How to Increase your Chances of Passing the UPCAT
Either you’re a ’sigurista’ or one who don’t want to take any chances or you think you’ve really really messed up your chances of getting into UP that you’re looking for a last minute divine intervention or inspiration that can catapult your lazy ass into this premier school. Either way, you’ve come to the right place or at least web address, while this post may not guarantee you passing the UPCAT, it will definitely help you in maximizing your chances of passing the UP entrance test, whether you’re one who still have time on your side or one taking the UPCAT this year.
Keep in mind though, 60% of your final grade or UPG will still rely on your UPCAT grade. 40% will rely on your highschool grades and an optional 0.05 bonus will rely on your socio-economic status so do keep your focus on the actual UPCAT exam!
If you’re one of those lucky ones who still have their whole highschool ahead of them and is gunning for a spot in UP, here are some things you can do to increase your chances of making it into UP:
Enroll in a Public Science High School
UP admissions system automatically assumes that your economic standing is relative to the type of high school you are attending. By enrolling in a public science highschool, not only do you get an extra 0.05% bonus in your UPG grade [by being poor], you also benefit from the higher UPCAT passing rates of these type of schools which is 23.87% and sometimes 99% [if you're lucky enough to qualify to Phisci, Masci and Quesci] compared to 12.57% of private high schools.
Enroll in a Provincial Public/Private High School
Enrolling in a Public or private high school in the province also increases the probability of you passing the UP entrance test, this is not only because of the 0.05% UPCAT UPG bonus given to students from some provinces, but also because of the fact that only 70% of the top ranking UPCAT takers all over the nation will be given admission to UP. The other 30% will be taken from the top ranking UPCAT takers from the provinces. So you see, UPCAT takers from the provinces can still vie for a spot in the 30% aside from the regular 70% while those in the NCR can only hope to get a spot in the top 70% of the UPCAT takers.
Moreover, passing rate for UPCAT takers coming from provincial private highschools is 19.64% which is more than 7% higher than the passing rate of UPCAT takers coming from private highschools in the NCR.
Maximize Your High School Grade
Since your highschool grade will comprise 40% of your final UPG or University Predicted Grade, make sure to graduate from highschool with flying colors taking special care of your math, English and science grades.
For those students who are only months away from the UPCAT, the above mentioned long term strategies may be closed. But fear not, there are still some tactics you can employ to increase your chances of making it to UP.
Note however that these are only best for those who feel that their chances of making the cut-off grade is 50/50 as these tactics may make your getting into your desired UP campus or course more complicated later on.
Choose A Low UPG Cut-Off Campus
Different UP campuses have different cut-off grades. Needless to say, choosing a UP campus with a lower cut-off grade when you file your application will increase your chances of getting into UP. [ UP Manila usually have the highest cut-off, followed by UP Diliman, then UP Los Banos]
Choose a Non Quota Course
Since a quota course will be much harder to get into [more competition and more stringent qualifications needed], it will be in your best interests to choose non quota courses for your course choices during the application period [this is if you are not sure you can compete with the other students for a slot in that course].
The less competition you have for a particular course, the more chances you’ll have of winning a slot in UP.
Enroll in a Good UPCAT Review Center
Of course, since your UPCAT score will comprise 60% of your total grade, it is wise to enroll in a UP entrance exam review class before the actual exam. This will help you review not only faster but smarter than if you review on your own. Of course, choosing a good UPCAT review center will also play a big part in increasing your chances of making it to the university. To know more about the basics of choosing a good UPCAT review center, click here.
When In Doubt, Leave it Blank
The UPCAT is a correct minus [1/4] wrong type of college entrance test. Because of this, it is better to leave some of your answers blank rather than guess incorrectly [75% - 80% probability] and be penalized for that mistake. For more multiple choice exam tips and strategies for college entrance exams, click here.
At the end of it all, only about 16% of UPCAT takers find their way into the University due to the rigidity of UP’s standards and the lack of available slots and you will have to fight tooth and nail if you really want to win a place in this premier University. So tip the odds in your favor, grab all the chances you can get AND for Your sake, study well.
ps. If you want to know about the 10 less known facts about the UPCAT, click here.
[...] In fact, this particular question gets asked too much that UP itself launched a study to investigate the matter. What it found out is the fact that, although UPCAT review classes raise the confidence and experience level of UPCAT takers, there is no conclusive evidence that enrolling in UP reviews or UPCAT review classes significantly increases the chances of a student actually passing the UPCAT. [...]