UPCAT Tips

So, I've just learned last week that the UPCAT will be on August 2-3 already, since the university has prepared for it already. As usual, large banners of college names are scattered around the campus.

The University of the Philippines College Admission Test or UPCAT is the entrance examination to the Philippines' premiere university. Gatheirng around sixty to eighty thousand of fourth year students nationwide, aspiring to be enrolled in the institution.

I'm not a genius or a master in examination taking but here's hoping that my entry can help you gear up for the exam. I am also an aspirant of the privilege before, I have put the aspiration into reality so I would like to share some thoughts you might want to know which could help you pass the exam.

Probably, most of the passers depended on stored knowledge. If you're the digest-all-the-information-you-can-get type in your highschool years, then you are definitely going to pass the UPCAT.

Never ever skip a question! There is always a possibility that it's right rather than leaving it blank, getting an automatic negative score for that question.

Do not overreview. In short, do not stress yourself out before the examination; Don't stress, don't panic! Be confident that you know everything (attacks, techniques etc.). The UPCAT is a six-hour examination. Your future depends on it. Let yourself be stressed in answering the exam rather than be stressed preparing for it.

Get enough sleep and meal before taking the exam.

Also, take your time. Use the alloted time to answer all that's needed to be answered.

To slack off some time and haggardness, familiarize yourself with the testing center days before the exams so as to know how you can be comfortable at the date of the exam.

The first part of the examination is Language Proficiency.

For the grammar part, read the sentences carefully. Answer it with the best answer possible. If you're done answering it, do not repeat the options in your mind. It might confuse you more.

For the synonyms and antonyms part, be observant with the way they are used in the sentence. Be observant with the spellings and the prefixes or suffixes too.

There is also analogy and identifying errors part in the exam.

The second part of the examination is Reading Comprehension.

My only tip is for you to read the questions first so that you will know what you need to look for in the essay. Then, read the article as fast as you can. By this approach, you would be able to understand the article more and answer right away what's needed. Remember that this part requires lots of time to finish.

In the Mathematics part:

Solve each problem carefully and accurately. If you can't answer a problem, it's better to leave it first and answer them when you have more time in the latter part of the mathematics alloted time. If you don't have any more time to answer those that you left blank, read them again and let your common sense do the work. Sometimes, you can deduct the answers by just sheer logic.

Some of the problems I encountered are basic trigonometry, algebra, and work problems.

In the Science part:

Most of the questions are from biology and chemistry. The questions in physics are much of tools and mechanisms. If you are applying for an engineering course, you should really know what gears and pinions and such, looks like. There's a bit of earth science and physics too.


So, there. I hope you prepared well enough to pass the UPCAT. I am sure that lots of this guidelines would really help you in the exam.

Cheers and I hope to see your name on the passers' list come January 2009! God Bless UPCAT 2008 takers!