A mix of emotions flooded the University of the Philippines (UP)- Manila where the face-to-face College Admission Test (UPCAT) started on Saturday, June 3.
When UP decided to lighten the health precautions to bring back the pre-pandemic tradition, thousands of aspirants hoped and took the qualifying test which is a critical requirement to enter its prestigious campuses.
As day one of UPCAT kicked off, examinees encountered a long line before entering their examination hall.
Various pre-examination rituals could be seen from the students – some are having a last-minute review using phones, and others are calming themselves by listening to music – as they wait for their turn to take the test.
Students' preparation for UP's pre-assessment
A student applicant from Adamson University shared his preparation and narrated his effort as he stepped on the challenging test of UPCAT.
"First of all, nag-search po talaga ako sa Google and all, nag hanap po talaga ako ng mga tips at nag mock exam din po ako (First of all, I really did my research on Google, and looked for some tips, and I also tried mock exam)," he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
"To make sure din po, kasi di ako sure sa sarili ko, nag enroll din po ako sa review center (To make sure, I also enrolled myself in a review center)," he added.
Another student from the same school also shared her practices to ready herself for the upcoming examination.
“Ang ginawa ko po, to train myself is nagtanong din po ako sa mga friends ng ate ko na UPCAT passers din po, ano yung mga ginawa nila (I asked my sister's friends who were UPCAT passers for some tips on how they made it),” she told the Manila Bulletin in an interview.
She also researched reviewers accessible on the internet and enrolled in a review center to heighten the possibility of passing the test.
A mother's hope, support
Flordeliza Abe, 42, traveled from San Mateo, Rizal, to accompany her daughter who was among the UPCAT applicants.
Abe, who was one of the parents waiting outside UP Manila, was overwhelmed with joy as she hoped her child would pass the examination.
“Yung pakiramdam ko, masaya tas excited (What I felt is happiness and excitement,)” she said.
“Kasi sabi ko nga sa anak ko, nag-effort na tayo, nandito na tayo, bigay mo na yung 101 percent mo (As I said to my daughter, we efforted for this, we are already here, give your 101 percent).”
Abe also shared the conversation with her daughter regarding taking the UPCAT examination.
"Ikaw ang mag-decide hindi ako, kasi kaming magulang, support lang ang amin, (You should be the one to decide, not me, because we, the parents, are just here to support)," she said in an interview.
“Dapat yung gusto mo, yun ang masunod, Kami, andito lang kami para mag support, (What you should be always be prioritized and we are just here to support you,” Abe told her daughter.
She also shared that whatever the result of the exams, there is always a next time to fight again.
“Negative, positive wala naman tayo magagawa, go ulit, laban ulit sa susunod! [negative, positive we have nothing to do about it, we should go again, and fight again for the next (opportunity)]," Abe added.
Before taking the UPCAT, applicants were told not to "cheat" and to be aware of every requirement needed. Also, they were instructed to "at all times observe minimum public health standards."
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/2/first-ever-in-person-upcat-since-2020-to-be-administered-on-june-3-4
Over 100,000 students were expected to take the UPCAT in various testing centers nationwide.
Of this number, at least 37,000 were scheduled to take the examination at the UP campus in Diliman, Quezon City.
The remaining 70,000 UPCAT applicants were scheduled to take their exams at 102 different UP branches across the country. (Rhowen Del Rosario and Sonny Daanoy)
IN PHOTOS:
Students scheduled to take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) queue outside their designated test buildings at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City on June 3, 2023.
The UPCAT 2024 marks the first in-person college entrance test since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. A total of 104,071 students are expected to take part in UPCAT for the academic year 2024. (Courtesy of Enrique Bejar)
