The 2016 Bar Exams set new records, officials said Wednesday as the Supreme Court (SC) issued the list of Bar passers.

• LIST: BAR EXAMS PASSERS

Over half of 6,344 graduates who took the Bars passed, according to Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, Jr.

The 59.06 percent passing rate was the "highest passing percentage in the history of bar exams" since 1946, said Velasco.

Universities from Metro Manila usually dominating the Top 10 in Bar Exams were edged out by schools from different regions, a first in decades.

"It is the first time that not a single Metro Manila based school placed in the top 10," said Bar Confidant, Atty. Christina Layusa.

University of San Carlos had four graduates in the top 10 while Silliman University had three graduates.

Karen Mae Calam, a graduate from the University of San Carlos in Cebu, topped the 2016 Bar examinations.

• READ: Bar 2016 topnotcher bares 'secret weapon'

Siliman University's Alana Gayle Ashley Khio followed Calam on the top 10 list with an 88.95 percent average. Ranking third were Fiona Cristy Lao from the University of San Carlos and Athalla Liong from Andres Bonifacio College, both with a score of 88.800 percent.

Completing the top 10 Bar passers were:

4- Allana Mae A. Babayen-on, University of San Agustin - 88.75%
5- Justin Ryan D. Morilla, Ateneo de Davao - 88.40%
6. Mark Dave M. Camarao, Northwestern University - 88.10 %
7. Anne Margaret E. Momongan, University of San Carlos - 87.80%
8. Jefferson L. Gomez, University of San Carlos - 87.70%
9. Nia Rachelle M. Gonzales, University of Batangas - 87.50%
Marie Chielo M. Ybio, Silliman University - 87.50%
10. Andrew Stephen D. Liu, Silliman University - 87.45%

'Most prestigious licensure exams'

The bar exams is the only professional licensure examinations that requires participants to answer open-ended questions, written in long hand. It is also the only licensure exams not administered by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).

Supreme Court said half of the 6,354 who showed up for at least one Sunday exam were repeaters.

"Of 3,208 were new candidates while 3,146 were repeaters, i.e., those who had taken the bar examinations at least once previously."