A TOTAL of 12,029 examinees took the 2026 Bar Examinations on the first day across 15 local testing centers nationwide, according to data released by the Supreme Court.

The figure represents the number of examinees present out of the 13,441 candidates admitted to take this year’s Bar Examinations.

Of the 12,029 examinees, 45.9% were first-time takers, while 29.5% were previous takers and 24.6% were refreshers.

Female examinees comprised the majority at 6,773, or 56.3%, while 5,256, or 43.7%, were male.

The youngest examinee was 24 years old, while the oldest was 84.

The Supreme Court also recorded 304 examinees with disabilities and 285 senior citizen examinees.

The 15 local testing centers accommodated examinees from different parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The University of San Jose-Recoletos had the highest number of examinees at 1,326, followed by New Era University with 1,277; San Beda University, 1,151; Ateneo de Davao University, 1,144; and Saint Louis University, 1,132.

The other testing centers were Cagayan State University, University of Nueva Caceres, University of Santo Tomas, Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Manila Adventist College, University of the Philippines-BGC, San Beda College Alabang, Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation, Central Philippine University, and Mindanao State University-IIT.