Before the Blue Eagle
Before you turn into a blue eagle, you’re just a regular high school kid. However, you already have dreams. You already have dreams of entering Ateneo. You memorized their cheers. There’s the hashtag #OBF in some of your posts. You’ve probably even seen one of the big basketball games.
The only thing standing between you and Ateneo is the ACET.
ACET Day
During the ACET, you’ll probably just as confused as everyone else. ‘Where is this building?’, ‘Where the heck is the bathroom?’, ‘Crap, is there no better way into Ateneo in this mess called traffic?’, ‘Please, let there be a clean bathroom. Please let there be a clean bathroom.’ Believe you me, these thoughts are normal. These are probably the most generic thoughts you’ll get.
The next problem: Math. If you’re good in English then, it won’t be so problematic. You’ll get a cramp from writing an essay but the rest of it won’t be so annoying. Math is a test of how fast your brain works. Now, they’re probably not expecting you to have the processing speed of a computer. But, it will look like it. Here are some tips for you when you answer the ACET.
Tips for answering the ACET
- Shotgun strategy – One of the most common strategies in the ACET is to “shotgun” your way through. Shotgunning is to make fast and educated guesses. The Math section for ACET is where you’ll apply this strategy the most. While practice can help, The stress and tension will eventually bite you. Some ACET takers who have passed often times selected “C” as the safest answer. Others, use quick thinking strategies such as checking if all the numbers are the same in a big equation, and etc.
- Don’t solve too many equations at once – That’s the last thing you should do! Not only will you have your brain melt through your ears. You’ll end up exhausting yourself more and lose out on the other sections.
- Write as if you’re talking – In the English portion, you’ll be made to write an essay. Now, don’t use big words. Using big words will just exhaust you and sometimes, it may even make you sound silly. Write about the concept as if you’re explaining to a person about it.
- Don’t try to perfect everything – The common problem with the ACET is that people try to perfect it. But the ACET isn’t made for that. The ACET was created to see if you could handle the level of Math and English. In a sense, you could say it’s similar to an IQ test where they check your English, Spatial Reasoning, Mathematical ability and the sort.
What happens after?
After the ACET, we’re in the next stage of the game: the waiting game. One of the most annoying, and possibly the most nerve-wracking part about taking the ACET. Oftentimes, they release the news the following year. But with the shift in calendar, the release of passers may vary. But if you feel you gave it your best and you did well, you’ll be fine.
Bonus: What affects your passing chances for the ACET?
For the ACET, it’s a variety of things. While yes, your high school grades and your ACET grade will have an impact, there are others. These other factors include:
- Extracurricular activities you did in High School – Ateneo focuses heavily on these things especially if it’s being a social action organization. It goes well with their tagline: Cura Personalis which means “Men and Women for Others”.
- Family being graduates – Perhaps, this is just to factor in your familiarity of Ateneo’s culture. While some people have passed even with a short line, it does affect your chance of getting in.
- Your application essay – The question changes every year but most of the time, it’s about your leadership skills. Or, how you’re willing to go beyond. It’s the concept of “Magis” really. Magis is one of their taglines also that speaks about going beyond the expected.
If you feel you will have a hard time answering the ACET then, learn from the graduates of Ateneo. Study in a tutorial center that has the top Atenean graduates as your teachers. Study with us. Enroll now!