The Bookworm's Haven

Sa wakas may humingi rin ng tips. LOL. Thanks for the question. :)

I’m going to DLSU-Manila for college, although I qualified for UPD and passed the ACET.

UPCAT muna, since ito ang kadalasang target ng mga estudyante.

1.) What will get you into UP is the University Predicted Grade (UPG). Some UP campuses like UP Diliman and UP Manila have a higher UPG cut-off.  The UPG consists of 40% of High School Weighted Average (your grades during the first three years of high school) and 60% of UPCAT performance. It was a good thing I had enough sense to study hard during the first three years of high school while almost half the classroom populace was like: “Bahala na, sa Fourth Year nalang ako mag-aayos. Mag-eenjoy muna ako ngayon.” Alas, they were mistaken! If you’re one of them, SCREAM NOW! LOL. Just kidding. Fear not for there’s still a remaining 60%. Just do well in the exam itself.

2.) There are two main sections in the UPCAT: a Quantitative Test (science and mathematics) section and a Verbal Test (English, Filipino and comprehension skills). 

3.) UPCAT has an essay writing section. Polish your essay writing skills and be ready for weird questions! Last year the question I got is this: Suppose you witnessed an alien landing on earth, what would you do and what would you tell the alien? Narrate your story.

4.) UPCAT has time pressure. Don’t waste your precious minutes on thinking over a hard question. Strike the easier questions first then go for the harder ones afterwards.

5.) “Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted…other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity.” When translated in the UPCAT sense: If your knowledge is insufficient, your motivation weak, your physical body not in good condition, your fellow examinees will leave you hanging down the trail with the other failed students. Remember, it’s the ranking that matters – how your score compare to the scores of other students.

6.) Study with strategy. Merely memorizing won’t work – you need to understand the concepts. But it’s a different case with math because you surely need to memorize the formulas. One good tip I read is to just memorize one formula and derive others. For the English section, one tip is to READ A LOT. The more you read, the more unfamiliar words you will know. Again, don’t memorize the meaning of these words – use these words in your daily conversation or in writing so it will be easily imprinted in your mind.

7.) “Fake it till you make it.” Always think that you can do it. Believe me, positive thinking and a good mindset will definitely help you make it through the UPCAT successfully.

8.) Avada Kedavra coffee and junk foods!  Don’t make the mistake of drinking coffee and eating junk foods during the exam day. It will just disorient your brain. Eat chocolate for it can stimulate your brain. Aside from that, healthy foods are also desirable for breakfast.

9.) “Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and CONQUER, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is FOREKNOWLEDGE.” Now you have this so called foreknowledge. I hope you’ll use this knowledge wisely and strategically for the coming UPCAT.

(Tips were taken from my “UPCAT Master Plan” essay titled “The Art of Conquering the UPCAT”. http://www.brain-train.com.ph/blog/36-the-art-of-conquering-the-upcat-essay-entry-10 © Brain Train)

Ateneo College Entrance Test (ACET)

1.) ACET has a killer time pressure. Imagine answering 25 questions in five minutes!!! Heck, I almost died in answering the ACET.

2.) Review your Math lessons. Trig. Geometry. Algebra.

3.) Enrich your vocabulary and enhance your grammar. Chances are there would be 100 items for the English proficiency part and you would be required to answer all of those and write an essay about a certain word in just an hour. I wasn’t able to answer a couple of questions. I was desperate so I trusted the power of C and the shotgun method. But I don’t recommend doing that. LOL. Just answer quickly without sacrificing  accuracy.

4.) There is an abstract reasoning section. 25 items in five minutes too. Find practice tests so you will be used to finding patterns and stuff.

De La Salle University – College Admission Test (DLSU-CAT)

1.) There is no essay! Hooray. But who knows, they might include an essay portion next academic year. :P

2.) Some questions are assorted. One question is about Math, the next vocabulary, and then abstract reasoning. But I found this quite interesting and fun.

3.) Study your Science lessons. Bio. Chem. Physics. Last year they have a question about the parts of a flower. Good thing I was able to read it in my Brain Train manual while I was in the bus.

4.) There are general info questions. No need to review for this. Don’t attempt to review because it would be futile. General info covers a wide range of topics. If I am not mistaken, there was a question last year about Charles Dickens. I don’t remember if it’s in the ACET or DLSU-CAT. Good thing I’m a bookworm so I knew the answer is Charles Dickens. XD

University of Sto. Tomas Entrance Test (USTET)

Sorry, I didn’t take the exam. My classmates said it was easy. They even said the Math part WAS REALLY EASY that our classmate who’s good in Math might have gotten a perfect score in the Math section. XD

But a lot of students don’t pass the USTET. Why? It doesn’t matter if you passed the exam if you didn’t qualify for your 1^st choice and 2^nd choice course. If you didn’t qualify for both you’d be marked as FAILED. Saklap.

Hope this will help you. Do your best in the exams. :)

-Mia

P.S. You’re attending review classes at Brain Train right? Use the review classes and the manual to your advantage.