So, I'm totally writing this from my own experience. I took the exams last year and now, I'll be taking up BS Health Sciences at Ateneo De Manila University. Heads up to seniors planning to take up medicine. This is actually a really good pre-med, or so I hear. According to some sources, you not only get to study medicine, but you can also get to study business at the same time. Anyway, I'd like to share some tips for the seniors who are going to take the CETs. This is the first of a series of articles regarding CETs since each college has its own way of grading.
THIS IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE UPCAT.
University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines, or UP, is the state's premier university. It is the home of the ISKOLAR NG BAYANs, fondly called Iskos and Iskas. Every year, thousands and thousands of high school seniors flock to UP testing centers to take this infamous UPCAT. According to statistics, only the top 15% of UPCAT takers successfully pass the exam. During my time (the year 2013), around 83,000 students took the entrance exam, but only 13,100 students passed. That's roughly 15.8%.
The problem here is NOT the exam... It's the number of competitors. UP only accepts the top 15%. Even if you get a high score on your UPCAT but others scored WAY higher than you, sorry to say, but you won't make the cut.
I studied A LOT for the UPCAT. Trust me, there were many times I didn't want to, and I know you will to. But whenever you feel that, ask yourself this... Is my future worth sacrificing for the joys and pleasures of today? If you answer yes, then go ahead, slack off. If you answer no, you'll know what to do.
Being the daughter of a UP BS BAA (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy, one of the 'super quota courses' of UP) graduate and a sister of a UP BS ME (Mechanical Engineering) graduate, I felt the pressure of living up to my family's standards. I wanted to pass UP because my mom and my brother were both UP graduates. I felt that it was a family tradition to pass UP. With that being my inspiration, I took up review courses at MSA (which, by the way, was required by my school) and at AHEAD REVIEW CENTER (one of THE BEST review centers in the Philippines). After those sessions, I reviewed, reviewed, and reviewed. That summer was the summer of no TV. It was all about academics. And most of all, I prayed. All these information and knowledge is worthless without the guidance of God.
I took the UPCAT on August 4, 2013, which was a Sunday, in the afternoon. During lunch, I BARELY ate a single grain of rice because my stomach was LITERALLY in knots. I was super nervous.
My experience of the exam was not what I expected. Apparently, the exam itself was super easy. Heck, the exercises we were made to answer in review class were ten times harder than the exam. My mistake? I overestimated math and underestimated science. The math part was easy, it's just the basic fundamentals of algebra, geometry, and trig. The science part, however, was the back breaker. Things like lime stone and some chemical reactions were present and honestly, this was the part that drained my energy.
UP Manila was my dream school, and yes, (by God's grace, hardcore studying, AND nights of crying), I was able to pass. BUT, I didn't pass the course I wanted. Heads up, it's called DPWS or Degree Program With Available Slot. This means you have successfully passed the UPCAT but not the courses you applied too. BOO. I suck :( The course that was assigned to me was pretty good, but not my type. Plus, my mom was worried about the flooding in Manila. Only a little pour of rain and the streets will be filled with water. Soo... Bye bye UP :(
TIPS:
THIS IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE UPCAT.
UP Diliman
UP Manila
University of the Philippines
The problem here is NOT the exam... It's the number of competitors. UP only accepts the top 15%. Even if you get a high score on your UPCAT but others scored WAY higher than you, sorry to say, but you won't make the cut.
I studied A LOT for the UPCAT. Trust me, there were many times I didn't want to, and I know you will to. But whenever you feel that, ask yourself this... Is my future worth sacrificing for the joys and pleasures of today? If you answer yes, then go ahead, slack off. If you answer no, you'll know what to do.
Being the daughter of a UP BS BAA (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy, one of the 'super quota courses' of UP) graduate and a sister of a UP BS ME (Mechanical Engineering) graduate, I felt the pressure of living up to my family's standards. I wanted to pass UP because my mom and my brother were both UP graduates. I felt that it was a family tradition to pass UP. With that being my inspiration, I took up review courses at MSA (which, by the way, was required by my school) and at AHEAD REVIEW CENTER (one of THE BEST review centers in the Philippines). After those sessions, I reviewed, reviewed, and reviewed. That summer was the summer of no TV. It was all about academics. And most of all, I prayed. All these information and knowledge is worthless without the guidance of God.
I took the UPCAT on August 4, 2013, which was a Sunday, in the afternoon. During lunch, I BARELY ate a single grain of rice because my stomach was LITERALLY in knots. I was super nervous.
My experience of the exam was not what I expected. Apparently, the exam itself was super easy. Heck, the exercises we were made to answer in review class were ten times harder than the exam. My mistake? I overestimated math and underestimated science. The math part was easy, it's just the basic fundamentals of algebra, geometry, and trig. The science part, however, was the back breaker. Things like lime stone and some chemical reactions were present and honestly, this was the part that drained my energy.
UP Manila was my dream school, and yes, (by God's grace, hardcore studying, AND nights of crying), I was able to pass. BUT, I didn't pass the course I wanted. Heads up, it's called DPWS or Degree Program With Available Slot. This means you have successfully passed the UPCAT but not the courses you applied too. BOO. I suck :( The course that was assigned to me was pretty good, but not my type. Plus, my mom was worried about the flooding in Manila. Only a little pour of rain and the streets will be filled with water. Soo... Bye bye UP :(
TIPS:
- If you are not too tight on money, invest and attend review classes. I, once again, highly recommend AHEAD REVIEW CENTER. They will be holding a final round of classes every Saturday. P.S. They really REALLY help.
- Pass your UPCAT Application Form on time. The deadline is on JUNE 24, 2014. If, however, your school holds a batch processing, you may need to pass it earlier.
- On your exam day, leave your house at LEAST two hours. Expect heavy traffic since there will be four sessions (Saturday AM, Saturday PM, Sunday AM, Sunday PM). It is better to be super early than being late for the test. Remember, college is the real world. THE REAL WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE.
- Wear clothes you are comfortable in. But try avoiding high heeled shoes. Seriously. Imagine this, you are on your way to, let's say, UP Diliman to take the UPCAT, and you are right in front of the Oblation statue and your building is waaaaaay on the other side of the campus. Unfortunately, the traffic is at a stand still and you only have 20 minutes until the exam starts. What do you do? My answer? RUN. If it calls for you to run, you run. So don't wear high heels in case this situation might happen.
- Bring snacks. You are allowed to eat during the exam. And if you finish a subsection pretty early, you have some free time. You cannot go to the next subsection until everyone is through. During my time, I had brought snacks, but I never ate them since I was busy reviewing my answers
- Bring LOTS of extra pencils. It's a time saver... You don't need to pause and sharpen your pencil. If you had a bunch of pencils, you would just simply swap your dull pencil with a sharpened one.
- Bring things like a jacket, a hand fan, and a watch. Why the jacket? You'll never know if your building is air conditioned. Same with the fan. You'll never know if your building is NOT air conditioned. Unless you have an insider. The watch is to help you with pace yourself. Time management is a huge deal when it comes to exams.
- When you completely do not know an answer, LEAVE IT BLANK. DO NOT GUESS. Remember, the UPCAT follows a RIGHT MINUS WRONG grading system. BLANK ANSWERS ARE NOT COUNTED AS WRONG ANSWERS. For instance, you are taking a ten item quiz. You know the answer to seven of the questions. If you randomly guess the three questions and you get them wrong, your final score will be four. If however you leave them blank, your final score will be seven.
- REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW. Now is not too late to review for the UPCAT. If, however, you decide to review on the week of the exam, then, it is too late.
- PRAY. All your hard work will be in vain if you dont ask guidance from the Big Guy. Remember, He gives to those who ask. Luke 11:9 "Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened unto you.
So good luck, future Iskos and Iskas! See you soon on the other side of Katipunan!
I hope you guys found this article interesting and helpful. The article on the ACET (Ateneo College Entrance Test) will be up soon. Feel free to ask about anything.
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