4 August 2008: TIPS FOR ACET
1 August 2008
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, DEAR YOUNG BOYS AND YOUNG GIRLS WHO WILL BE TAKING THE UPCAT TOMORROW AND ON SUNDAY! from your Tita Dine
24 July 2008
Hear ye, hear ye—all you 70,000 high school seniors who are taking the UPCAT come 2 and 3 August.
Here are some TIPS for UPCAT takers that I have gathered from my 3 sons who took the UPCAT (ACET, too), and passed: Angelo (in 1997), BA in 2005, and Vince (in 2007). I will just write them randomly, as was told to me by them boys who are now very busy with their own activities, Angelo with his successful online business and BA and Vince with their classes at UP (BA—BS Applied Physics and Vince—BS Business Admin).
FACTS (Given)
(1) Exam dates are 2 August (Saturday) and 3 August (Sunday)
(2) Even if there are 4 batches who will take the UPCAT in UP Diliman (2 Aug—morning and afternoon and 3 August—morning and afternoon), leakages won’t work. There are 4 different sets of exams.
(3) Exams are given in UP Diliman, and other identified provincial test centers
(4) Subjects: Math, English and Filipino Comprehension, Science (Bio, Chem, Physics, General)
(5) Your grades in 1st, 2nd and 3rd year high school count in the final scoring.
.
WEEKS BEFORE UPCAT DAY
(1) Ever heard of brain foods? fish, fruits, vegetables, dark chocolates, and water—good to eat them everyday, though, not only for UPCAT but for a good well-being.
(2) Review at least 2 weeks before the exams,
(3) Stop reviewing after after that—your brain aready has information overload. Unless you are used to cramming—do not cram. I am sure a lot of you will still do, despite this advice.
.
AT LEAST ONE DAY BEFORE UPCAT DAY:
(1) Know where your building is located (maybe, even go there for an inspection, and plan how to go there and be there on time. I have lived in the UP area for the past 15 years, and it has always been the same each year—traffic is real real bad. I just hope that the UP authorities have devised ways and means to alleviate this traffic on exam dates.
(2) Check if the building has air conditioning, so that you will know what clothes to wear. You must be ready for hot and humid days.
(3) RELAX, RELAX, RELAX (It’s not difficult you know). Some schools give the seniors 1 day off—on the Friday before UPCAT DATE.
(4) Sleep early, especially those scheduled in the morning (in Tagalog, huwag magpuyat)
(5) Set your alarm on time, and as contingency, your mom, dad, lola, lola, even yaya, to wake you up at the time you have set.
.
ON EXAM DAY
(1) Eat a complete breakfast—you need energy, and reserved energy
(2) Do not take coffee—to avoid having a caffeine rush, and thus, mental block
(3) Come early—you should have planned this (what time and how) at least on the day before the exams.
.
WHAT TO BRING:
(1) yourself, of course, in comfortable clothes, as some buildings are not airconditioned.
(2) your test permit (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
(3) your jacket (if you are assigned at the College of Economics and Engineering Theater, where I heard the temperature is almost near freezing point—an exaggeration).
(4) snacks and water (BA recalls that he was so envious of the other examinees who were enjoying their snacks while they were having their exams. He chose not to bring snacks).
(5) at least 2 Mongol #2 pencils (sharpened of course). sharpener and eraser
(6) your cellphone (turned off during the exams—common sense, as it could also be a cause of disqualification, kid!), it would come very handy before and after the exams.
(7) A watch. So you could keep track of how long you have left until the end of the exam.
THE UPCAT
(1) Follow instructions
(2) Manage your time well, and know how to answer the questions as fast as possible. Keep track of how many hour/s are given for each set of exam. Here, time is of the essence.
(3) Don’t be afraid to skip answers in the beginning. Answer the easy ones first and come back for the difficult ones, then continue answering, if possible, all of the questions. It’s risky both ways—to complete answering all the questions and not to complete answering them. The scoring formula is RIGHT MINUS 1/4 WRONG. While blanks do not count, if you guess an answer, the worse case scenario is that only 1/4 point is deducted, as against a full point if your answer is correct. BA and Vince remembered having answered all of the questions, leaving no blanks.
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AFTER THE UPCAT
Be ready to walk, at least within the UP Diliman Campus and the area within CP Garcia and Katipunan, as traffic is almost at a standstill, especially after the morning batch of examinees are on their way home and when the examinees of the afternoon batch are on their way to their test centers.
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When you feel that you failed the UPCAT, don’t fret—everybody else feels the same way.
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IF YOU HAVE TIPS TO SHARE, PLEASE DO SEND THEM THROUGH THE COMMENT BOX.
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Come back to this site in January 2009 for announcements of online posting of the UPCAT Results, details of posting of the list of successful and waitlisted examinees, observations, and updates, as the UPCAT website could be really congested. Last year almost 11,000 visitors viewed the article I posted, called 2008 UPCAT Results Now Available ONLINE.
DISCLAIMER: As I mentioned above, these are just tips and information I have gathered from my sons who took the UPCAT in 1997, 2005 and 2007. There may have been changes since then. Some of the facts may not be complete or may not be current anymore. In this world we move in, the only thing constant is change.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL, as the proctors always say, PRAY. PRAY HARD TO WHOEVER GOD YOU HAVE!
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45 responses so far ↓
Pearl // Jul 24, 2008 at 11:20 am
Hi,
Thanks a lot for your very helpful tips. My son will be taking the UPCAT on 2 August, and your tips will come in handy…
Pearl
julie // Jul 24, 2008 at 11:59 am
I have a student taking the UPCAT. I am nervous for him but he seems cool about it.
I have had some students from Sunny Hill who go to UP too.
Great tips, Dine
Fitz // Jul 24, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Take note that some questions can repeat themselves in the UPCAT exam, the first one written in English, the next same question rephrased in Tagalog. It was weird.
Anyway, it helps if you remember your answer to the previous one specially if it’s a Math question, it will save you time in doing the computations for the second question.
liz // Jul 25, 2008 at 3:38 am
one of our reviewers said in highschool: if you really really dont know the answer, answer C or D. there’s a higher chance of it being right. _ of course this is probably just superstition but at least there’s a 40% chance that it might be right. lol.
anyway, i was so nervous when i took the UPCAT! i really don’t know how i passed. the first thing that i told my mom when i got home is “Bagsak ako” and i even took the entrance exams in UST because i was sure that i wouldn’t make it to UP. but i did, and it’s true when they say that the hard part is getting in. staying is not as hard. getting out is doubly easier.
Mamie Ami // Jul 25, 2008 at 3:48 pm
It’s good to look for and understand the question first being digging into the statements especially in comprehension and math. Well, I took UPCAT in 1988 so I am not sure how it looks like now. Before, we had the Math first, so our brain was already tired solving problems, then they gave us English/ Reading comprehension. If one’s mind is not as alert or strong enough, one will not understand much of the suceeding questions. Hence the risk of failure increases.
That means that the UPCAT is not just about getting high scores per se. It was a test of one’s metal endurance which is really what a future UP student needs.
To UPCAT takers, REVIEW, KEEP COOL and PRAY
chiara // Jul 25, 2008 at 8:43 pm
http://chiunderscorecoks.multiply.com/journal/item/118/Multiple_Tips_for_the_ACET
chiara // Jul 25, 2008 at 8:45 pm
...and upcat is only one of the many ways of getting into up haha. pero xmpre mas cool pag nakapasa
emphasize on the pt lang na it’s REALLY, REALLY important na hindi magpuyat. in this case sleep > cramming since ano iccram mo? sobrang daming possible na lalabas, what are the chances na maaaral mo pa ung di mo pa naaral before? lalo na kung nagreview center ka or something
Greco // Jul 26, 2008 at 11:47 am
I took the UPCAT last year, and when I got to the car after the exam, I told my parents na bagsak na ko for sure. Well. For me (or at least the set), the hardest part was Math. I remember being annoyed by how my co-examinees had seemingly been having a good time on the part. Our prof in UP told us that UPCAT is meant to test the knowledge and skills from high school. It’s like anamnesis.
When confronted with seemingly complicated equations or problems, try not to answer first. Stare, observe. Most of the time, the complicated ones have the simplest answers or solutions.
A tip on multiple type questions: use the odd one out principle. (Of course, be logical and conclusive.)
Believe that you know what to do. It’s there. You just have to remember it. Dark chocolate works! Hehe. Be prepared to be saturated with literature, so practice rapid comprehensible reading.
Remember too that UPCAT is not the only deciding factor. Your high school grades also play a big part. Therefore, it should have been started right all along. I did not only pass UPCAT but also got into Intarmed. Hehe. So guys, savor the moment. However mind breaking the questions may be, at least you will also be there. XD
ianbr1193 // Jul 26, 2008 at 7:25 pm
yah! maam it helps i will take the UPCAT this Aug.2,2008 Sana makapasa po ako i will use and use it as aguidelines tnx po!!
ba // Jul 26, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Some tips for guessing on multiply choice type exams. I picked these up while studying in Ateneo High School, and of course, while trying to pass my UP subjects. Hehe.
1. If there are two opposite choices, most probably one of them is the answer. For example:
Notice that in this example, A and B are complete opposite choices. By deduction, the correct answer in this case is B.
2. If one choice is very long and comprehensive, most probably it’s the answer. For example:
In this case, the correct answer is C. Notice that it is much longer and much comprehensive compared to the other choices.
3. Eliminate, eliminate, eliminate. Pick which one you think is the least probable answer and eliminate it. Repeat until there’s only one answer left.
4. If it’s a math or physics question, plug-in the given values to whatever equation or formula you can remember. And then compare what you came up with to the choices. Although this can be problematic because sometimes even the makers of the exam test the possibilities (ie all the formulas you can think of will yield something that is in the choices).
5. For science questions, always use dimensional analysis. Check your units and your order of magnitudes, and see if these are logical and comparable to the choices given. Eliminate answers if possible. Sometimes just rounding off suffices in answer comparison. Also take note of givens that you can’t use. For example:
Use the formula (velocity)final= (velocity)initial + (acceleration)(time). First, round off the acceleration to 10m/s/s for easier multiplication. Since (velocity)initial=0 and (acceleration)(time)=(10m/s/s)(2s)=20m/s, your (velocity)final=20m/s. Looking at the choices, A and B are out (different dimensions), D is out (different order of magnitude). C is nearest to our rounded off computation. Thus, C is the most probable answer. In fact, it is the answer to this question. Notice the unused givens (5kg and 10m) in the question. These are actually just there to confuse you.
6. For a hard question (meaning, you’re not sure of which the answer really is) depending on how well you know the subject, sometimes your first guess is the right guess. I’ve had test papers wherein I erased my first and correct answers and replaced them with the wrong ones.
7. Don’t be afraid if you see patterns in your answers (ie, you have 4 consecutive Cs, then 3 consecutive Ds). Sometimes, obsessive compulsive people think that the pattern must be broken because the makers of the exam don’t want to follow patterns. For me, it’s the exam makers’ way of messing up with our minds. Have you had true or false quizzes wherein all the answers are all true, or all false? And when you see this, sometimes you answer a different one just because “it feels wrong” to have a perfect pattern or something. Be careful of these kinds of situations.
8. Choose your lucky letter if there’s really no more time to finish the test. You have a 25% chance of hitting one per question. It’s much better than trying to alternate answers and having less chances of hitting the correct one. Choose your weapon below:
“A is the way.”
“B is my baby.”
“C is the key.”
“D, don’t fail me.”
Chato // Jul 29, 2008 at 5:30 am
Oh no. Pressure. :)) Thanks Mom!
agot dumanas // Jul 29, 2008 at 5:41 pm
hi…Thanks for the tips..it will be very helpful i think…am going to have the exam this sat. and am soo nervous..is the average for Vet. Med. high?
Kara // Jul 29, 2008 at 9:08 pm
It’s really important to know what kind of environment you’ll be taking your test in. I took it in the college of economics and it was too cold. My fingers were already freezing that I had a hard time writing. Ahaha. I’m left handed and I asked the proctor for a left-handed chair. She just laughed at me though :)) Bring easy-to-eat snacks! I remember I was too pressured to eat anything but I was hungry so in between, I’d stuff 4 or 5 pieces of kisses chocolate inside my mouth. :))
don’t be nervous, panic is the enemy
france jul lee // Jul 30, 2008 at 4:51 pm
tnx 4 that..
for those who are planning to take the UPCAT,
follow the above mentioned tips..
go!!
kaya nten to!!
“no guts, no glory”
Rommel // Jul 30, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Here’s a post about UPCAT too! Tips galore!
Ryan Vergara // Jul 31, 2008 at 7:43 pm
may reviewer bah?? pls pki share nman oh..
ping // Jul 31, 2008 at 9:30 pm
wow. ty po. exam ko na sa saturday. 6:30am. gudluck saating lahat.
promdi // Aug 1, 2008 at 6:58 pm
right minus wrong ba?
Sexy Mom: Right minus 1/4 wrong daw.
changmin // Aug 1, 2008 at 7:38 pm
tnx for the very very useful tips!! =]
makakatulong po talaga ito.♥ good luck sa lahat ng mag-attain. actually, im one of them! sayang nga lang kc ngaun ko lng naicp nahanap tong site. huhu! well, thankful parin ako.=]=] gudluck sa ating lahat ulit..Allah bless!
_salaam!=]♥
mjay // Aug 1, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Thank you for the information… I’ll be taking the exams this Sunday and arghh it freaks me… :))
simply_me // Aug 2, 2008 at 5:47 pm
hello po.. hindi ko natapos exam ko kanina.. huhuhhu.. im so scared. i leave it all to god. gud luck!
metapooh // Aug 2, 2008 at 7:15 pm
wiieeehhh !!kttapus qu lng kmuha ng upcat.. haahaa ! tenks pu s mga pipol d2 pra s tips !
s mga mag eexam plang kaya nyu pu yan
just do your best and god will do the rest =p
eLa // Aug 2, 2008 at 7:20 pm
hi po! Mag e-exam po ako bukas, August 3, afternoon sched, UP baguio. thanks po for the very useful tips. sana matapos ko ang exam. good luck sa mga mag ta-take ng exam bukas!
simply_me // Aug 3, 2008 at 2:10 pm
im so worried talaga, natapos nyo ba exam nyo?
eLa // Aug 3, 2008 at 9:17 pm
hi
! natapos ko ung sa akin.:) buti nlng walang trigo at physics dun sa exam…
mikez // Aug 20, 2008 at 6:32 pm
tita can i bring scratch paper for the test??? (ACET)
mikez // Aug 22, 2008 at 6:42 pm
tHank yOu tiTa…
seven // Jan 17, 2009 at 1:50 pm
i just want to add.
before, during, and after the exam.
don’t forget to pray.
trust me! if your sincere and if it is for you, he’ll grant you your wishes! = )
thet // Mar 15, 2009 at 2:56 pm
i was a graduate of BS BA batch 2003. when I took UPCAT in 1998, i left quite a number of questions. all i know is that “right minus a fraction of mistakes”.. 1/4 pala yun! wala akong mai share na tips sa mga pinsan ang mga anak ng kaibigan ko sa ofis… this is a great help.
gurly // Apr 12, 2009 at 6:34 pm
hi
may i know if how many items are there in each subjects?
Leo // Jun 3, 2009 at 10:59 pm
hayy.. magtatake palang ako ngaung 1 and 2..
haha
jojo paje // Jun 9, 2009 at 10:13 am
ty
ang dali dali naman siguro ng test
WtF
It would be better if all of us suceed in this wrecked examination.
Arvin07 // Jun 18, 2009 at 7:32 pm
tnx po tita
Aspiring UP student po tlga aq eh .. hehe
really want to be part of UP ...
God bless po..
Gud luck sa aten lhat
Where to Find Answers for your UPCAT Questions | Academic-Clinic // Jul 2, 2009 at 2:07 pm
[...] have blogged about their experiences (or the experiences of people they know) with the UPCAT—Dine Racoma’s and Conrad Miguel’s blogs are two fine examples of [...]
john arnold mendoza // Jul 5, 2009 at 6:29 am
salamat maps
maraming matutulungan tong website mo!!keep up the good work
Tis the season for college entrance tests again (UPCAT and ACET Tips) | The D Spot // Jul 5, 2009 at 7:12 am
[...] For those of you who are looking for tips for UPCAT, you can go back to my previous post TIPS for UPCAT Takers (and ACET, too). Most of those tips were given by my 3 kids—Angelo, BA, and Vince who passed the UPCAT (one [...]
UPCAT Science Portion Tips and Strategies | Academic-Clinic // Jul 7, 2009 at 2:09 pm
[...] on http://answers.yahoo.com as well. Blogs, such as those written by folks like Dine Racona (dine.racoma.com.ph/school/tips-for-upcat-takers-acet-too/), can also provide plenty of good feedback regarding entrance exams. Be sure to check out the [...]
UPCAT Help: Resources for UPCAT Test Takers | Academic-Clinic // Jul 8, 2009 at 2:18 pm
[...] advice, too, such as Mukamo (www.mukamo.com/tips-for-upcat-takers/), Dine Racoma’s blog (dine.racoma.com.ph/school/tips-for-upcat-takers-acet-too/), Friendster UP communities, and of course the very blog you’re reading right [...]
angelica // Jul 17, 2009 at 3:59 pm
ahmm…ngaun pa lang poa ko magtetake august 1 and two..anu po bang subject yung mga dapat reviewhin..sa math po??and s science???
roland mendoza // Jul 18, 2009 at 10:50 pm
ill be taking upcat this coming august 2 2009 afternoon session po, kinakabahan tlga ako di ko alam gagawin, di ako makapag review dahil sa kind of environment meron ako i hope na yung mga nalalaman ko nbung high school e gumana and mababa din po mga averages ko nung 1st and 2nd year help here plssss
Mariega Der Guzman // Jul 24, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I’m sure your awesome tips will help me! Thank you po, Tita. :))
Claudine // Aug 1, 2009 at 5:11 am
tnx for the info
i’ll be taking the exam .. later
haha
morning
(:
mhiel // Aug 1, 2009 at 12:37 pm
thanks for the advice :))
Joan Marie Quitalig // Aug 1, 2009 at 8:12 pm
tNx po fOr thE advisE! I’m gOing to takE tHe UPCAT test tomorrow(august 2,2009). I’m nErvOus. I tHink I’m nOt prEpared! sayang ngayOn ko LAng po nabasa uNG mga Tips nYo! bUt It reaLLy heLp mE a LoT! tNx pO!
jelly // Jan 15, 2010 at 1:46 pm
hi….
ur tips are really true…nagulat ako nung nag take kmi ng exam—sobrang ginaw pala
!todo buhos pa ang ulan,,,haayy…ang masasabi ko lang sa mga kukuha….
.....
magdala kayo ng jacket
!
good luck sating lahat
sana makapasa tayo….XD
God bless
!!
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