How Staying Fit Helped Pauline Garcia Pass the Bar Exams
- Jo Valle
- Jan 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 22
When preparing for a major endeavor that requires total focus, such as the bar exams, I have observed past bar examinees and people in general tend to drop everything, including fitness activities, to keep their eyes on the prize.
Staying physically active is actually helpful to perform better on examinations. Studies have shown that exercise can increase focus and concentration, as well as memory retention. It can also relieve stress and anxiety, while boosting energy.
Case in point: new lawyer Pauline Garcia.
The 2025 Philippine Bar exams passer didn’t take a break from her various fitness activities while reviewing and, at the same time, working online as a paralegal at a US law firm.
“I kept exercising during bar prep and even during bar week not only to stay strong but also to stay calm,” she tells The Fitness Advocate.
“The pressure during this period really hits differently, and moving my body helped me release stress, clear my mind, and stay focused.
"On top of that, exercise helped me maintain a strong immune system, which was important for surviving full-time work and bar prep at the same time.”
She then explains, “Exercise is like fuel for me. Without it, my brain feels foggy, my body feels tired, and I cannot perform at my best. For me, staying active was essential to getting through the entire bar review and exam period.”
Road to fitness-powered success
Looking back, Pauline, who’s in her late 20s, says she’s always been the athletic type. She fondly recalls being on her high school taekwondo team that won competitions all the way to the municipal level when she was in her third year.
“That gave me the chance to represent Cainta, Rizal in the provincial meet,” she beams.
In college, she got curious about pole dance and aerial arts while pursuing her Bachelor of Science in management accounting. But she neither had the time nor the budget to seek out studios and attend classes.
Pauline makes it clear she never forgot about fitness. When she landed her first job in Taguig, she “tried to stay active through yoga and jogging at least on weekends,” though she didn’t really have what she could consider a “main sport” at the time.
Then, she moved to her next job, this time located in Ortigas district, Pasig City, which is home to pole and aerial arts studios, such as Polecats Manila. She soon booked her first pole classes, and that’s when her fitness journey as an adult “really took off.”
An achiever by nature, Pauline didn’t stop there. She also continued her education at Arellano University School of Law in Pasay City. She graduated in 2024, “honored to be an Order of the Flaming Arrow awardee.”
To date, she has tried Muay Thai, mixed martial arts (MMA), jogging, pole fitness, and aerial arts, which can be considered as sports. But her main focus these days are pole fitness and MMA, in that order.
“I originally started MMA after the bar exams just as cross-training to build strength and endurance for pole and aerial sports,” she explains.
“But I must admit, I’m falling in love with it, and it might be my second-priority sport now. I just have to be careful not to get injured because my top priority will always be attending my pole classes!”
Back-tracking a bit to Pauline’s pre-bar prep: For starters, she went for the online option offered by the Jurists Bar Review and commenced sometime April 2025. She then made it a point to include fitness in her routine.
“Moving my body helps me stay calm, focused, and energized,” she explains. "It keeps me strong, boosts my immune system, and honestly, it’s what helps me survive the long days of work and bar prep, both physically and mentally.”
But how did she manage her time working full time, reviewing for the bar, and doing fitness activities?
“By sticking to a routine and staying disciplined” is her pragmatic, but proven-to-be-effective game plan.
She goes on elaborating, “I made sure to finish my scheduled review materials before work using the Pomodoro Technique, set aside about 1-1.5 hours a day for exercise, and kept my review materials with me during work breaks.”
The Pomodoro technique is described in Birmingham City University’s website as a “time-management method that helps improve focus and productivity by breaking study sessions into 25-minute intervals, followed by short breaks.”
She notes that taking power naps also helped a lot in keeping her mind sharp.
“To avoid getting overwhelmed,” she adds, “I made it a point to schedule time at least once a week to go to the mall and watch a movie or visit my favorite massage spa, because I really enjoy both! These became my little rewards for getting through the busy days.”
Pauline also has a not-so-secret weapon in Onion, her six-year-old pet Shih Tzu, whose mere presence makes her “feel lighter and happier.”
During the bar exams period, which took place on September 7, 10, and 14, she made sure to squeeze some jogging time into days before and in between.
That's why she chose to check in Poblacion area in Makati City, just within the vicinity of one of the designated testing centers.
She goes on sharing a side story: “On September 8, I not only jogged but also went to the gym to lift weights for my glutes after discovering a nearby gym. I have to admit, I kind of regretted it because by the second day of exams I could barely walk.”
On her way to the testing center, she even tripped on the stairs. But, she now points out, “Instead of letting it stress me out, I just laughed it off and told myself it was a sign of letting go of bad juju and that the day would go well.”
In retrospect, Pauline considers fitness as “a total lifesaver,” as it kept her energized, focused, and calm through her whole bar experience.
“It also helped me handle all the stress without getting sick,” she says. “I really think without keeping up with my fitness, surviving the whole bar review and exams would have been way harder.”
Her advice to those taking the bar this year?
"My biggest advice is to take care of yourself while studying. Stick to a routine, make sure to move your body to stay energized and keep your mind clear, stay hydrated, and don’t forget your vitamins.
“Even small steps, like stretching during study breaks, really help. Take little breaks too, like watching a movie, playing with your pet, or doing anything that feels like a treat. Those small rewards really help you avoid burning out.”
Just a few more tips from the new lawyer and dedicated fitness advocate: “Stay disciplined but be kind to yourself. We’re not perfect and we all make mistakes sometimes, and that’s totally part of the journey.
"Just move forward and show up. Believe in yourself, trust the process, pray for guidance, and know that all your hard work will pay off.”
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