TAMING THE UP-CAT
I saw a number of high school students a while ago, looking (as expected) confused and (honestly) lost, while doing my spontaneous photo walk. It was such a sight to see some of them holding their own maps. It would have been good to take some photos of them but that won`t make anyone smarter. Yeah.
I took my UPCAT at MMSU Batac (an hour away from home) and I only saw my testing area minutes before my examination. How great a student I was! I only depended with my father and my friend`s navigating skills who both claimed they knew where it was. The fun part about this is that, my friend and I had the examination at 6:30 AM.
UPCAT, like all the other examinations, is timed. Meaning, there is a time for starting and then another one for ending. Proctors are around to do their thing.. but don`t fret. There will be too many of you taking the examination that they won`t notice you going back or peeking on the other parts. Just do it carefully. Haha.
UPCAT, unlike all the other examinations, is right minus wrong. I have friends who did not take the risk of acquiring 0.25 reduction and it worked for some of them. I was among the brave ones who filled all those circles.. because I believe you will never know your luck unless you try. And it would make me panic to see more blank circles than shaded ones! Especially on the Mathematics part! Hahaha.
Speaking of Math, which is the most exciting part of the examination.. I had a blast with it! Sure, my scratch paper was close to neat. Thanks to pretentious solutions that were not even asked. Haha. What will I solve when I don`t even know the equation for the problems? Instead of sulking about my hopeless case and withdrawing from it, I devised my own solution to my obvious problem with numbers. Surely, I couldn`t brag about choosing the best answer. Not for me. What I did was.. *drum rolls* I took things according to face value. I opted for the answers that looked like something my teacher would write on the board. Or those that seemed familiar. Not that I am telling that it`s the best thing to do, I mean, if you can solve, better solve them! But I`m talking about it because it worked for me.. and the percentage I got for Mathematics was so much higher than expected. Or maybe I just prayed a lot. Haha.
Here`s something I strongly suggest: DO NOT READ EVERYTHING IN THE READING COMPREHENSION. It will eat a lot of precious time. I think it would be better if you read the questions first and then look for what is being asked in the article. It will confuse you less.
I won`t preach about how to ace UPCAT because I also don`t know how to do so. But here`s the greatest secret I know of.. you will only get the chance to tame the UP-CAT once, tame it like it has always been yours.
Positive thinking, yadda yadda. That`s it. Clear your mind from anxieties and it will work its own magic. Enjoy. What I like most about my UPCAT experience is that I enjoyed it a lot.. and I was able to do it while eating apples and cupcakes. And not to forget, trying to act as if I were not going back and peeking into some numbers!
I attended reviews sessions but most of the time, I was busy chatting with my seatmate. I reviewed the day before the examination, went to the church and slept early. But those, I think, are the little parts about it. What happens during the examination matter the most.
So for those who will be taking the examination tomorrow, break a leg and enjoy because the UP-CAT doesn`t purr.. it RAWRS. After all, UP is like a walk in the park.. the Jurassic Park, that is. RAWR.
