philippines.

What to expect from the PhilSAT


The PhilSAT will be a one-day examination/aptitude multiple choice type of test. The passing rate is 55% and passers will be given a Certificate of Eligibility valid for 2 years only. There is no limit on how many times you can re-take the admission test once you flunk the exam (I hope not!).
Comprehension, critical thinking and communication abilities are important from lawyers. That is why the PhilSAT dwells on different subtests involving language proficiency, subtests on communications, verbal and quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking skills.

      Test for proficiency on language and communications

This will test your grammar and usage errors, including the determination of the use of appropriate words and phrases in a sentence. You need to practice various areas of language proficiency, namely how to improve writing sentences, sentence completion and identifying error in a sentence.

Test your language and communication skills by taking this Written Test of English Language Proficiency and Legal terminology as a good exercise.

      Test for Verbal reasoning

This test consists of reading passages with subsequent questions about each passage. It will test your ability to understand what you read and draw out a conclusion according to its content.

I found this Verbal Reasoning Practice Test that you may want to try out.

      Test for Quantitative Reasoning

This test will measure your mathematical skills using interpretation and analysis based on numerical information in order to draw a conclusion. Subtests include data interpretation, data sufficiency and pattern recognition.

You may find these tips on quantitative reasoning helpful.





      Test for Critical thinking

The test will measure your analytical skills and reasoning based on the written propositions from which you will draw out a conclusion. This basically provides two types of questions namely analytical reasoning and logical reasoning.

I found some helpful tips and good critical thinking sample tests that you may practice from here.

Who are exempted from taking the PhilSAT


The PhilSAT provides some exemptions from taking the admission test in law schools. To qualify you need to be an honor student who is granted with professional civil service eligibility and is enrolling in law school within 2 years from graduation. All these conditions must be met.

Who are qualified in taking the PhilSAT


To qualify for taking the PhilSAT you must be:
1. A graduate of a 4-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent.
2. Graduating student of a 4-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent at the end of the school year when the admission test is administered.
3. Graduate of a 4-year bachelor's degree from a foreign higher education institution certified by CHED.

Where to register for the PhilSAT admission test


The Legal Education Board has revolutionized the registration for the PhilSAT admission test through an online registration system. The test date will begin on April 16, 2017 with a testing fee of P1,000.00. You may register from March 2 until April 3, 2017.



Visit the official PhilSAT online registration website here.

You may register online here.

Testing Centers


The LEB accredited the following testing centers for the PhilSAT:

1.       Metro Manila
2.       Baguio City
3.        Legazpi City
4.       Cebu City
5.       Iloilo City
6.       Davao City
7.       Cagayan de Oro City

Side Note:


The PhilSAT should not deter you from pursuing your dream to become a lawyer. Take this as an inspiring food for thought from Abraham Lincoln.



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