Thousands take UPCAT

MANILA, Philippines - More than 80,000 hopefuls will troop to various testing centers across the country this weekend to take the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT), an  entrance exam taken by senior high school students who wish to study in the country’s only national university.

More than half of the examinees took the exam yesterday, while the rest is expected to take theirs today in more than 80 testing centers in the country.

Lorna Tabico of the UP Office of Admissions said the projected number of 2013 UPCAT takers is higher than the more than 74,000 examinees who took the exam last year.

But from the host of applicants, only around 17 percent – or 12,000 hopefuls – are generally accepted in the country’s premier state university.

The UPCAT, which is administered in August, consists of four subtests – language proficiency, science, mathematics and reading comprehension.