MANILA - The Supreme Court (SC) has called for a special en banc session on March 20 to deliberate on the results of the 2012 Bar Examinations.

The special session is intended for the determination of passing percentage and decoding of the results by the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC), a process which involves matching the examination number with the name of each of the 5,700 examinees who took the exams last October. 

Earlier, 2012 Bar exams chairperson Associate Justice Martin Villarama promised to release the names of successful takers before Holy Week.

The country's new lawyers will take their oath on April 24 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

In determining the average score, subjects are given the following relative weights: Political and International Law, 15 percent; Labor and Social Legislation, 10 percent; Civil Law, 15 percent; Taxation, 10 percent; Mercantile Law, 15 percent; Criminal Law, 10 percent; Remedial Law, 20 percent; and Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises, 5 percent, for a total of 100 percent.

Scores in the multiple-choice questions will carry a weight of 60 percent; the results in the essay-type examinations will be given a weight of 40 percent .