Bar exam scores are sensitive personal information 鈥� SC
Supreme Court of the Philippines. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The scores of Bar examinees cannot be disclosed without their consent as these are considered sensitive personal information under the Data Privacy Act, the Supreme Court (SC) said Monday.
Under Bar Matter No. 4968, which approved the Guidelines on Requests for Disclosure of a Law School’s Bar Examinations Performance, the SC may approve requests from law schools for Bar exam scores, as long as these scores are aggregated, averaged, or anonymized and do not identify any individual exam taker.
The SC’s Public Information Office (PIO) explained that “permissible data includes the number or percentage of the law school’s graduates categorized by type (new examinees, previous takers, refreshers); the number or percentage of graduates within specific score ranges; the average score of all graduates in each Bar subject; and the overall average general weighted average for law schools with multiple examinees.”
“Additionally, anonymized scores of each Bar taker, with all identifiers removed, are also permitted. This information is not considered personal information under Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and may be disclosed,” it added.
The SC PIO said the requests from law schools must be signed by the dean or an equivalent official and must state a legitimate purpose, such as reviewing and improving law degree programs and performance on future Bar exams.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Office of the Bar Confidant is tasked to review the request from law schools.
Article continues after this advertisementThe SC will release the results of the 2024 Bar examination on Friday, Dec. 13.
READ: 2024 bar exams result out on Dec. 13 – Supreme Court
