Tips How To Pass The Board Exam! From A Board Top notcher in Mapua!continuation

Mi... ni... mi...ni... mai... ni... mu.

This is a typical story of what could go through a mind of a board
examinee. A board examinee who did not prepare, relied on luck, and
had no idea how to go about answering the board exam questions.
Thankfully, that did not happen to me. When I took the Board Exams
for Architects in June 2006 and for Master Plumbers in March 2007, my
confidence was sky-high. All because I was prepared. This leads me
to a conclusion, "Talo ng preparado ang matalino."

So for almost 12 months now, I have been sharing to others through
seminars, lectures and informal discussions, how I prepared for the
board examination. Allow me to share with you some tips and tricks
based on my own experience that can help you prepare for your own
review.

SETTING YOUR GOAL
The first and most important tip that I would give you is SET YOUR
GOAL. Whether you just want to pass and get a license, or maybe land
a place among the top 10, or probably get a grade of 90+ on the most
dreaded subject, it helps if you have a direction. The more specific
your goal is the better. Try to write it on paper and feel committed
to it. Mine was to top the board exams - and I did.

Now in order for you to work on that goal, you must have the RIGHT
MOTIVATION. This is the second and equally important tip. Your
motivation is your drive in achieving your goal. It could be
anything from a person that inspires you (an idol or a loved one) to
a material promise (like an all-expense out-of-the-country trip or a
brand new car). It's up to you! Use this to keep you going
everyday. Use this to get you up early in the morning when you
normally wake up late. When you are motivated, you feel like you can
do anything. This gives you a psychological advantage.

The board examination, just like any other sport or competition, is
all about how you prepare for a fight. It is all about setting your
mind, body, and emotions straight before the main event. During the
preparations, you are your own enemy. The less you know about
yourself, the harder it is to succeed in this undertaking. That is
why you have to train hard. What you do to your time is all up to
you. You could sit back and relax if you want, but keep in mind, all
the others might have already gone far ahead in their reviews while
you are still sitting pretty waiting for that right moment.

DECIDING WHEN TO TAKE THE EXAM
Time is one of the most critical resources in your entire
preparation. Once time goes by, it can never be brought back. So
speaking of time, the first question you have to ask yourself
is: "WHEN AM I GOING TO TAKE THE EXAM?" It may sound simple but
believe me, this simple question will determine how much
extraordinary effort you may have to exert throughout the rest of
your review.

I know some people who spent 4 months studying, payed a lot of money
for their review classes, only to back out 3 weeks before the exam.
For some unexplainable reason, they found themselves not yet ready
and would just opt to take the next board exam, which is scheduled 6
months or 1 year later. Now that's a lot of time gap until the next
exam. You would easily forget most of the topics discussed in the
review center and you would be forced to take refresher courses again
later on. If they were unsure, they should have not enrolled
immediately. It's a waste of time and a waste of money. In my
opinion, the only logical explanation for their backing out is that
they were half-hearted with their review. You know, once you have
decided that you are going to take the board -- go full-force! As
the saying goes, "Todo Na 'To!". Never ever be half-hearted. That's
why the sooner you decide, the better your chances of making the most
out of your time. In my case, I decided to take the June 2006 Board
Exam for Architects as early as November 2005. I had 8 months
preparation.

PRC REQUIREMENTS: ALL THE HASSLES INVOLVED
Completing the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) requirements
for filing a board exam application is a total hassle. You are lucky
if you don't encounter any problems here and there. Depending on the
board exam you are going to take, the PRC requires certain documents
you have to submit to their office (which is located in Morayta)
before a certain deadline (usually 3 weeks before your examination
date). Check the PRC website for the required documents.

Submit the requirements ASAP. Don't cram. Getting all the documents
consumes a LOT of time (and money). Filing for a board exam
application should be the least of your problems once you are already
studying for the board exam. You don't want this to interfere with
your study schedule. Imagine yourself already 4 months deep in your
review, and in the back of your mind, you are still worrying if you
going to beat the deadling for application because you havn't got
your documents yet. Believe me, it would take WEEKS to complete the
requirements, what with all the red tape involved. The diploma and
transcipt of records usually takes 2 weeks minimum. NBI clearance
can be from 1 to 3 days. NSO-issued birth certificates can take 1
day to 1 week (depending where you were born). And expect long line
in the PRC building when applying. It's not a breeze. You will have
to go from one place to another to buy metered documentary stamps,
take a picture, pay the cashier, etc. By the time you are finished,
expect yourself to be all tired and sweaty.

KNOW THE COVERAGE OF THE EXAM
You should know what subjects you are to tackle in your review. The
PRC board usually issues a curriculum showing the coverage of the
examination. You have to know how many days the exam is and what
subjects would be taken in which days. For example, the Architects
board exam is scheduled for 3 days. For Day 1: we have the subjects
History and Theory of Architecture, Principles of Planning, and
Architectural Practice. But these subjects are compressed into one
exam only. It is a 125-item exam that starts 8:00am to 5:00pm.
Unlike the subjects in the first day, Day 2 is divided into three
exams for each three subjects. The 1st exam is Building Utilities, a
100-item exam that starts 8:00am to 12:00nn. The 2nd exam is
Structural Design, a 40-item exam that starts 1:00pm to 2:15pm. The
3rd exam is Building Materials and Methods of Construction, a 60-item
exam that starts 2:30pm to 5:00pm. For Day 3: we have the subject
Architectural Design and Site Planning, a drawing-type exam that
starts 8:00am to 5:00pm. Given all these data, I knew how to balance
my time and create some strategies in answering come exam day. I
knew I have less than 5 minutes to answer one question in Day 1. For
Day 2, it becomes tighter with a little above 2 minutes per question.

But going back to your review, you should determine which subjects
covered by the exam are you most comfortable with and which subjects
are you having problems with. It's a good strategy to study your
favorite subjects first. These subjects are usually the ones you are
really interested in. The idea is to get you "in the zone". Think
of yourself as a car that needs a jump start. Once you get going on
one subject, then that's the time you absorb the other subjects along
the way.