#boards2016

Janne Ngo

Last November 23, 2015, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) released the roll of successful examinees in the Chemical Engineering Licensure Examination. Of the 874 hopefuls, only 466 qualified. Meanwhile, 16 Lasallians took the exam, 6 of which passed and were finally ratified as engineers. Whether you’re a freshman with unimpaired passion, someone halfway through the program, a weary senior, or an anxious fresh grad, you’d have to face the most intimidating exam of your life sooner or later. So, we thought it would be opportune to ask three of our six new engineers, Sed Holaysan (ID 110), Joy Baraoidan (ID 110) and Jerome Sy (ID 111)to put their two cents in.

Back in the day, Sed was in the BS/MS program, was one of the legendary ChE quizzers who has won quiz bowl after quiz bowl on behalf of our Alma Mater and happens to be one of the youngest in the batch. Sed outscoring 874 exam takers and topping the board exam didn’t come as a surprise to us, clearly. But apart from all that, he’s admired for his uncommon curiosity and for remaining down-to-earth. Meanwhile, Joy was one daring board exam taker for deviating from the usual “safe route” and not enrolling in a review center. She also used to be the Vice President for Activities of the Chemical Engineering Society during the academic year 2014 – 2015, so she basically knows pressure and balance like no else does.  Finally, Jerome is the first and the only (as of present) chemical engineer from the batch of ID 111. He nailed the exam in a single take despite having scarce time upon graduation to prepare.

The Catalyst: How did you prepare for the board exam?

Sed: Mostly I just reviewed using questions and reviewers. For familiar types of problems, constant practice is needed to lessen chances of carelessness. Whenever I would come across new types of problems, I would try to find out the solution on my own, and if I didn't get it right away, I would go over various resources to find a solution.

Joy: Well, I prepared for it three months prior cause they say that longer than that can be bad. I didn't get to enroll myself in a reviewers course as I just decided to take the boards last minute so I asked a lot of people for advice on how to prepare, what to expect, and for notes as well. INTECHE was also very useful especially for the general engineering part as it was the most similar in the board exam. As for the studying part, I made a schedule for myself on what to tackle on each day and made sure I accomplished it all as much as possible. I did take a refresher course and I think it's one of the best decisions I've made in preparing for my board exam. It helped me know where I needed to focus more on and gave me a lot more confidence in taking the board exam. It was also a good experience to know other people from other schools and I got to learn something new from them. And of course, I really prayed a lot throughout it all. Even to all the saints especially St. Jude for guidance and thank God they heard me.

Jerome: I enrolled on a review center and studied my notes on my college days especially notes on INTECHE. I also browsed the Perry's Chemical handbook to get familiarize with its contents. For the sources of example problems, I solved all available problems from the review center and some of the problems in textbooks.

The Catalyst: What are the things that you didn't expect about the exam or the experience as a whole?

Sed: The exam coverage is very broad, and there are so many topics to study, so I was (pleasantly) surprised to be able to specifically pinpoint certain questions that I had encountered in the past. Some were from recent reviews over the previous months, from contests I joined as a quizzer, or from schoolwork in DLSU. I also didn't expect to get 1st place, as the exam was difficult, and there were many questions where I wasn't confident in my answers.

Joy: Obviously, the only expectation that can be 100% true is that the board exam will be extremely hard. Most of the things that I thought were going to appear in the exam, (because the board examiners or my lecturers from my refresher course said so), didn't. Also, I expected that the time given for the exam was more than enough but really, it wasn't. I even wished for more time haha. So when preparing for the exam, make sure you get to tackle everything just in case and try to practice answering mock board exams with a time limit.

Jerome: I didn't expect the exam to be that hard. During the exam there were many unpredictable questions, and some unfamiliar topics that was not discussed before, but don't lose hope; just do your best and pray.

The Catalyst: What advice would you impart to the next batch of takers?

Sed: First of all, manage your time well, both as you're reviewing for the exam, and as you're taking the exam. During review, prioritize. Take time to study the topics that are likely to come out during the exam, and know what subjects you're weak at so that you can target those. Know the average pace you need to go at during the exam itself, and make sure you set aside time to go over the entire exam again (preferably multiple times). Secondly, when reviewing, know the best way for you to retain what you're learning. Perhaps it's not the same for everyone, but personally, when I make the effort to figure something out on my own (rather than just listening to an explanation or solution), I tend to remember it better, because I recall the thought processes my mind went through when I learned it. Third, while it's obviously good to prepare in advance and anticipate what may be required, it's just as important to be flexible. There are going to be problems which you are unfamiliar with or problems you have forgotten the solution to, and when you encounter those, you have to work with what you're given or what you remember. Try to eliminate choices, try to figure out upper or lower bounds to your answer, try to estimate answers based on simpler correlations if you don't recall the extensive procedures. Lastly, stay calm but focused. When the board exam is just several days away, or you're running out of time during the exam itself, don't let panic make your decisions for you. But while the board exam still "seems far away, put a little fear or pressure into your mind so you'll concentrate on how you need to prepare.

Jerome: My advice to the next takers are: 

1. Enroll on a review center, it is very helpful because everything you need to learn is already outlined.  2. Study hard and stay focused with your goal (which to became a licensed engr.)  3. Make a study plan  4. Always pray  5. Always have enough rest.

Joy: My advice is to just always think positive and study well. I recommend taking the refresher course unless you feel you're very ready. Gather as much notes as you can and always consult your books. Geankoplis and Chang will be your best friends. Try to answer as many mock board exams as you can and do group studies but only when you're 80-90% ready. During the boards, it's best not to discuss it after each exam. Shrug off all negative vibes that you may encounter during that time and just focus and do your best on the exam. Also, the questions that are given don't require long and complicated solutions so always keep it simple. And lastly, pray, pray, pray ALWAYS.