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UPCAT Coverage
When it comes to college entrance exams in the Philippines, the UPCAT is probably, if not,
the biggest and most popular of them all. But what topics are included in the test? What do
you need to study for the UPCAT? Here’s a comprehensive take on the UPCAT coverage
and some tips on how to go about the different subtests.

The UPCAT has four subtests: Mathematics, Science, Language Pro ciency and
Reading Comprehension.

Math
The mathematics subtest is composed of questions from the following topics: basic and
intermediate algebra, geometry, statistics, and in some cases, a bit of trigonometry.

The algebra part contains topics such as the real number system, solving unknowns in an
equation, inequalities, set and set notation, exponents and roots, graphs of linear
equations, factoring, basic quadratic equations, functions, and word problems. You may
also encounter progressions, sequences and logarithms but these are rare topics that
appear on the test. Focus on the basic topics.

Questions under statistics would be about the fundamental counting principle,

combination and permutation, probabilities, measures of central tendencies and data
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For geometry, topics would be basic geometric concepts (point, line, plane, etc.), parallel
lines, triangle congruence, perimeter, area and volume. Most of the theorems and
postulates are applied to solve problems and analyze gures and situations. Because the
UPCAT is multiple choice, your favorite two-column proof and indirect proving will not be
around to greet you. Nonetheless, you will still encounter questions that requires your
deductive reasoning skills.

The rare trigonometry questions would include the trigonometric ratios and basic
applications.

Calculus? Don’t bother. Again, focus on the basics.

Math subtest tips:

Study and re ne
your basics. You
should be able to do
the four basic
operations with ease.
If you are still having
a hard time with your
multiplication table,
then this is a good
time to brush up on
your skills. 8
multiplied by 7 is not
a problem, right?

Dif culty with long division? Practice dividing three-to-four-digit numbers by two digit
numbers.

Dealing with fractions is another skill that students need to master. You should be able to
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four operations on similar and dissimilar fractions. You should know how to express
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your answers

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Science
The science subtest is composed of earth science and basic astronomy, biology, basic
chemistry, and basic physics (take note of the keyword: basic).

The earth science includes topics such as layers of the earth, theories about the earth’s
beginnings, rocks, weather and the atmosphere. Basic astronomy would include the solar
system, stars and other heavenly bodies and other space-related concepts.

Biology includes classi cation of living things, evolution, ecosystems, basic genetics and
heredity, and some anatomy of the human body. Questions about biochemistry and
intermediate genetics might appear but the focus of the test is still the basics.

Chemistry would include matter and its classi cation, physical and chemical changes,
measurements, basic chemical reactions (acid-base, combustion, etc.), mole concept,
atomic structure and subatomic particles, periodic table trends, thermodynamics and a
little organic chemistry.

Physics questions will fall under topics like statics and dynamics, motion, work and energy,
forces, thermodynamics, and electricity. In a few instances, questions about waves and
optics appear on the test.

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via GIPHY (http://giphy.com/gifs/too-much-plcoWBSrPvOP6)

Science subtest tips: Majority of the items in physics needs critical thinking skills. You need
to analyze situations and scenarios to obtain the best answer. Some items will also require
you to compute, as for the case of some chemistry and physics problems.

For biology and earth science, some will require analytical skills while some would be
straight up identi cation. So it is best to brush up on all the topics that you have discussed
in school.

Language Pro‹ciency
The language pro ciency subtest covers topics on vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms,
spelling, correct usage and grammar. The grammar part would include parts of speech,
subject-verb agreement, parallelism.

Here’s the thing: You have to have good grammar skills and a good command of the English
language (and Filipino, too) to get a good score on this subtest.

Tips on Language Pro ciency: Practice subject verb agreement. Read more professionally-
written articles (broadsheets, books, magazines, journals, etc.)

Reading Comprehension
The reading comprehension subtest includes questions under context clues, getting the
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main idea, inferences, drawing conclusion, gures of speech. On this subtest, you are
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tested on how you understand what you read.

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You will be asked to read articles, stories, poems, lines in plays, essays, comic strips and
other types of passages. You are then asked questions about what you have read.
Sometimes there are also graphs and charts that you need to analyze. You need to make
inferences and conclusions based on the visual data presented.

Reading Comprehension subtest tips: Read the questions rst before reading the passage.
Then take into consideration the main points that you need to nd in the passage.

The Hidden-in-Plain-Sight Subtest: Filipino

In the UPCAT, you only have four subtests: Math, Science, Language Pro ciency and
Reading Comprehension. Nevertheless, we often hear of conversations from previous
takers that they had a dif culty with Filipino.

So where in the world is Filipino located in the UPCAT? Is it part of the UPCAT coverage?

The Filipino part of the test is integrated in the Language Pro ciency and Reading
Comprehension subtest. About 25-35% of the questions in these two subtests are Filipino
questions.

The Filipino questions range from topics such as bahagi ng pananalita, wastong gamit,
pagtukoy ng mali sa pangungusap, salawikain, sawikain (idyoma), atbp. Basically, the topics
are similar in Language Pro ciency and Reading Comprehension but in Filipino.

Tips on the Filipino part: Brush up on your Filipino vocabulary. Read passages, articles and
other literary materials in Filipino. Practice speaking straight Filipino. Avoid combining
English with Filipino in a sentence to sharpen your uency.

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