UPCAT Facts, Figures and Information

What is the UPCAT

Being the premier State University, the University of the Philippines offers a wide range of degreeprograms.
Most of the programs requirequalification through the UP College Admission Test, or more popularly known
as the UPCAT. Tomaintain its high standard of education and to maximize its limitedresources, UP has had
to limit slots for freshman admission to eachcampus and to its various degree programs thus a screening
process is necessary for UP to distribute these slots.

If you decide to take the UPCAT you will be among the tens of thousands students who will be vying for the
more or less 13,000 slots for UP. Last year, the number of examinees was more than 80,000 (there were
only over 70,000 examinees in the previous years). As you might have noticed, the competition in the
UPCAT is very tough.

Coverage of the UPCAT

The UPCAT consists of 4 subtests: Language Proficiency, Science,Mathematics and Reading
Comprehension. Each subject covers most of the topics that you have taken during your high school years.
Here are the subtopics that are included in the test:

Mathematics

Arithmetic and Number Sense

Algebra

Signed Numbers
Algebraic Expressions
Equations and Inequalities
Quadratic Equations
Systems of Equation
Polynomials
Functions and Relations
Fractions and Rational Functions
Cartesian Coordinate System (Graphing)
Word Problems
Exponents and Logarithms
Radicals
Sets and Set Notation
Complex Numbers
Sequences and Series

Geometry

Reasoning
Definitions, Postulates and Theorems
Angles
Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
Triangle Postulates and Theorems (ASA, SSS, etc.)
Quadrilaterals and Other Polygons
Area and Volume
Circles

Trigonometry

Basic Trigonometric Functions

Basic Identities
 Statictics

Measures of Central Tendencies (mean, median, mode)

Factorials
Counting, Permutation and Combination
Probability

Science

Earth Science and Astronomy

Rocks and Minerals

The Layers of the Earth and its Composition
Land Formations and Bodies of Water
Plate Tectonics
Earthquakes, Volcanoes
Climate, Weather and the Atmosphere
Fossils

Biology

The Ecosystem
Classification/Taxonomy
Biogeochemical Cycles
Plants and Photosynthesis
Animal Biology
Cell Biology
Genetics and Heredity
Human Anatomy

Chemistry

Precision and Accuracy

Conversion of Units
Elements, Compounds and Mixtures
States of Matter
The Periodic Table
Electronic Configuration and the Quantum Numbers
Nuclear Reactions
Chemical Reactions
Stoichiometry
Gas Laws
Redox Reactions
Basic Organic Chemistry

Physics

Scalar and Vector Quantities

Laws of Motion
Relative Velocities
Force
Work, Energy and Power
Fluid Mechanics
Light, Sound and Waves
Electricity and Magnetism
Thermodynamics

Language Proficiency
 Vocabulary

Word Meanings
Spelling
Synonyms
Antonyms
Confusing Words

Grammar

Parts of Speech
Correct Usage
Punctuation
Capitalization
Subject-verb Agreement
Sentence Construction
Modifiers
Finding Errors/Sentence Correction
Voice (active and passive)

Reading Comprehension

Essays
Getting the Main Idea/Topic Sentence
Appropriate Title of Selection
Poetry
Short stories
Speeches
Comic Strips
Figures of Speech (simile, metaphors, etc.)
Author’s Point of View
Meaning Through Context Clues
Drawing Conclusions
Inference
Fact and Opinion

Filipino

WastongGamit
Bahagi ng Pananalita
Sawikain o Idioma
Tayutay
Paksa ng Talata
(note: The Filipino part is integrated with the Language Proficiency and Reading Comprehension
subtests)

UPG Computation
The University Predicted Grade (UPG) is the basis used by UP in ranking all of the applicants. UP
combines several factors such as UPCAT test scores, high school grades, geographical location with
respect to campus applied for, nature of high school attended, etc. A rating of 1.000 (highest) to 5.000
(lowest) is then given to a student.

But the UPG, simply put, is just comprised of the following:

UPCAT test scores which amounts to about 60% of the UPG

1st year to 3rd year high school grades, which is roughly about 40% of the UPG.
To obtain the final UPG, other factors are integrated by either adding or subtracting a fraction of a point from
the initially computed UPG.

Qualifying for a Campus

When you fill up your application form, you need to choose two campuses from among ten other
campuses (Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Cebu, Baguio, Iloilo, Mindanao, Pampanga, Tacloban and
Open University). You will then be ranked based on your UPGs and then be screened based on your
choice of campus.

In the previous years, the cut-offs for the different UP campuses are as follows:

UP Manila 2.1-2.2
UP Diliman about 2.2
UP Los Baños 2.3-2.4
UP Baguio 2.6-2.7
UP Tacloban about 2.7
UP Cebu about 2.7
UP Iloilo about 2.7
UP Mindanao about 2.75

Thus, campuses with high UPG cut-offs are harder to get into than campuses with lower UPG cut-offs. You
should be wise on what you put on your campus choices in your application as this plays a major factor in
your probability of passing the UPCAT.

Qualifying for a Degree Program

Aside from having to choose two campuses, you are also to choose two degree programs per campus
as part of the application.

After qualifying for a campus, you are then screened for acceptance into one of the degree programs you
chose. Each degree programuses a different grade predictor which uses the UPCAT subtest scores,
depending on the focus subject of the program. Campus qualifiers are ranked according to the degree
program predictor. Top-ranking qualifiers are accepted according to the number of slots available for a
program. Thus the number of applicants for the degree program and the program quota matters.

As an illustration, admission to Engineering programs would require a high math and science subtest score.
In contrast, Mass Communications degree will require a high subtest score in Language and Reading
Comprehension.

If you make it to the quota for your first choice program, you will nolonger be screened for your second
choice. If you don’t make it to yourfirst choice of degree program, you will undergo the same
screeningprocess for your second choice. If you still do not make it, you willremain qualified for that campus
but must then find a degree programthat can accommodate you.

Truths & Myths About Non-quota Courses

Myth: Choosing a Non-Quota course will make it easier for you to enter UP.

Truth: You have to qualify first for a CAMPUS before you are screened for the degree program.

Your UPG should first make the cut-off for a particular UP campus that you applied for before you are
considered for a degree program. If your UPG doesn’t make it to the campus cut-off, then there’s no point to
screen you for the program. Thus, CHOOSE YOUR CAMPUS WISELY first; the course is secondary.

As previously discussed in qualifying for a degree program, if you made it to a campus but did not make it to
the program cut-off, you will get a result of “Degree Program with Available Slot (DPWAS or DPAS). The
campus you qualified into will find a program that can accommodate you.

Under Represented Areas

In its efforts to provide slots for underrepresented areas, UP implemented the Excellence-Equity
Admissions System (EEAS). One of the ways UP did this is to allot only 70% of the slots to those who
qualified based entirely on their UPG ranking. The remaining 30% is then allotted to underrepresented
areas in the country.

Here’s an example: If the cut-off for UP Diliman is 2.2, the campus allots 70% of the slots to those who have
above that UPG. UP Diliman then uses a deep selection parameter of 0.1. The absolute cut-off will then be
2.3 and this will be the cut-off used for students from underprivileged high schools and underrepresented
areas.

Pabigat & Palugit

The UP admissions system includes several bonuses and penalties on the UPG:

Palugit: A bonus of 0.05 is given to the UPG of applicants coming from public barangay, public vocational
and public general high schools, excluding those administered by state universities and colleges and science
high schools. A palugit of the same amount is also given to applicants who are legitimate members of
cultural minorities.

Pabigat: A penalty of 0.05 is given to the UPG of applicants who apply for regional campuses not within their
geographical area as his second choice campus. One example is a student from Luzon choosing UP Cebu
as his second choice campus. If that student chose UP Cebu as his first choice, although coming from
Luzon, he will not have a pabigat.

Is the Test Right Minus Wrong?

The UPCAT differs from the other entrance test because it deducts 0.25 or ¼ of a point if you answered an
item incorrectly. In a way, you are slightly penalized for a wrong answer. Note however that you do not get a
deduction if you leave an item blank.

The question now is do you guess or do you leave an item blank if you don’t know the answer?

It would be better if you can eliminate a wrong answer before guessing so that your chance of getting the
correct answer is increased.