ASSOCIATE Justice Benjamin Caguioa, the chairman of the Bar exams, advised examinees to continue taking the test and not to drop out.

“Do not quit, stay the course and plod on,” Caguioa said.

“So if you’re thinking of quitting now, don’t. Let no one undermine the courage, fortitude, and strength that it took for you to arrive to today. When you feel like giving up, take a pause and then discard that feeling. Because after the last two bar days you have just hurdled you know in your bones you can go on,” he added.

He made the statement after the number of absent examinees increased from 799 to 810 on the second day of the exam.

At the same time, Caguioa congratulated Bar takers for “having gotten this far through what is clearly the most grueling licensure exam in the country.”

“Aspiring lawyers should keep reminding themselves of the exam’s requirements as well as their loved ones, the people they would like to assist, the school they would like to support, and the country they would like to serve,” the magistrate said.