Anonymous said,

“hi po! i’m a grade 12 student and i’m interested in applying for ust, are there any tips po for taking ustet? thank you po! :) ”

henlo! i’m happy that you asked, anon, because i’ve been meaning to make a
post about the whole “paano na ‘to, mag-eexam na ako para sa college” experience for a while now. binigyan mo ako ng opportunity to share my own #roadtoraymund’s2019. i hope that this helps!  ★~(◠ω◕✿)

- i applied to 4 universities, namely: de la salle university (DLSU), ateneo de manila university (ADMU), university of the philippines (UP), and university of santo tomas (UST)!
- i passed the exams of DLSU, ADMU, and UST. ‘di ako umabot sa target grade ng UPD, so ‘di na ako umasa pa.
- i went to a review center in pasig from july-august 2018. my experience was positive, and upped my scores on exams that i didn’t think that i would pass! (ang saya mag-review center, promise!)

1. check the university’s office of admissions website for the schedule of application. in UST’s case, there are 3 application periods, and sometimes a 4th in january of the following year (2020 in this scenario). you may choose which period of submission you will follow, and submit your requirements within the timeframe given.
1.5.  strictly follow the application period that you picked. i cannot stress this enough! alam kong mag-eexam ka sa binansagang “school of ghosters”, pero ‘wag mo naman iwanan sa ere ng 2 buwan yung pag-aapply dito. hindi dapat ghino-ghost ang pag-aapply kasi univ ‘yan. 
2. make sure that you have complete requirements. UST does not accept follow-up submissions of missing requirements. additionally, you are not required to present yourself in person to submit the requirements; you must submit them via LBC courier. (this takes 3-5 working days!)
3. follow all of the steps outlined on the website. UST carefully details every step of the process and guides you through it. hindi ka naman papabayaan ng UST. yie.
4. remember your login info. you will be logging in and out of your account throughout the application process. you will also need this to access your test results. type it down on notes, handwrite it, or have google save it on your saved passwords. kung yung mga math formula nakakalimutan mo, at least hindi mo limot yung info sa univ account mo. lose-win.

1. review center. if you can afford a review center, i encourage that you enroll in one! they refresh your memory on topics from junior high school that may have slipped your mind, and teach some senior high lessons that aren’t taught to your strand (ex: chemistry, biology, business & oral communication, etc)! plug ko lang yung review masters, sobrang effective ng mga methods nila sa pagturo at pag-refresh ng memory.
2. self-review. if you are reviewing on your own, i don’t recommend going beyond 2 hours a day. think of it this way: pagod ka na nga galing ng school, tapos uunahin mo yung pag-review kesa sa pagpapahinga. tama ba ‘yun? 
2.5. pomodoro timer. when i reviewed on my own outside of review classes, i used the pomodoro technique. you set up your timer for 15 minutes and review/study/work. after those 15 minutes, you are given a 5 minute break to do whatever you wish. after that break, you go back to 15 minutes of that-thing-you-need-to-do-asap. then a break. then again. and again. this is repeated 4 times and after the 4th round, you are treated to a 15 minute break! it’s a nice, easy way to manage your time and tasks by delegating them into chunks of time instead of the other way around. i find myself to be more productive utilizing this technique!
3. having a study checklist. when i started reviewing for exams, i was lost on what i needed to touch up on. kung maghahanap ka kay kumareng google, marami kang matatantanan na listahan para sa review mo!
4. mindset. you must be positive about the outcome of your future exam. you attract what you think about, therefore think about passing the exam! negative thoughts lower your self-esteem. with a lowered self-esteem, you won’t be confident with your answers. if you’re not confident with your answers, your chances of passing will be lowered, and so on. basta, believe in yourself, more power, ganon.
5. exam hall. scout for the building that you will be taking the exam in beforehand. at UST, the buildings are far from each other, some with roads in between. it is a big campus, and it’s easy to get lost. tsaka, maghanap ka na rin ng kasabay mong mag-exam, baka magkakaroon ka pa ng bagong kaibigan!

1. bring only what you need. don’t bring a chunky pencil case because you think that you’ll break your pencil 5 times. chances are, you won’t. tsaka, ang hirap magbitbit ng gamit na hindi naman kailangan. 
2. most important: bring a jacket. UST has very frigid classrooms, and these are reserved as testing halls for people who will take the USTET. (note: nagsuot kasi ako ng bakuna sleeve na blouse nung exam ko. ‘yun tuloy, sobrang regret ko na hindi ako nakapagdala ng jacket.)
3. follow your proctor’s instructions. you will be arranged alphabetically, but don’t expect to arrange yourselves. bale, si proctor yung magaayos sa inyo, hehe. the proctor will guide you through the entire exam.
4. subtests. the USTET has 4 subtests, namely: iq, english, math, science.
4.1. be strategic. take 3 pass-throughs while taking the exam: 1st - easy questions, 2nd - okay questions, 3rd - hard questions. it saves you time, and won’t leave you stuck on one question for 10 minutes.
4.2. avoid re-answering questions. this is a mistake a lot of people make when taking entrance exams, which is double-checking their answers. chances are, your first answer is already correct. going back to change it lessens your chances of passing by a lot more than you think. 
4.3. avoid looking around the room. this counts as cheating.
4.4. don’t try to use a codigo. it’s useless, it’s stupid, it’s unprofessional. papasok ka ng univ dahil deserve mong pumasok ‘dun, ang paggamit ng kodigo sa entrance exam ay sobrang labag sa kalooban ng values ng UST.
5. timing. the exam is timed, and you must follow the designated timeslot that corresponds to the subtest that you are taking. kunwari, 45 minutes sa math, edi 45 minutes lang talaga yung test na ‘yun. walang extension.
5.5. wear a watch. there will be a clock on the wall, but you need to refrain from looking up at it. looking down at your wrist is better than craning your neck up to look at the time.
6. bathroom breaks. time your bathroom breaks! don’t “go because i feel like i want to”, go when you absolutely NEED to. i only took 1 bathroom break in the 3-5 hours of the exam, after i finished its entirety. sinigurado ko muna na tapos na ako bago ako pumunta sa banyo kasi sagabal ‘din yung habang nasa CR ka, nag-iisip ka na may sasagutin ka pa ‘dun sa papel mo.
7. ‘wag mag-stress! katulad ng reviewing stage, your thoughts influence your actions. if you think that you’ll fail, chances are, you will. (pero papasa ka, i’m sure. yie.)

1. while waiting for january 28, keep your mind off of the exam. tapos na ‘yun, nasagutan mo na ‘yun. na kay Lord na lahat yung mga desisyon, at ginawa mo na ang lahat ng makakaya mo.
2. whatever the result is, be proud of yourself! sumikap ka para sa resulta na ‘yan, hindi mo dapat ‘yan ikahiya. 
3. see you soon! you can find me at raymund’s. 

sana nakatulong naman ‘to, anon! share-share mo rin ‘to sa mga kaibigan mong mag-eexam sa USTe, para may confidence boost kayo! thank you for giving me the opportunity to write about this, even though it took a while. see you soon, tiger! ＼（○＾ω＾○）／