UPCAT study guide
UPCAT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) is the entrance examination used by the University of the Philippines (UP) system for freshman admission. According to the UP Office of Admissions, most UP degree programs require qualification through the UPCAT, and because slots for freshman admission to each campus and degree program are limited, the test is competitive. The UPCAT is intended for students completing Grade 11 who seek admission to a UP campus for the following academic year. It consists of four subtests: Language Proficiency (in English and Filipino), Reading Comprehension (in English and Filipino), Science, and Mathematics. The UPCAT study guide has 4 sections and about 1,337 words.
01Language Proficiency (English and Filipino)
The Language Proficiency section checks how accurately you control English and Filipino at the sentence level. English items typically test subject–verb agreement, pronoun reference, tense consistency, parallelism, modifier placement, prepositions, and word choice.
321 words, about 2 min02Reading Comprehension (English and Filipino)
Reading Comprehension in English and Filipino asks you to read unfamiliar passages and answer questions about main idea, explicit detail, inference, vocabulary in context, author’s purpose and tone, and the structure of an argument. Passages may come from science, social science, literature, and current issues.
377 words, about 2 min03Science
Science tests integrated high-school biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science, often through short data sets, verbally described diagrams, and experimental scenarios. Expect cell structure and genetics; ecology and evolution; atomic structure, bonding, and stoichiometry; acids and bases; motion, forces, energy, and circuits; waves; plate tectonics, weather, and climate.
328 words, about 2 min04Mathematics
Mathematics covers high-school arithmetic and number sense, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and basic statistics and probability. Items reward clean setup more than lengthy computation: translate words into equations, use properties to simplify, and check whether the answer is reasonable.
311 words, about 2 min