How To Pass UPCAT (And Other CETs)

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PASSING CETs IS A BIG DEAL


I'm compelled to write this blog article because I want to help other people pass their dream school entrance test. Whether it be UP, ADMU, DLSU, UST, or any other university, getting that sweet letter of acceptance is a memorable experience any one can ever have. Yes, not to brag, but I passed three of the big four universities (I didn't take UST) so ya'll can take an advice or two from yours truly - without further ado:


"The Big Four"


Keep reading for links on helpful reviewers :)



Here's the ABSOLUTE TRUTH:

1. UNDERSTAND, DON'T MEMORIZE

You have to understand the lesson and not just memorize word-per-word your CET reviewer. When you memorize, instead of understanding the lesson, you put yourself at risk of forgetting what you've memorized when the test day comes - most especially when you already feel anxious and stressed. Again: UNDERSTAND, DON'T MEMORIZE.


Just in Case, Here's a Few More TIPS:

2. LEARN THE BASICS

Yes, you've memorized the trigonometric identities and the process of photosynthesis, but do you know what the graph of sin(x) looks like? Or how thylakoids help the photosynthetic process? Learning the absolute basics can help you through that "what the hell" moments especially when the answer looks complicated (when in truth you can just apply PEMDAS or plug-in the value of y). 

btw, here's what the graph of sin(x) looks like


3. KNOW YOUR (TIME) LIMIT(S)

 Time is absolutely essential. Don't waste your precious minutes on one item alone. If you can't do it then skip it. If it takes too much time then skip it (then come back to it later when you have the spare time). Being fast AND accurate is the best tactic to go, so plan beforehand your tactic on answering items. Which brings me to:

Time is Important: Make the Most out of it

3.1 ANSWER BY SOLVING/KNOWLEDGE

That's your vanilla technique on answering questions, you either solve the damned equation or answer based on your knowledge about it - no biggie. 

3.2 ANSWER BY REVERSE ENGINEERING

Truth be told, I've done this before (and on UPCAT). This is when you answer the item by going through the choices. This is often the case in math where you have no idea how to solve the problem but instead you plug in the choices one-by-one to see which equates to that satisfying zero. Do this when you have spare time (because it takes a long time to substitute each choice). I don't recommend this but it's your choice really. 


 4. TO REVIEW CENTER OR NOT TO REVIEW CENTER
I'm not going to give you the bullsh*t but here's the truth: STEM people does have an edge in CETs, most especially in UPCAT; by extension this also means that students who study in science high schools have an even bigger edge than the average Juan. 

I'm not going to lie but that's the reason why I chose to enroll in a review center. I felt like I wasn't really prepared if I'd go to war without the proper weapons. I did what I had to do and it really helped me refresh specific math and science lessons that I had passively listened to back in junior high school. 

Again it's really up to you: If you think you can manage to study solo, then it's your call. If you're convinced that you need the extra helping hand then you just have to study hard and answer the worksheets the review center gave you seriously.


 5. BUY SOME SIMULATION EXAM BOOKS AND TIME YOURSELF

Self-explanatory: do yourself a favor and buy some MSA books to practice on. (Don't forget to time yourself when you answer)

My Reviewers

Get A Pocket CET Reviewer Notebook - Notice the notebook with the field notes label? Yup, that's my on-the-go-reviewer. It contains the absolute essentials from physics formulas to math vedic techniques. It'll help you review on-the-go or when you have some spare time to skim through the pages.

MSA Online Store: https://onlinestore.msainstitute.com/


 5. MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FREE TIME AND WEEKENDS.
I know it's hard to study on the weekends but you really have to take CETs seriously if you want to get in your dream university. I'm not saying that you should say no to the occasional galas or out-of-town-escapades, all I'm saying is that while you're at the beach, why not refresh on some high school algebra? You really have to spend every second of your free time wisely. 

We went to Gen San for the weekend (around August) and
it didn't stop me from bringing my CETs binder notebook



Here's What You Need to Know:

READING COMPREHENSION and LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

This part takes the most brain power because you have to be all-analytical about the selection. Here's some tips and tricks in answering this portion:

1. SKIM 

No one likes to read the whole 2-to-3-pager selection and answer at least one to three questions. Learn how to effectively (and accurately) skim through pertinent information. So read as fast and as accurate as humanly possible.

Skimming: In A Nutshell


2. QUESTIONS FIRST 

Read the questions first because they might be as simple as 1-2-3. More often than not the questions are as simple as:
  • "The underlined word in paragraph 2 is synonymous (or opposite) to the word _______"
  • "According to the selection, the main cause of the X event is ____________"
  • "The purpose of the author is to ____________ the audience. (persuade/entertain etc)"
  • "The selection is an example of a/an ______________."
  • "The statement in paragraph 2 is an example of what figure of speech?"
  • "The series in paragraph 2 is an example of _____________. (exemplification/causation etc.)"

3. BRUSH UP ON VOCABULARY

You might think it's as simple as reading the dictionary. No. Brushing up on your vocabulary means that you also have to know the meaning and use of the word. Try to read articles on the internet or something similar, it helps most especially in dire situations when you have to infer information based on the words of the selection.


4. GRAMMAR IS IMPORTANT

(at least it is when you want to pass college entrance exams) When I say grammar, i mean the whole shebang:

Verb Tenses
  • Noun-Antecedent Agreement
  • Noun-Pronoun Agreement
  • Correct use of Adverbs and order of adjectives
  • SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT - almost all "find the error" questions involve a wrong subject-verb agreement
  • Difference between possessives and contractions (Its versus It's)
  • Difference between "Ng" and "Nang"
  • Basta gramatika ng wikang Filipino

MATHEMATICS

Don't give up just yet! Math can be easy if you practice. That's why I recommend answering multiple worksheets when reviewing. From what I experienced last UPCAT, here is a list of what to expect:

Conic Sections
  • Conic Sections
  • Work Problems 
  • Uphill-Downhill Problems
  • Basic to Intermediate Geometry (angle relationships, areas and perimeters, diagonals)
  • Circles (ACET is particularly fond of circles, geometry, and work problems)
  • Conic sections
  • Algebra (important)
  • Quadratic and Linear eqs.
  • Trigonometry (and identities)
* Don't forget to double check your answers most especially when you have the spare time to do so. 

SCIENCE

The science portion of UPCAT doesn't really dive in the calculation stuff. Instead, the portion focuses primarily on analyzing and interpreting graphs and data. So you have to be intuitive and analytical in this part. But of course, you still have to study the basic scientific principles to interpret the graphs/data accurately:

Tide Graph Example
  • Life Science (biology, ecology)
  • Physics - reading acceleration/velocity/time graphs(they're not really into solving stuff but it helps to know how to solve stuff.) Also: sound, lights, thermodynamics, Newtonian physics
  • Geology - reading diagrams of rock cycles and "which part has the oldest rock?"
  • Baby Astronomy (tides, seasons, solar system, solar system phenomena)

LOGICAL REASONING

I dunno... just answer it logically, i guess. (or practice answering at home. There's a lot of worksheets on the internet.)
Sample Problem



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ATENEO COLLEGE ENTRANCE TEST (ACET):

  • ACET is heavy on English (so study English grammar and vocabulary).
  • ACET has no Filipino and Science sub-test.
  • You have to submit a personal essay. (make it count) aside from that;
  • ACET has an essay portion. So practice your writing skills (coherence and cohesion). The essay portion typically asks you to explain in-depth a single word. When I took the test, the word was "Courage" so I have to write everything I knew about courage.
  • It's TIME PRESSURED. You literally have 40 minutes to answer a 110-item vocabulary sub-test. or something like that.
  • Prepare recommendation letters from your adviser/teacher(s).

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES COLLEGE ADMISSION TEST (UPCAT):


  • It's hard I have to admit; I even cried after because of the math sub-test.
  • BUT DON'T WORRY, the tuition's free if your hard work pays off.
  • Get a head-start on the application process. Don't slack around on the verge of the deadline of requirements. Remember: every one wants to study for free.
  • You can literally print the application form on both sides of the paper. Yes, other universities don't allow this but the Office of the Registrar actually likes when people print back-to-back. Don't believe me? I printed mine that way (following the advice of my brother who graduated at UP) and the student volunteer actually said "Sa wakas may nag-back-to-back na rin. thank you kuya ah." You know why he said that? because they waste a f*ck ton of staple wires by stapling one-sided forms back-to-back. ANYWAYS;
  • UP is big so go and familiarize yourself with the campus so you won't get lost during the big day. (The last thing you want to do is arrive late.)

"Any More Tips Other Than Studying Hard for UPCAT?"

  • WORK ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL GRADES - Your UPG (University Predicted Grade) is 60% UPCAT Score and 40% High School Grades (from Grade 9 to 11). Yes, you have to do your best to get that 60% in the UPCAT but it's always good to also get that other 40% so that the you have a higher chance of getting that acceptance letter.

"Is UPCAT Right Minus 1/4 Wrong? What Does It ALL MEAN?"

  • FOR STARTERS It means that there is a one-point deduction to your score for every four wrong answers you've committed. The real question is: "If I leave a question blank would it be deemed wrong?" The answer is NO. If you leave a number blank it wouldn't be counted as wrong. That's the technique in UPCAT (I guess). If you're REALLY sure about your answer (and how you solved it) then answer that sh*t up but if you're not sure then a) you risk of shotgunning it which means you have a 25% chance of getting the question right or b) you don't answer it move to questions you absolutely know how to answer.
  • WARNING: I'm not saying that you SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T DO IT. All I'm saying is to consider this "right-minus-wrong" rule in your tactics in answering UPCAT. 

"What's the Cut-off UPG?"

According to this post in Facebook back in 2012,
UPG Cut-Offs
Apparently, you can't appeal for reconsideration in UP Diliman. Worry Not! You can always put UPLB or UPB as your second choice so you can reconsider if you didn't pass the cut-off in UPD or UPM. 

"Will My Chances of Being Accepted Increase If I Choose A Non-Quota Course?"

Though luck, Bumpkin, because contrary to popular belief, all of the courses in UP are quota courses. Meaning, all degree programs are in-demand and have specific sub-test requirements.

So you really have to ace your UPCAT sub-test scores to have a higher chance of being accepted. I'm not exactly sure about the exact score but I think you have to score (on a minimum) 70 (or was it 80?) percent in each sub-test and not score lower than 50% to qualify. 

On the other hand, degree programs have quota sub-test scores where you must have an X% in Science and Y% in Math to qualify for the program you applied to. Failure to meet the quota sub-test scores of your degree program might land you in Degree Program with Available Slots (DPWAS) or Waitlisted.


"What's DPWAS?"

This means that you got into the campus you applied to but your score wasn't high enough to meet any of your degree program choices. For example, Juan got a UPG of 2.18 which means he qualified for acceptance in UP Diliman (2.2 UPG Cut-Off). However, since his UPG didn't meet the required UPG in his first course choice, which requires a UPG of 2.1, he won't be accepted in his first course choice but instead be moved to his second course choice (which at this point requires a UPG of 2.2)

DPWAS means Degree Program With Available Slots. It means that you got into your chosen course but due to the limited number of slots, you surely didn't make the cut. For example, Isko got a UPG of 1.9, which is higher than the UPG cut-off for degree program X (let's say the cut-off is 2.0). However, degree program X has only 25 available slots. If 25 other people got a higher UPG than Isko (say above 1.89), then Isko's chosen program will reflect a DPWAS status. 

*The UPGs mentioned are hypothetical, I don't really have any substantial evidence to say that the specific UPG course requirements are true - those are just hypotheticals.*


DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ENTRANCE TEST (DLSUCET):


  • The math sub-test is heavy on algebraic problems.
  • The test leans on RESEARCH-BASED KNOWLEDGE.
  • Learn how to solve work problems, to read the z table, to solve for the z-value.
  • The test is also focused on business maths. So learn stocks, bonds, investments, etc.
  • It's heavy on English too.

Last Article Update: 10 April 2020, Friday
Got Questions/Clarifications? Email me by answering the contact form on the home page :)

REVIEWERS:

THANK GOD FOR SPARKCHARTS REVIEWERS: 

*** PDF COPIES: It seems like I can't put PDF files here (or I don't know how to), nonetheless you can always email me for the soft copies. :)  OR you can access the PDF files with this link:  SparkCharts Reviewer

Yes, you heard me right, SparkCharts helped me A LOT so print these out and READ THEM:

First of All, Read this for some tips and tricks (for reviewing):

Algebra

Trigonometry

Biology

Organic Chemistry

Environmental Science