Acing the ACET

A few weeks ago, I found myself in U.P. Diliman underneath the same beautiful canopy of trees that enticed me to go to this school for college.It was the first of 2 other college entrance exams that Coby would be going through these next couple of months and even if he is old enough to take care of himself, I just had to be there to send him off...This weekend, he and 12,000 others are set to take the Ateneo College Entrance Exam or ACET. Having been in Ateneo all his life, he is of course hoping to get into his own school and is pulling out all the stops to do well in this test.He already took extensive review classes in AHEAD last summer, going to everyday sessions for a whole month last April. A month before the exam date, he wanted to do refresher classes so I booked him at Excel Tutorial Center in Ortigas Pasig and he's been going there thrice a week after school to get him more prepared especially in Math.I've asked the owner of Excel, our friend Rica Consunji-Cabangon, for advice and tips not only for those taking the exam, but also for my fellow moms whose teens are heading to Ateneo this weekend.Aside from making sure our boys have had a good meal, preparing their test permit and materials, making sure they have a good night's sleep the night before, here are some of her tips and words of advice:1) Some of the ACET test sections (Numerical Ability, Essay, Abstract Reasoning) are "speed tests".Tips on how to deal with "speed tests":1. Prioritize questions as you read. Don't linger on difficult ones.2. If you don't finish a test, do NOT feel bad. Continue to focus on doing your best.3. Wear a watch.* ACET is NOT right minus wrong. In the last 2 minutes, make your best guesses!2) You will also be tested on General Knowledge. Reading the news will help a lot.3) For the essay portions, remember to have an intro & conclusion in your composition.4) Expect heavy traffic. Go extra early. Be ready to walk in the rain in case roads are clogged after the exams.And advice for us moms:Help put things in perspective for our kids.Most kids are already stressed (on their own). They will "try" to be cool & calm but they may still be stressed because ...they want to please US even if you've told them otherwise, it's human nature. Reassure them with CONCRETE examples that it will all be OK. Getting into the college of your choice is only a factor NOT the determinant of SUCCESS. Whatever the outcome life WILL go on.So for now, we trust that they will try their best and remind them to pray for guidance and clarity of mind on the day of the test.Go for it, Coby:)!--This just in! ACET's been postponed to another date due to Typhoon Mario. Stay safe folks!:(