UPCAT cheat sheet

Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not with intervening prepositional phrases - "The list of items is long."

Verb tense sequence: a past-tense main clause normally takes a past or past-perfect subordinate clause, not a present perfect.

Pronoun case: after a preposition or as a direct object use the objective case (me, him, her, whom); as subject use nominative (I, he, she, who).

Dangling modifier rule: an introductory participial phrase must describe the subject of the main clause; otherwise rewrite the subject.

Filipino focus markers: ang marks the topic/actor, ng marks the object or possessor, sa marks direction, location, or beneficiary.

Filipino verbal focus: i- (object focus), -in (object focus), -an (location/direction focus), mag-/um- (actor focus); the affix determines which phrase takes ang.

Filipino ligature: -ng is attached to a preceding word ending in a vowel, na after a consonant (mabuting bata, mabait na bata).

Reduplication in Filipino marks plurality, intensity, or repetition: bahay-bahay (houses), dahan-dahan (slowly), araw-araw (every day).

Main idea is the claim the whole passage supports; a detail answers who/what/when/where, while the main idea answers what the author wants you to accept.

Inference must be licensed by the text: the correct choice is necessarily true given the passage, not merely plausible in real life.

Tone and attitude are signalled by word choice and connotation; classify as positive, negative, or neutral before choosing a specific label.

Transition words carry logic: however/but signal contrast, therefore/thus signal conclusion, moreover signal addition, for example signals illustration.

Scope check: an answer choice that is true but addresses only part of the question, or goes beyond the passage, is a distractor.

In Filipino passages, pay attention to markers of contrast (ngunit, subalit, datapuna) and of cause (dahil, sapagkat, kaya).

Author's purpose categories: to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to describe, or to compare; the purpose is broader than the topic.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep only the one that preserves the sentence's logic and tone.

Cell theory: all living things are made of cells, the cell is the basic unit of life, and cells arise from pre-existing cells.

Photosynthesis: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6O2, occurring in chloroplasts; cellular respiration reverses this in mitochondria.

Newton's laws: inertia (no net force means no change in motion), F = ma, and equal-and-opposite action-reaction pairs on different bodies.

Speed versus velocity: speed is a scalar magnitude, velocity is a vector; acceleration is any change in velocity, including direction change.

Atomic structure: atomic number = protons; mass number = protons + neutrons; isotopes differ in neutrons, ions differ in electrons.

pH scale: below 7 acidic, 7 neutral, above 7 basic; each unit represents a tenfold change in hydrogen-ion concentration.

Rock types: igneous forms from cooling magma or lava, sedimentary from compaction of deposits, metamorphic from heat and pressure.

Genetics: dominant alleles mask recessive ones; a cross of two heterozygotes (Aa × Aa) yields a 3:1 phenotype ratio and 1:2:1 genotype ratio.

Quadratic formula: for ax² + bx + c = 0, x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / 2a; the discriminant b² − 4ac gives two, one, or no real roots.

Slope of a line through (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) is (y2 − y1)/(x2 − x1); parallel lines share slope, perpendicular slopes multiply to −1.

Percent change = (new − old)/old × 100; successive percent changes multiply, they do not add.

Arithmetic sequence: an = a1 + (n − 1)d; geometric sequence: an = a1 · r^(n−1); sums use n(a1 + an)/2 and a1(1 − r^n)/(1 − r).

Circle measures: area = πr², circumference = 2πr; a central angle of θ degrees cuts an arc of (θ/360)(2πr).

Probability of an event = favorable outcomes / total equally likely outcomes; independent events multiply, mutually exclusive events add.

Triangle rules: angles sum to 180°; the Pythagorean theorem a² + b² = c² applies only to right triangles; area = ½ · base · height.

Exponent and log rules: a^m · a^n = a^(m+n), (a^m)^n = a^(mn), log(xy) = log x + log y, log(x/y) = log x − log y.