MY 82 DAYS OF JOURNEY TO BOARD EXAM (PROCRASTINATION AND REVIEW): An Update

by Mary Anne Portuguez

May e-mail kasi akong nareceived after ng oath-taking,"Ano ba ginawa sa board exam?" 

Ayun. Buti nakapagdocument ako. Hehe. Hindi ko na kailangan pa ipaliwanag mga ginawa ko dahil sa mga larawang nakunan ko.

Hindi ako nakapagreview center kasi mahal. Bale, review lang talaga sa sarili gamit lumang books, ebooks, notes, tulong din ng online blogs tulad ng Philippine Psychometrician Reviewer (psychometricpinas.blogspot.com) at mabubuti kong kaibigan.

Naisipan kong magdocument ng pagrereview ko sa loob ng 82 days bago ako magtake ng exam sa dahilang naniniwala ako nang mga panahon na iyon na papasa ako (fighting spirit talaga lakas) at gusto kong maibahagi yung mga bagay na nangyari sa aking paglalakbay bago ako magtake ng board exam.

Maraming beses din naman akong nabigo magreview kaya puro pagkain ang highlight ng araw ko. Kung minsan nga cheesy days, status lang sa facebook, movie marathon or series marathon, lalabas kasama yung mga importanteng tao sa buhay ko, at paggawa ng requirements sa graduate school. Grabe, mapapansin mo nga sa mga unang araw pa lang ng nakatakdang documentation ko may pagkain na talaga na highlight. Kaya nga naging bilugan ang katawan ko. hahahaha. Wala na akong exercise rin niyan.

Kung susuriin ang mga larawan, makikita mong hindi lang ako naka-focus sa pag-aaral, makikita mong may mga ilang bagay rin akong pinagkakaabalahan. Minsan kasi okay lang naman aminin na hindi naman tayo super sipag, na mayroon ring mga araw na gusto natin maging masaya lang sa isang araw, na hindi lahat ng oras dapat na igugol natin ang sarili natin sa pag-aaral dahil kailangan din natin ang ibang bagay para mas umunlad tayo. Kung hindi ako nag give in sa kagustuhan kong subukan ang iba ng mga panahon na iyan baka masyado akong na-stress. Kailangan lang talaga na minsan mag-enjoy at minsan dapat na seryosohin ang mga bagay.Ibabalanse.

Gusto ko lang sabihin na huwag natin masyadong biglain ang sarili natin sa mga bagay na gusto nating makuha, kung minsan kahit paunti-unti okay lang naman. Hindi kailangan na magmadali. Saka wala naman magpepressure sa atin kundi sarili lang din natin kung hahayaan natin makinig sa sasabihin ng iba. Kung marami na silang narereview, hayaan niyo sila. May sarili kang oras, ang dapat mong gawin, gumawa ka ng sarili mong plan. Ikaw magdidisenyo. Pwede kang maglagay ng allowance na mag-enjoy ka at schedule na stringent. Basta dapat sa isang araw, kahit paano may nagawa ka, kung wala man siguraduhin na kinabukasan mababawi mo iyon.

Ito ang summary ng shinare ko sa SPARK Review Center noong 2015 nang ma-invite ako:

1. Set Goals

2. Document your review/ Monitor your progress

3. Eat a lot of healthy food 

4. Procrastinate in judicious doses.

Good luck sa susunod na magboboard exam! 

(Riyan is a lone passer of from PUP-Graduate School, Master in Psychology-Industrial Psychology Program with other passers of the same university but in a different program of the 2104 BLE for Psychometrician. She is one of the indefatigable admins of the Facebook Page Philippine Psychometrician Reviewer. She contributed this post - http://psychometricpinas.blogspot.com/2014/07/maraming-salamat-kay-riyan-for-sharing.html )

Below is creative photo journal on what Riyan calls her 

82-day review-procrastination.

The result:

The odds in my favor

The odds in my favor

by Ruby Ann M. Agulto, RPm

Professional Teacher & Registered Psychometrician

I finished my AB Psychology from De La Salle Araneta University in 2007. Imagine kung gaano na ko katagal na graduate? Nagsimula ako bilang HR Staff sa isang private company for 4 years and I decided to change my career path and studied Education units for one semester. Sinabi ko kasi noon gusto kong magwork sa school, and I was influenced by my mother, who is connected with the Deped school for a long time. Nagsawa ako sa office work at pakiramdam ko hindi ako na-challenge noon.  After finishing my educ units, I applied for the Licensure Examination for Teachers in 2012, luckily, with God’s help I passed the said exam.  I am now a public teacher in Secondary level, became a Guidance Teacher this school year since I have units in MAED major in Guidance & Counseling in Bulacan State University.

Nalaman ko lang na natuloy na rin sa wakas ang Board Exam for Psychometrician, medyo late na dahil June ko na nalaman mula sa isa kong kakilala, I grabbed the opportunity dahil ito naman talaga ang gusto ko ang magka-license to practice my profession.  Nagdalawang isip ako na magreview center kasi nagwowork ako, pero napilit ako ng boyfriend at mom ko dahil nga sobrang tagal ko nang graduate. Wala na ako halos alam sa criteria ng disorders, hindi ko na kasi naaral at nagamit.  Nalate na rin ako ng 2 weeks sa review center na inenrollan ko pero buti natanggap pa rin ako. Isa ako sa pinakamatanda doon, halos lahat sila fresh grads pero nakipagsabayan ako.  Mula noon, nagsulat na ako sa papel, ganito rin ang ginawa ko nung nagrereview ako para sa LET, nakasulat sa papel: “I can pass the board exam, tiwala lang”  At pagkagising ko, bago rin matulog lagi ko syang binabasa, everyday na rin ang prayers ko noon kasi totoo naman na pag lagi mo pinagdadasal, at malakas ang faith mo, makukuha mo ang gusto mo. At isa pa ayaw ko talagang bumagsak, ayoko masayang ang binayad ko sa review at ang tiwala sa akin ng mga mahal ko sa buhay. Pero sa totoo lang nahirapan ako pagsabayin yung work ko saka pag-aaral kasi bilang teacher, nag-aaral ka ulit, laging ganon, at nag-uuwi ka pa rin ng work sa bahay pag hindi na kaya sa school. Imagine that?

One week before the exam, hindi na ako masyadong nagrereview, basta tiwala na lang talaga sa mantra ko, may reflection din ako sa gabi.  Naglalaro na lang ako ng tablet, I don’t want to be pressured, whenever I hear someone saying that we need to review more, or may lalabas na ganito ganyan sa exam, ayaw ko na maniwala, para sa akin relax na dapat ako, nagtiwala na lang ako sa lectures ng review center at inaral ko ulit kung paano mag-analyze ng tamang sagot.  Nagpapicture din ako sa SM North Edsa sa Hunger Games “May the odds be ever in your favor” at ginawa kong fb profile pic.

Nung mismong araw na ng exam, Oct 28&29, kampante ako sa tatlong subjects, sabi ko mukhang papasa naman, sa totoo lang mas nahirapan ako sa Licensure Exam for Teachers kaya sinabi ko sa sarili ko hindi ako pwedeng bumagsak dito, either hindi nabasa ng machine or mali ang pagkaka-analyze ko ng choices. Tiwala lang talaga, pero sa Psych Assesment feeling ko tagilid ako, kinabahan na ako, nagdasal na lang talaga ako at sa kabila ng pagkakaroon ko ng ubo at sipon that day (dala siguro ng anxiety), binalewala ko na lang, concentration saka prayers lang talaga lalo na meron akong mga hindi sure na sagot.

Days passed and on the third day, I began to browse different sites where I could find the result, once released.  When there was this rumor that the release of the exam will be on Nov. 4, sobra na akong kinabahan, kahit na para sa akin intermediate lang ang exam, nawalan ako ng kumpyansa sa Psych Assessment subject kaya naisip ko baka mahatak yun at baka sumablay ako pero, dumating na yung araw na pinakahihintay ng lahat at unang lumabas sa gmanetwork website, hindi pa ako makapaniwala. Mixed emotions. Euphoric. Hinintay ko pa talaga kinabukasan na makita mismo sa prc site yung name ko kasi baka mamaya hindi totoo. Pero ang galing talaga. Pagkatapos non nagdasal ako, nagpasalamat ako kasi tinulungan ako ni Lord, alam nya ito tlaga ang pinakahihintay ko, ang gusto ko.  With my new license, I’m looking forward na sa school magamit ko yung profession ko, sa totoo lang gamit na gamit ang pagiging Psychology grad dahil sa mga students.  Hindi ko rin sinasarado ang puso ko kung muli akong babalik sa Human Resource pero sa ngayon masarap pa rin magtrabaho sa isang eskwelahan, dahil sa bukod sa natuturuan mo ang mga bata, natututo ka rin sa kanila.

(Note: Ruby is an AB Psychology graduate from De La Salle Araneta University Batch 2007. She completed 21 units of Education at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela in March 2012. Ruby became a Registered Teacher on the same year with Values Education as a major and now working in Public High School in Valenzuela since June 2013.  She already have 36 units of Master of Arts in Education Major in Guidance and Counseling from Bulacan State Univerity.  Her hobbies include reading self-help books and dancing. Sigmund Freud is her favorite Psychologist and applying Psychoanalytic Approach in dealing with maladjusted students.  Also in her classroom, most of the time she applies Behaviorism theory of BF Skinner and observes its connection with Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory which posits that people learn from one another through imitation, observation and modeling.  She plans to finish her master’s degree in 2-3 years time.)

Being branded as smart

Me with my mother taken right after the
graduation rites

Being branded as smart

by Alvin V. Baltazar

I recently graduated this April 2014 from Universidad De Manila during that commencement exercise I am one of the few to receive a Latin honor and I'm very thankful for that, yet I know it comes with a lot of expectations from me.

As early as January 2014 I have decided to take the board exam because I wasn't been confident enough in the skills I have plus the fact that most of the jobs I see requires at least 21 years old and by that time I have just turned 19 years old that month ago. Even though I know that I have good credentials, as an honest admission I want to be more qualified. In preparation, I enrolled in a review center and use my free time to settle all the requirements I needed, and in that event I need to go back and forth in our school. Most of the people I knew there from my professors, registrar clerk and even my friends that still studying knew I will take the board exam and expect that I will pass the board exam because I am "smart". Being branded as smart wasn't easy as many people thought, it has advantages and disadvantages. Advantage because generally they recognize you and your capabilities yet disadvantage as they expect more from you. I am that easy-going student who wants the company of my friend and never have been fond of reading. I am just like every normal students, it wasn't a different story for me. As the review program starts I realize I have many things that I don't know, I'm overwhelmed by the fact that I need to study not just review with limited span of time every books, review materials and other resources I have. There were times that I tried to read as many pages as I can but it seems that I do not even understand a bit. I definitely having hard time to get my pace for review and also there were times I never tried to open a book because of so much pressure. I tried every strategy that I know, listing down important details, listening from youtube links, discussion with my friends, answering test banks and other online resources.

Then our mock board exam came, at first I am confident that I will pass the said exam but when the results come out, I passed the set of questions in theories of personality but I failed in the remaining three subjects. I've been discouraged for a while, I even do back up plans in case of failure for the licensure exam. Then the licensure exam came, it has been difficult for me to answer it especially the psychological assessment. I've been a little bit emotional because I almost not finished the exam and I just hurriedly shaded all the items to make it on time. (I finished the Psychological Assessment Exam exactly at 4:00) Right after that someone said to me "Ang OA mo naman, e sigurado naman na papasa ka" even though I know it was meant to cheer me up, it was a little bit off for me. I've waited for a week for the result and every single night I can't sleep normally, I am contemplating how will I say it to my family in case I failed. Finally, the board result came and I passed the board but I'm not completely happy because I am the only who passed the exam among my classmates.

Bottomline, even those who are branded as smart have their doubts, weaknesses, difficult times and been discouraged, it is not always as good as it seems.