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Iskolar ng Bayan hopefuls gather outside their designated buildings in UP Diliman for this year’s UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) on June 3, 2023. A total of 104,071 students are set to take the exams, the first in-person college admission test of the university since the COVID-19 pandemic. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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ABS-CBN News Intern

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172309947039520230603-upcat-up-diliman-MT-12.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Students line up for the UP College Admission Test on June 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Students line up for the UP College Admission Test on June 3, 2023. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA — This weekend, thousands of students will troop to testing centers nationwide to take one of the toughest entrance exams in the country.</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">This year&#x27;s University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) is set for August 10 to 11. This is the second time UPCAT will be conducted since the COVID pandemic in 2020.</span></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2024/8/7/-no-way-but-up-this-up-graduate-once-failed-upcat-but-she-fought-for-her-dreams-1930"></a><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2024/8/7/-no-way-but-up-this-up-graduate-once-failed-upcat-but-she-fought-for-her-dreams-1930">READ: &#x27;No way but UP&#x27;: This UP graduate once failed UPCAT but she fought for her dreams</a></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">UPCAT 2025 taker Vera Marie Lascano says she feels pressured as she</span><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"> has &quot;very little preparation&quot; for the exams. </span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">&quot;It is still difficult for me even now, especially in Math and Science,&quot; she said.</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To help UPCAT takers like Lascano, previous passers gave tips on how to ace the exams.</span></div><p>* Make sure to review well and be confident in yourself.</p><p>* Practice and know how to manage time. Take mock exams to practice answering questions quickly.</p><p>* Get plenty of sleep before the exam. Many UPCAT questions require you to read carefully and process information accurately. If you’re sleepy, you won’t be able to focus.</p><p>* Relax and don&#x27;t be too pressured. It is normal to be nervous but try to relax. It’s also good if you bring things that may comfort you.<br/><br/></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Meanwhile, review centers gave the following tips. </span></div><div><br/></div><p>* Visit the test center before the UPCAT so you won&#x27;t get lost on test day.</p><p>* Don&#x27;t study the night before the UPCAT.</p><p>* Make sure you bring snacks and eat during the exam. Avoid chips to prevent oily hands.</p><p>* Always read the instructions first.</p><p>* Answer the easy items first. You can always go back to the more difficult ones.</p><p>* Answer practice exams for 20 minutes every day.</p><p>* For Language Proficiency, read the choices first before reading the item that needs analysis. Master the subject-verb agreement as this will help answer the majority of the Language Proficiency subtest.</p><p>* For Mathematics and Science, master the fundamentals. It&#x27;s better to understand the concept rather than memorize the formula. This helps you tackle problems even if you&#x27;re unfamiliar with the formula. If you know the concept, no problem is difficult.</p><p>* Know the concept, then practice, then repeat.</p><p>* Make sure to eliminate choices. If you can eliminate two choices, you can guess. If not, do not attempt.</p><div><br/></div><p>Filipinos tend to believe superstitions or <em>pamahiin</em> to pass exams — these beliefs have been passed through generations and have never been lost among Filipinos.</p><p>UPCAT passers Myreen Loto and Mark Jhodenz Buan shared their experiences with various superstitions they once followed. </p><p>Among these are sleeping with a reviewer or a book under one’s pillow, wearing red underwear for good luck, putting coins inside shoes, and not looking back after taking the examination.</p><p>A review center also highlighted some common myths such as having one&#x27;s pencil sharpened by an intelligent person, avoiding photos with UP’s Oblation statue, and the misconception about the test&#x27;s scoring system.</p><p>Passers said they did these practices not because they strongly believed in them but because there was nothing wrong with doing them.</p><p>&quot;It may not have contributed to how I passed the UPCAT, but it added confidence and a positive mindset, which is a good thing when taking the test,&quot; Buan said.</p><p>There might be nothing to lose from these beliefs, but perseverance and enough preparation are always the keys to passing any exam.</p><div><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Before proceeding to your assigned testing centers, make sure to bring all the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/DmR7fYY4o7QN1xWo/?mibextid=WC7FNe" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">requirements needed</span></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> including a printed test permit, and the applicant’s recent school ID or any government-issued ID with a photo. </span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">For more tips and information visit </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TentensAcademy/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Tenten&#x27;s Academy</span></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> and </span><a href="http://www.upcatreview.com" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Review Masters</span></a>.</p><p><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To know your designated testing venues, see the complete list here: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/CwciwJdLQvPjfWpT/?mibextid=WC7FNe" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">114 UPCAT 2025 testing venues</span></a>.</p>

<p>Thousands of students will troop to testing centers nationwide this weekend to take one of the toughest entrance exams in the country. Here are some tips from passers and review centers to secure your spot at UP.</p>

Thousands of students will troop to testing centers nationwide this weekend to take one of the toughest entrance exams in the country. Here are some tips from passers and review centers to secure your spot at UP.

UPCAT 2025 tips: How to ace University of the Philippines entrance test

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UPCAT 2025 tips: How to ace University of the Philippines entrance test

ABS-CBN News Intern,

Acel Fernando,

Sophia Montiano,

and Arianne Villarmil

Published Aug 08, 2024 03:04 PM PHT

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