awesome advice. thanks to whoever did this. it helped a lot. wish me luck on tomorrow’s exam. :D

by Lucas on Increasing your Chances of Passing the USTET

10 Less Known Facts about the UPCAT

By admin Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
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Every year, thousands upon thousands of wide eyed high school students hurl themselves against the formidable barrier guarding their entrance to the premier university in the Philippines – the UPCAT.  Some come armed to the teeth with tons of stock knowledge and an impressive high school record, some come armed with an UPCAT review and practical experience tucked under their belts, while some come with only the clothes on their backs, a pencil and a feeble prayer to the gods of mercy.

Regardless of their preparations, most students arrive in their designated UPCAT testing centers with a vague, if not mythical idea about what they are really up against when taking the UPCAT and in an age where information itself is a potent weapon, one that can give you an edge over more than 70,000 UPCAT takers all over the country [of which only about 10,000 gets into the University], knowing these 10 little less known facts about the UPCAT or more specifically admission into UP, can literally make or break you dream of getting through the gauntlet of UP admissions.

1.   UPCAT Passing Rates

The national passing rate for the UPCAT stands at more or less 16%.  This means that of the 70,000 students who annually take the exam, only about 10,000 make it through.  Not so surprising you might say, but consider the fact that the passing rate of students in the NCR is only about 12.15% as compared to 19.64% of the students taking the UPCAT in the provinces. [based on studies of UPCAT 05-06]

This is an interesting fact in itself considering the fact that UPCAT Review Centers are mostly concentrated in the NCR [ if UPCAT reviews are really really effective, then why is the NCR’s passing rate even lower than the passing rate of the provinces?]

2.  Public Vs.  Private High schools

Interesting too, is the fact that students from the public schools have a much higher passing rate than students attending private schools in our country.  Statistics shows that public high schools have a 23.87% UPCAT passing rate as compared to a measly 12.57% of private high schools.  So you will have 10% more chance of passing the UPCAT if you have attended a public high school rather than a private high school.

3.  The UPG vs UPCAT

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the UPCAT score but the UPG score [University Predicted Grade] that gets you in the University of the Philippines.  The UPG is a more comprehensive measure of a student’s ability to make it through UP.  It takes into account your UPCAT score [60%], your high school grades [40%] as well as some socio-economic factors such as your parent’s income status, your province, your cultural background, etc.

4.  Quality vs.  Equity

As mentioned above, your UPCAT score will not be the only thing that will determine your acceptance into UP.  Quality vs. Equity factors in the UP admissions formula states that only 70% of the UPCAT passers will be taken from straight line UPCAT score ranking [ palugit and pabigat included ], the other 30% of UPCAT passers will be determined through the ranking of UPCAT scores of students from underrepresented areas and minority groups [slots are distributed relative to the 3rd year student population of that place compared to the total 3rd year population of all the underrepresented areas and minority groups].

So you see?  Students from underrepresented areas or minority groups are given more chances of making it to UP than regular students.  This is so that UP can maintain its mandate of providing education to deserving students all over the Philippines regardless of their culture, income, province, etc.

5.  Palugit [ UPCAT bonus ]

A palugit, or an UPCAT bonus of 0.05% is also given to UPCAT takers coming from underrepresented provinces, public high schools, vocational high schools, etc.  note that this bonus is given regardless of what your economic status is [ the University assumes that the type of high school you attend is indicative of your economic status ]

6.  Pabigat [ UPCAT Penalty ]

Conversely, a pabigat or UPCAT penalty [0.05%] is also given to those students vying for a spot in a UP campus prioritizing local students for admissions.  An example of this is a student from the NCR vying for a spot in UP Visayas, this is to lessen the risk of local students losing slots and opportunities to study in UP to students from other provinces or big cities such as Manila who might use their admission to these lower UPG cut-off campuses as a jumping point towards UP Diliman or UP Manila.

7.  Campus Cut-Offs

The different UP campuses have different UPG cut-off requirements [ the minimum UPG you need to be considered admission to that particular campus].  This UPG cut-off requirement is based on the number of students who have indicated that particular campus as their first choice and the number of slots available in that campus.

As such, UP Manila and UP Diliman tend to have higher UPG cut-offs than the other UP campuses.  This means that your chances of passing the UPCAT decreases if your first choice of campus is either of these two and more so if both were listed in your first and second choice of UP campuses.

8.  No Shows

A considerable number of students who pass the UPCAT yearly elect not to enroll.  In fact, as much as 35% of UPCAT passers do not enroll in UP even though they have passed the UPCAT [ based on 04-05 UPCAT ].  This means that those on the waitlist [ students who have made the cut-off grade but did not get a slot ] can still hope to find themselves a slot in UP PROVIDED they are up to the legwork.

9.  UP Backdoors

Again, contrary to popular belief, the UPCAT isn’t the only way into UP.  Students can opt to take the Talent Determination Test of UP colleges such as the College of Fine Arts and Music, or the Varsity Application Program of the College of Human Kinetics and still get into UP even without taking or passing the UPCAT.

10.  Correct Minus [1/4] Wrong

If you still don’t know this by now, the UPCAT does not reward those who use guesswork as a method in passing exams.  This means that if you get 800 questions correctly in a 1000 question exam, your actual grade will be 800 [correct answers] – ¼ x 200 [incorrect answers] = 750.  This is on top of a multiple choice type of exam where the probability of you guessing the correct answer for each item is only 20-25%.  Regardless,  the benefits of making an educated guess outweighs the cost of leaving the item blank (as discussed in one of the comments below).:)

Related Posts

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  2. UPCAT Reviewer / Sample Quiz: Diction and Vocabulary
  3. UPCAT Sample Questions: Syntax and Mechanics
  4. Online UPCAT Review Scholarship from Review Masters
  5. Free UPCAT Review: UPCAMP by UP IE Club
  6. U.P. UPG Cut-Off Scores and Reconsideration
  7. BS Physical Therapy: Career Outlook and Global Demand
  8. Increasing Your Chances of Passing the Philippine Science High School Entrance Test
  9. UPCAT Result: Degree Course with Available Slot
  10. How to Increase your Chances of Passing the UPCAT
  11. UPCAT Tip: What is the University Predicted Grade
  12. UPCAT 101: Basic Facts about the UPCAT
  13. You UPG and Your UPCAT Score
  14. Choosing your UPCAT Review Center: A Practical Guide
  15. Will Choosing a “Non-Quota” Course Increase my Chances of Passing the UPCAT?

Tags: UPCAT, UPCAT cheats, UPCAT Questions, UPCAT Tips

72 Responses to “10 Less Known Facts about the UPCAT”

  1. christian

    hmmm.. i have a serious question that i vigorously want an answer to.. uhmm.. how many students are ‘chosen’ for the course Business Administration and Accountancy? since now, i keep on pondering if i will ever get a chance for UPD because my mom told me that even if i pass the UPCAT, but I didn’t pass the quota for BAA, I shant study there.. :(( pls help.. and pls tell me what’s the rate of passing, thNKS

    #7826
  2. Karen

    I want to enter MBB. Eh, dba quota course po yan? I’m planning to pick Sports Science as my first choice instead. If ever I’ll get a high score in UPCAT, is there a chance for me to have a slot in MBB? Given that MBB is not in my choices. Thank you!

    #7273
  3. aries

    good day!

    your articles are really great!

    btw. im an incoming senior student and is planning to take the UPCAT. uhmm.. ask ko lang po, if hindi po ako makapasa sa upcat..possible po ba na makapag transfer po ako sa UP after a year on another college? if possible, what are the requirements? Am i going to take the UPCAT again?
    Thanks! and more power!

    #6744
    • Hi! You may transfer to UP if you have taken at least 33 units of college credit (so that’s after at least 1 year in another university), provided that your GWA (General Weighted Average) is 2.0 or better (but the college you will transfer to has the final say on the applicable GWA cut-off) and as long as the UP college/department you wish to enroll in has slots available. Transferees are accepted only in the first semester, and transfer applicants don’t need to take an entrance test. Acceptance depends on the competition since the college/department will rank transfer applicants according to their GWA.

      #7077
  4. carlos

    Hi! I’m one of those who passed upcat for ay 2011 – 2012. It wasn’t easy tlga.. lalo na kung hindi nag review kasi hindi na afford [:
    Tanong ko lang po, pano ko po malalaman ang UPCAT grades ko? ung po kasing mga classmates ko na hindi pumasa may letter po sila na may grades nila, pero sakin po wla pong napadala..
    I’d appreciate it if you’d give some answers. THANKS!

    #5390
    • Hi Carlos! You can request your UPCAT grades after 1 year. However, I’m sure you’ll agree that not knowing your UPCAT grades immediately is really just a minor issue, right? :)Anyway, congratulations! You’ll love UP, really.

      #5680
  5. mark

    sir, pasado ako ng upcat. Balak ko sanang mag-shift from baguio (social sciences) to diliman (political science) how shall i do that? Thanks!

    #5016
  6. freedom

    anu pu ba ung possible jobs for SocSci Maj in Histo UPCAT passer po?

    #4858
    • History majors can work in the academe, in publishing (specializing in history or academic text) and anywhere else where your social science background will be useful. You can work in government or work with NGOs and advocacy groups. You can work in museums, libraries, etc. You can even work in totally unrelated fields – as long as you distinguish yourself in college, you should not find it hard to start a career afterwards.

      #4882
  7. kris

    Hi!

    I am wondering if I can still take the Talent Determination Test in UP Diliman for B Fine Arts even though I haven’t written it as one of my choices when I applied for application.

    #4840
    • Hi Kris! I advise you to contact the UP College of Fine Arts (CFA) as soon as possible to see if you may take the TDT now as a beginning freshman even if you did not choose the course in your UPCAT application. I assume you passed the UPCAT?

      An alternative: If CFA does not let you into the Bachelor of Fine Arts program now, you may still go to UP Diliman, take up your original course in your freshman year and shift to Bachelor of Fine Arts CFA in your second year.

      Here’s a helpful resource: http://up-cfa.com/programs/ (this is the UP CFA website). Just click on any of the clickable links on the left side of the page to get information on application procedures (even forms).

      #4891
  8. AMP

    Good day! I just want to ask kung kailangan ko pumasa sa UPCAT para makapasok sa UP Certificate in Theatre Arts (Performance)? Thanks!

    #4715
    • Nope, you don’t need to be an UPCAT qualifier to apply for a slot in the UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters’ Certificate in Theater Arts program. Here’s the link to the UP CAL website that contains helpful info: http://kal.upd.edu.ph/page.php?p=89

      #4904
  9. kennedy

    hmm…grabe..gusto ko po talaga mag-aral sa UP…tanong lang po..kapag po ba nag take ka na ng UPCAT bawal na po kumuha ng Talent Determination Test of UP colleges ? reply po :D

    #3267
  10. Math_Simon

    this post really makes you feel good if you passed the UPCAT and most especially if you are studying in UP. haha. ^^

    #3104
  11. Yssa

    Hello. Mag-aask po sana ako about sa course. Is Speech Language Pathology a good choice of course to take up?

    #1196
  12. earkenmor bonito

    which is better mag-guess na lang sa upcat or leave it blank?

    #1174
  13. Bobo

    Thank you for the effort and time spent on this article; it is very informative and encouraging.

    Though I must say, there are quite a number of grammatical errors here and there. Like “irregardless”, that is double negative, my friend.

    Well, irrelevant statements aside, this has been very helpful. I’ll be sure to show this to some of my friends who are taking the UPCAT. Hopefully this will help them pass. :)

    #1162
  14. Samantha

    Very helpful article. :)I am interested in enrolling at CAL, (Coll. of art and letters), I want to take theater arts but I am already enrolled in college, what are the transferee requirements? What should I prepare for? Am I required to take UPCAT again? Thank you :)

    #1130
  15. jen

    hmmm anong course po ba ang mas maganda at mas madaling makahanap ng trabaho in the future?tourism or broadcast communiv=cation?nalilito poh kasi ako.. thanks :)

    #1111
  16. reema

    i just wanna ask something, non-quota course po ba yung TOURISM? BUSINESS ECONOMICS? d po kasi ako makapagdecide for my second choice eh, and i find it hard kc Business Administration&Accountancy ung frst choice ko. And, after my first year, I want to shift to BUs.Ad&Accountancy. But I cant decide bout my sencond choice. I dont know KUNG ANOM MAS BETTER AND MADALING IPASA? tourism? or Business Economics? thanks po

    d ko po alam kung ano yung non quota sa knila ..

    #1000
    • Hi Reema,

      UP no longer differentiates between quota and non-quota courses. Thus, we can no longer make specific course recommendations. In the past, though, Tourism was a non-quota course while Business Economics was a quota course.

      #1017
  17. Primo

    pwede po bang mag intarmed kahit ung 1st campus choice mo ay UP diliman?

    #997
    • Yes, you may get into the INTARMED program whichever UP campus you choose and eventually pass.

      However, in your UPCAT application, you should indicate (or should have indicated if you’re already set to take this year’s UPCAT) that you are interested in entering the accelerated program leading to medicine (i.e. you should answer or should have answered Yes to question 9 in UPCAT Form 1). The top 50 male and 50 female UPCAT passers who have indicated interest in the INTARMED program will be considered. These 100 qualifiers will be screened further (an interview is one of the steps in this process). In the end, only 40 (20 males and 20 females) will be accepted in the INTARMED program.

      #1016
  18. carlos

    hello po, thanks po for this info.. makakatulong talga to.. may i ask some questions, if an item is left unanswered po, will it be considered wrong?. if yes, then its better to have a guess than to leave it blank… like you said, its a good technique to go for a course that is not ‘well known’ or not in ‘demand’. if i shift, what are the requirements, maiiwan din po ba ako sa talakayan.. or mabebehind po ba ako?.. sa UP po ba meron ung pag di mo nameet ung grade for a subject, may manyayari..or whatevas.. lol.. this august 2010 po ako mageexam and wish nyo po makapasa..slamt..pls reply..

    #995
    • Hi Carlos,

      Whew, you have a lot of questions, but as we say at Academic-Clinic, bring it on, he he.

      First, we wish you God’s blessing and luck for your UPCAT in August. May you pass.

      Next, if an item is left blank, it is not marked wrong. Therefore, if there are 1,000 questions and you answered 950 (leaving 50 blank) and got 800 correct answers, your actual score would be 800 correct answers – [1/4 x 150 incorrect answers].

      Third, yes, it’s a good technique to go for less popular courses, but if you are confident, it’s still best to go with the course you actually like.

      Fourth, when you shift degree programs, your general elective subjects will still be counted but you’ll be a bit behind when it comes to the “majors” or program-specific subjects. In other words, you may have to stay in UP for one semester or two so you can take all the required subjects of your new degree program. You won’t actually be behind in class for you won’t be with your old classmates in taking up these major classes. You may be one of the oldest students in class, though (this is usually what happens to shiftees and transferees). To shift programs, you will need to have grades that are good enough for the college and the department where you wish to go. For specific requirements, you’ll have to ask the department and college in charge of the program or course to which you wish to shift.

      Fifth, in UP, 3 is the passing grade. To pass a specific subject, you need to get a 3. If you get a 5 (fail), you’ll have to retake that subject (if it’s a major subject or a required elective subject) or find a replacement subject (if it’s a general elective subject). If you are a scholar, however, you may have to aim for grades that are better than 3. Some scholarships require a minimum grade for each subject, while some require only a minimum grade point average.

      We hope this answer helps. Once again, good luck and God Bless sa UPCAT.

      #1015
      • carlos

        salamat po sa info, sensya narin po at madaming tanong, wala pa kasi talaga akong idea para sa college… at sa ngaun, di ko pa alam ang kukunin kong course, sa diliman po ba meron ang accounting?. kelangan ko pa ng isa, pede po ba kau mgsuggest, like ung sinabi nyong less popular courses, since kau ang nakakaalam.. salamat ulit..

        #1022
        • carlos

          accountancy should say* im cofused..grr.. so stupid..

          btw, i wanna go for UP diliman and UP LB, in diliman, i chose accounting,
          [BS Business Administration & Accountancy (5 yrs) 4043 ] is this the accountacy course in diliman?..correct me if i am wrong.. and maybe in LB i chose psychology.. not sure.. im so pathetic.. wth

          #1023
          • Hi Carlos,

            That’s right. That’s the accountancy course in UP Diliman. And what’s with all the gloom and doom? Cheer up, man!

            #1045
        • Hi Carlos,

          Here are some suggestions: BS Mining Engineering, BA Community Research, B Landscape Architecture, BA Anthropology. In the past, all these were non-quota courses, but we can’t say they’ve not gotten more popular since then – so no guarantees, ok?

          #1046
  19. Maj

    Anu-anong programs po ba ang may quota sa Peyups?

    And, tanong ko lang po, which is better: to take a BA or BS course?

    I’m an incoming senior student and I’m filling up my UPCAT application form today. Hirap talaga ‘pag undecided pa sa course.. :(

    #937
    • hi evans, UP says that the line between quota and non quota courses are already gone.

      if you want to play it safe though (more chances of passing the UPCAT), go for a course that is not ‘well known’ or not in ‘demand’. Library Science, mining engineering, geodetic engineering, social work and community development, etc. This is not to say these are inferior courses, there is just less awareness that these courses are available.

      My advice to you however is, choose a course that you are going to be comfortable with. Shifting courses in the middle of college is not that easy and you may have to catch up with some basic subjects – making your stay in the university longer that it should be. If you want, you can click like in the facebook fanpage button found near the bottom of this site. Maybe i can help you more if we can discuss it through the discussion section. Goodluck!

      #939
    • Hi Maj,

      Well, first things first. What are your interests? That can point you to the right direction. Next, do you want to get professional certification after graduation (a course with a board exam)? In that case, a BS course is more likely (but will not always) to lead to that. BS courses are just more discipline-focused (i.e. more field-focused), while BA courses are more general. You can also say BS courses are the domain of the hard sciences while BA courses are the domain of humanities courses.

      Hope this helps.

      #948
  20. mag ttry pa-lang sa UPCAT

    ung sa 1/4 right minus wrong is not counted to those questions that you will leave it blank??so kelangan tlga pla din ng intelligent guess hehe.hope it works :D
    hindi ako nag re2view center para sa darating na UPCAT 2010(sy.2011-2012).ika nga sariling sikap review ang gngawa q,sna sa 16% na pmpasa makasali ako, even though hnd aq high ranking in my HS years.i came from a pulic school in a engineering science education program o para pong sci-high..
    Godbless na lng po sa kin
    peo ika nga wag lng puro dasal,mag aral ka din haha:D

    #904
  21. nahjt.k

    nagpa-reconsider po ako sa uplb. pwede po bang mag-shift into another course after one semester?

    #828
  22. broadcasting_bukas

    i agree with batman. it is better to have an intelligent guess than to leave those items blank. one fourth lang ng math exam yung sigurado ko, shotgun na yung iba. pero ibang klaseng shot gun. dito mo dapat gamitin yung “odd one out”. may mga choices na halatang di yun yung correct answer.

    sa mga gustong mag-UP na first yr HS pa lang, wag na kayong umasa sa review centers. habang maaga pa, pataasin niyo na yung grades niyo kasi kasama nga di ba yun sa computation. marami rin akong kilalang nagbayad ng libu-libo sa review centers na nag-fail. meaning, sa yo talaga nakasalalay kung papasa ka o hindi.

    #795
  23. Trung Tuong

    It doess’t depend on school where you study..its up to the student on how he will shape his learning…

    #693
  24. angelica

    May I ask,what if the course assigned to me by the UPCAT (which was Agribusiness Management) was not one of my chosen courses (which were Nursing, Accountancy)? And there is (i think) no nursing course in UP los banos. What will I do to turn over to my desired course? Can I shift course after one year?

    #488
    • Ysaab

      Yes, the BSN program of UP is just offered in UP Manila, being the Health Sciences Center. Only 70 UPCAT passers are accepted every year. Dati rati you cannot shift into Nursing. But last year, they alloted 5 slots for shiftees from other UP campuses only. (Although this year I am not sure if CN will still accept shiftees.)

      If you did not pass Nursing through UPCAT, you cannot get into the program this year. If you really want UP Nursing, you’d have to enroll in the course you were assigned to and then get really really high grades (of course, there’s competition) and apply / shift course next year. Mahaba at madugong process ang shifting so be sure of your decisions.

      Sure ka ba gusto mo ang Nursing? Ako gusto ko nang mag-shift out the moment I entered my first class. Haha. Kidding. :P

      Hope this helped.

      #832
  25. ng-up_dahil_sa_isaw

    i’d have to agree with batman’s theory. guessing is actually more effective if done wisely. an intelligent guess, eliminating the obvious wrong choices and making a better guess in the end, is a better option than leaving an item blank. for a 100-item sample, assuming that 1 choice for every item is obviously wrong, there is a 33% chance to be correct (for an item with 4 choices, not considering variable change). the computation would now be: (100*0.33)-[(100*0.67)*0.25] and that’s about 16 pts. although this is purely statistics, i believe this works.

    but i passed UP without doing this technique. i was just too lazy to guess. besides, getting in UP might be difficult but it’s staying in UP and on the course you enrolled in that is a more difficult task. Kaya, good luck sa mga pumasa. passing the UPCAT was just a start. im just happy i’ve already succeeded in getting that bloody hell of a diploma. enjoy UP everyone.

    #474
  26. Rommel Bautista

    There are also other ways to enter UP Diliman without those rigorous exams. There is the UP IT Training Center, and the UP Institute for Small Scale Industries. You can still receive a certificate with the UP logo that is authentic. In case of UP ITTC, its one year experience going in and out of the campus and experience parading in the Christmas Lantern Parade, participating in the UP Fair or watch the oblation run.

    In the bigger picture, your work experience and self-selling skills (in case no work experience, ability to showcase himself) is the key to get a nice job during the interviews.

    #429
  27. eufems

    I think trying to guess would be rewarding if you answer in doubt when you feel the other three choices are probably not the right answer…

    #424
  28. onyxx

    i wish i had access to this informative post before i had taken the UPCAT. i did pass (private school, outside NCR) but it felt like i was doing things blindly. at any rate, like many exam takers (35%, really?) i opted to study somewhere else. it felt good to know i was able to hurdle this test though.

    #423
    • @Onyxx

      Congratulations! I understand how you feel. Passing the UPCAT even if you choose not to study in UP is definitely an accomplishment. Be sure to tell your schoolmates and younger friends about Academic-Clinic.com so they will not feel as you did – “doing things blindly” – when their turn comes. :)Thanks for visiting!

      #437
  29. nakapasa sa upcat!

    Regarding the 1/4 right minus wrong rule:

    whichever calculation it may use, it is still best to guess if you don’t know the answer.

    If you get one correct guess, that will give you one point. a wrong guess is equivalent to .25, so if you get one correct guess, it gives you chance for four more guesses, and so on.

    #422
  30. cyberman

    i think another option of getting through in UP is through transfer. If you didn’t make it in UPCAT, you can study from other schools on your 1st year and just transfer to UP afterwards.

    #421
  31. qwertyu

    wahhh….kampante pa naman ako sa UPCAT….matataas kase HS grades ko eh…kala ko pa naman mahahatak ako nun…by the way…thanks for the info…

    and to Batman: i think wala namang correction…what the post is trying to say is that you have 800 correct answers…Therefore, 200 items are wrong…..

    #420
  32. concerned

    It’s nice to be informed with this kind of posts but do not think too much about this. This is an FYI(for your information) only so you’ll know what kind of strategy you’ll do in preparing for UPCAT.

    #418
    • @concerned,

      You’re right about that. We did not have this kind of resource when we took the UPCAT. Academic-Clinic.com is just here to clarify and help – no more, no less.

      #442
  33. mommy g.

    wow, that’s why i did not pass, and i was the first one in my clan (my father is the eldest in his family) who took UPCAT; while my classmates whose siblings or parent were from UP passed. kung alam ko lang to, ginaya ko style nila to choose yung walang quota as first choice, then UP los banos pa, while they all resided in NCR then! meaning, their elders passed on these tips to my classmates. whew! i’ll enroll my boys to public high schools after graduating from private elementary schools. we’re from the region, and it’s true public education in provinces are better than in NCR. And i actually based that from my friends whose children finished high school in a populated but the best public high school in our town.

    #417
  34. mya

    parang feeling ko ang galing ko dahil pumasa ako and am now a proud alumna?

    #416
  35. prince cruz

    There is something problematic with the way you compare the passing rates and the accompanying side note “if UPCAT reviews are really really effective, then why is the NCR’s passing rate even lower than the passing rate of the provinces?”

    Although the passing rates give you one side of the story, the absolute number of passers will give you another side. In this case, as compared to the over-all student population, more students in NCR take the UPCAT. Although I do not have the numbers, I think it is safe to assume that the denominator for NCR is bigger given the formula: Passing rate = (passers/ exam takers)*100. The idea is that in the provinces only those with a relatively higher chances of passing will take the UPCAT given the cost and distance from test centers. On the other hand, these constraints are not so high for students in NCR.

    The same can be said about passing rates between private and public schools. Hence, it will aslo be helpful to provide the percentage of passers coming from public vs private schools, then compare this to the ratio of public school exam takers to private school examinees.

    #414
  36. Oinky

    Naku, sinasabi ko sa inyo mapapariwara lang kayo sa UP. Har har har

    #413
  37. kelsey

    diba sa UPCAT if you dont answer the item its not counted in your total score naman?
    Which is the point of the 25% penalty for wrong guesswork.
    Sometimes, better to not even answer the item kung di mo sure sagot mo.

    I passed UP and I answered only 1/4 of the science items and 1/2 of the math items.
    Your call. :)

    #412
  38. natatakot na kumuha ng upcat

    Nakakatakot naman ang post na ito. Feeling ko tuloy hindi ako papasa. At maling mali ang sinulat ko sa aking Application form. Parang hinang-hina na ako. Naku!Ano na kaya gagawin ko?

    #392
    • Jane Garfield

      Agree ako! XD Pero, we’ll do it! Wala akong proof doon, but saying that is enough. Just think na you’re not the only one na mahihirapan sa UPCAT. Good luck! XD

      #863
  39. Batman

    I think you made a mistake in no. 10. It’s not actually 800 – 1/4 of 200=750. We should consider that during the exam, there are items that you are sure with and those that you don’t know. Assuming that you’re sure with the 800 items out of 1000, you still have 200 items. Once you leave this blank, that’s an automatic zero for the remaining 200 items. But once you guess in the remaining 200, you can still maximize your score. Out of those 200 items, you have a 20-25% chance of getting some correctly (even higher once you cancel out impossible answers). Once you guess the 200 items, you will get a baseline of more or less 50 points out of those 200. One fourth of the incorrect 150 items is 37. 50 – 37= 13 points. Out of 200 guessed items, you can still squeeze 13 points and that’s just the baseline! If you eliminate at least 1 out of the 4 possible answers(excluding the math test, where this is almost impossible), that’s already 33%. Applying the same algorithm, you’ll get a baseline of 32 points out of 200 guessed answers. 32 points goes a long way especially in the UPCAT where the competition is tight. Therefore, it is better to guess (by the word guess, i mean guessing while using your head) in the UPCAT! Correct me if I’m wrong. This does not apply to other CATs since only 1/4 of the incorrect items is deducted in the UPCAT.

    #244
    • Robin

      Hm. Actually. The example in the article said, “if you got 800 items correctly.” And if you answered everything and got 800 items correctly, then that would automatically mean that you made 200 mistakes on your test. :)The article didn’t say 800 items you were sure of. :)

      #1214

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