It is usually the case that when it is the final week before the finals quarterly exams, it is expected that work be increasingly difficult. Surprisingly, I did not encounter too much difficulty. That is probably because the teachers are saving the hardest work to come right before the exams.
With that out of the way, I would like to offer advice to those who plan to leave MIT during their next year. It is the norm that students start studying for college at the end of their third year. I myself do not plan yet to go anywhere. However, if plans change I would like to have a choice. Knowing that I will still take exams for various universities around the country. (Except UP. There is no way I can possibly pass that.)
Here we go:
Before we start I would like to thank my relatives for their sage advice.
First and foremost- Do not underestimate any exam.
my cousin applied to five different schools, even if a couple of these did not have the courses he really wanted. College admission here in the Philippines in highly selective and extremely competitive now- you’re up against tens of thousands of students in all the exams you take. Give each exam your best shot, treat it like it were the deciding exam to your dream school. Results a few months later may surprise you, and you’ll feel a lot better knowing that you tried your best in every test you took.
Study and review for the exam.
It is recomended that you Enroll yourself at a review center or find yourself a personal tutor
· This is not completely necessary, but serves as an excellent confidence booster. The summer before your senior year will probably be composed of daily review classes (tip: don’t review with your friends so you’re forced to focus) where you’ll basically be refreshed on everything you learned in high school. Inquire early (February) about the programs at review centers to gauge their varying strengths and weaknesses. Many of my friends recommend LSC for their books, Expert Guides for their super comprehensive lectures, or MSA or Ahead for their test-taking tips. Some people did not go to a review center and was happy with just studying in a small group with a tutor. Those small neighborhood review centers can be very good as well- choose one that best suits your learning style.
Invest in review materials and mock tests then sit down and answer them as if you were actually taking the exam.
· From the results, you’ll be able to see where you need to do more work- if you’re a slow reader, brush up on reading comprehension, or if you’re like me and math isn’t your best friend, keep practicing solving problems in high school math (arithmetic, algebra, geometry and basic trigonometry) so that you’ll be an expert by the exam.
Get sufficient sleep and eat before the exam.
Most people underestimate the value of this- but believe me, it’s extremely difficult to take a test when you’re just dying to crawl back into bed or run to the nearest Mcdonalds to grab a Happy Meal. Even if your exam is early in the morning, make sure to eat breakfast and get a full night’s sleep. If you’re extremely anxious about the exam the night before, try reading a book (Yet another tip: Don’t review the night before!) until you fall asleep.
On the day of the exam, make you you have everything (even everyone) you need with you.
Stock up on Mongol number twos (All the exams, from the UPCAT to the USTET require number twos, with the exception of the UA&P entrance exam- to make sure, check your admission slip the night before!) and have a trusty eraser with you during the exam. It also helps if you have maybe a little good luck charm or your favorite giant sharpener with you- anything that will help ease the tension. Also, it helps sometimes to bring a parent or sibling with you, someone who’ll be there to cheer for you as you walk into the building, and someone to vent to right after the exam.
During the exam, don’t hestitate to skip a number and just go back to it.
An important thing to remember about these entrance exams is that time will always be a major factor. A smart friend of mine breezes through the numbers by skipping those he’s not sure of and just writing them down on his scratch paper so he’ll remember to go back to them later. The time pressure is worst for some entrance exams - in one exam, there is a part which you actually have to complete in under five minutes. It’s completely possible to complete this, as long as you learn how to pace yourself. Some other college entrance exams (the DLSUCET for example) are right minus wrong. For every number you get wrong, .25 or one fourth of a point is deducted from your correct answers. Does that mean you shouldn’t guess? Not exactly. The smart thing to do would be to eliminate the choices- if you’re left with only two to choose from, it’s best to guess. There’ll always be a 50% chance that you’ve guessed correctly
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