How to Get Through the Board Exam...with Flying Colors!
Few more sleeps (or the lack thereof), and you will finally take the exam that you have shed sweat and tears for the past month or two. On July 21, 2013, all roads lead to the PRC testing centers all over the Philippines for the much anticipated Appraiser's Licensure Examination.
So you've read all your books; practically answered and re-answered and then triple answered all the mock examinations distributed; attended group studies, found a study buddy; you even surrendered your social life (and social media life!) until Sunday just so you can focus on studying!
BUT ARE YOU REALLY READY FOR IT?
You should be!
If there is still a cloud of doubt in you, let me, as a two-time PRC real estate examinee like you once-upon-a-time, share some tips/suggestions on how you can be more confident come judgment day:
1. SLEEP. TAKE A BEAUTY REST. RELAX. Especially the day before the exam (Saturday)... or better yet Friday night. This is not the time to cram on missed handouts, or extend until 3 am to review. Remember: you should be in your testing center at 6 am, because the exam will start at exactly 8 am. Do not skip breakfast.
2. CRAMMING WILL NOT HELP, IT WILL ONLY GIVE YOU PANIC ATTACKS. It will also give you eyebags because you did not sleep enough. Study all you want from today until Friday, but come Saturday, you should just be relaxing. Treat yourself to a mani-pedi, a 1 hour massage, or eat a comfort food. Take your mind off the stress and pressure, because it will only make you panic. Stock knowledge (and common sense) is what will help you pass the exam.
3. WHEN STUDYING, FOCUS ON THE KEYWORDS. There are subjects where you don't even need to memorize. Frequent reading contributes to mental retention. Focusing on the keywords will help you answer the questions quickly - one look at the question and a spot on the keyword, then you will right away know which choice of answer to look for.
4. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, COMMON SENSE PREVAILS. Common-sense-explanatory, right? :)
5. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. If it asks you to use ballpen, do not use pencil. If it asks you to wear white, don't wear blue. If it asks you to leave all your personal belongings at the front, don't leave your cellphone in your pocket. Finally, if the proctor asks you to do something, don't ask them back if you need to do it. The proctors during the real estate licensure exams are much, much more lenient, compared to other PRC exams from other courses/boards. Let's not push their patience to its limits.
6. AVOID ERASURES. CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO SUCCESS. True story: some examinees failed not because their averages where below 75%, but because "natechnical ako." Remember, the answer sheets are not checked manually. There is a computer that scans the "shadings" in the answer sheets - it can recognize an erasure, so it will detect two answers and the computer will stop. In other occasions, the mere blotting of our black ballpens when we are about to spell out our names and write the subjects can cause technical errors as well.
How do we prevent this?When you take the exam, you are given two sets of paper: your answer sheets (the Scantron paper-take care of this with your dear life!), and the Set A OR B questionnaire. While you cannot do anything except shade your answers on the former, you can dabble and doodle as much as you can with the latter. The questionnaire (which contains the multiple choices) serves as your scratch paper as well.
My suggestion is: encircle your answer in the questionnaire first, then shade the corresponding letters after every finished page. DO NOT ANSWER ALL 100/200 ITEMS FIRST, THEN SHADE AFTER... that is too risky! PRC doesn't count what you've written or solved in the questionnaire - the Scantron paper is what matters! What you do is answer AND shade per page.
Unsure yet of some of the questions? To prevent erasure, put a BIG ASTERISK (or any symbol that you prefer) on the side of that question, and get back to the unanswered items once you have answered AND shaded all items.
I must warn you though: it is important that you don't get crossed-eyed in the middle of shading. ALWAYS, ALWAYS check if you are at THE RIGHT PAGE, AT THE RIGHT NUMBER. Take it one page at a time. You have enough time to check and recheck your answers.
8. BRING ONLY THE ESSENTIALS. That includes your PRC Exam kit, your Notice of Admission, and food and drinks (to save hassle from lining up in the limited concessionaires; you can eat in your seat). Bring candies(XO coffee-flavored!). For the past two examinations, bags were allowed, but they were placed at the blackboard area of the classroom, near the proctor. If you are to bring one, just bring whatever you think you will need during the duration of the exam. Do not bring your handouts in the hopes of inserting a few more minutes of review during breaks, because, again let's read pointers 1 and 2.
You can also bring the following: a calculator (any simple calculator will work, scientific calculators are also okay, as long as they are not programmable. List of allowable calculators here.), ruler, sharpener.
Also, if you can ask someone to drop you off in your testing center, or carpool, or commute, the better. Parking will be hard.
9. FORGET EVERYTHING...BUT NOT THE WILL TO PASS! Don't come in for the exam with a frown because you are not convinced that you will succeed. Confidence is not the solution, but it can definitely contribute! It is your source of motivation! You've come a long way just to begin your test with fear and frustration.
And finally...
10. BEGIN AND END YOUR DAY (OR EVERY EXAM) WITH A PRAYER. Come Sunday, everything is lifted up to Him. We only pray for His guidance, His grace, His mercy.
Good luck to our future real estate appraisers!
