Tips on Passing the Licensure Examination

for Teachers (LET)

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Are you one of the test takers for the coming Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET)?
You must be worrying about what lies ahead now. You must be finding yourself feeling stressed
and pressured these days. Well, this I say to you: You should keep calm and do the following:
1. MAKE A LIST OF YOUR WEAKEST SUBJECTS WHEN YOU WERE IN COLLEGE.
Its important to give focus on the subjects that you had difficulties with during your college
days. Remember, the exam comprises of different areas and its not good to set aside the subjects
you are weak at.
2. CREATE A TIME TABLE.
You should of course, set your goal. If you want to hit your target, you should finish doing
everything at a given time. Put in your mind that you have a very limited time to review the
subjects you studied for four years. So, list down each subject that you have to review and
identify how long it will take you to study them.
3. KNOW THE FOCUS OF THE EXAM.

The Professional Regulation Commission releases the coverage of the test months before the
date of examination. Make sure you have the copy of it so you would know what subject areas
you are going to study and how long you are going to spend reviewing them.
4. SPEND AT LEAST 1 TO 4 HOURS READING LECTURES.
Research shows that reading for at least an hour or two can activate brain cells. It also shows that
doing so regularly could enhance retention. So if you want to remember the all that you studied
about on the day of examination, make sure that you get yourself used to reading for an hour or
more.
5. DONT MEMORIZE TOO MUCH.
Yes, there are some questions (especially in the subjects, History and Math) that really require
you to memorize. But lemme tell ya that almost 75% percent of the questions are situational so
instead of memorizing, try understanding deeply the lectures you are reading. Retention is higher
when you digest and relate what you read to other concepts or ideas.
6. GET ENOUGH SLEEP, RELAX AND DONT FORGET TO TAKE A REST.
Dont stress yourself for the overnight reviews and all. If you fail to take a rest because of
studying too much, youll just make things worse. It is proven that a sound mind and a relaxed
body can help people think and recall better.
7. DONT TAKE GENERAL EDUCATION LIGHTLY.
The exam is divided into three areas. General Education, Professional Education and your Major.
40% of your general average is from your major. Another 40% from Professional Education and
the remaining 20% from General Education. Yes, Gen. Ed. Is only 20% of your average thats
why test takers often focus on Prof. Ed and Major a lot not knowing that General Education is
the hardest part of the test. Most questions in this area are about the topics you have studied
during elementary days and are very hard to recall. Do not be assured that youll be able to
answer the questions easily thinking that this areas just about the basics. Lots of test takers pass
the Major and Prof. Ed but fail in General Education that they fail the exam as well.
8. BUY A REVIEWER OUTSIDE THE PRC OFFICE.
This is what I strongly recommend guys! I bought a reviewer for General and Professional
Education in front of the PRC office before I took the test. The questionnaire and the answer key
were provided. I read it but I found out that the answer key was wrong so I answered each
question through the help of the internet. It was really helpful since the questions in the reviewer
were the exact questions given when I took the board exam.
Take note: I got 92% average in General Education.

9. PREPARE EVERYTHING THAT YOULL NEED WEEKS BEFORE THE

EXAMINATION.
Its always better to prepare early so I suggest that you prepare the pencils, erasers, calculators,
STAMPED/METERED ENVELOPE, PRC RECEIPT, Notice of Admission (NOA), ruler and
HANKY (use it when wiping the eraser dust on your paper) 2 or 3 weeks before the exam. You
cant afford to feel stressed or worried about the unavailability of these things days before the
exam.
10. PRAY.
Of course, its always him who will decide your fate so keep on being MAKULIT and keep
asking him to guide you not just on the date of the exam but throughout your life. You will need
him even after passing the LET since you will have the biggest responsibility in the world. Youll
be a teacher. YOU WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE and to do it successfully, youll need his
help THE ONE WHO SHAPED THE WHOLE WORLD PERFECTLY.
Good Luck teachers!

10 Tips for Passing the Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET)

By Reah Guevarra Sandberg on Mar 11, 2009 in Education | 438 comments

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After reviewing for the Licensure Exam for Teachers and passing it, I decided to share my ten
LET passing tips here on my blog. These tips are essentially helpful if you decide not to enroll in
a review center and just review on your own to get a license for teaching.
# 1 Know your weak and strong subjects/classes.

Allot a few hours each day or each week to review the lessons for classes you did well when you
were still in college. Enjoy this review time so you can easily remember what you are relearning.
Allot more time, however, on classes you were weak in. Well, at least if you are weak in
mathematics for example, make sure you dont miss reviewing the concepts that will be tested in
the General Math part of the licensure exam.
It will be easy to find out your areas of weakness. Check the grades in your transcript or assess
yourself which among the classes you took you dont remember much about.
See my pointers to review based on PRCs table of specification (TOS), which was available for
download in first week of June 2011.
Also read the coverage of the exam with schedule.
# 2 Understand the major theories, concepts and techniques in
Professional Education subjects.

Understanding the theories and concepts by heart will allow you to answer questions that are
written to confuse you. There are times that you have to choose which among the situations on
the choices will be logical based on theories or concepts mentioned or implied in the question.

I didnt have any teaching experience when I took the exam so I really based a lot of my answers
on what I remembered from my college years.
See some pointers for Professional Education subjects.
# 3 Strive hard to improve your analytical skills on answering questions.

After you reviewed the theories and concepts, you should test your understanding by
differentiating and explaining these in your own words. While reviewing, rephrase ideas and
think of actual applications.
For example, in methods of teaching, allow yourself to compare method 1 with method 2, then
ask yourself why method 1 is preferred than the other on certain situations.
Ask yourself questions like:

Why are you doing _________?

Why is it similar to ______________?

What if you will not _________, what will happen?

Why the result is different?

How can I apply this?

Have I experienced this myself?

What other examples can I think of?

In other words, this is about ____________.

Just keep asking yourself regarding whatever youve just read on your review. Analyze and
answer in your own words. If there are questions at the end of each chapter of your book, answer
those questions.
Enjoy this process so you will remember.
#4 Review General Education subjects.

Remember that you have to pass all three sets of tests including General Education (for
Secondary Education) and two sets of the tests (for Elementary Education).
Dont assume that General Education is easy since you took the Gen Ed classes when you were
in Elementary or High School. Remember that a lot of years had passed. So refresh your memory
especially on common mathematical equations (e.g. Fractions, Volumes, Areas, Percentages,

Ages, Distance and Time computations) and major science concepts (e.g. Matter, Gravity, Mass,
Energy, Friction). Youll never know what will show up in your test.
Solve problems listed on your review materials or old books.
# 5 Prepare everything you need for the exam.

Make sure you have read the test guidelines, which included the things you need to bring for the
exam.
Also check if the calculator you plan to bring for the exam is in PRCs list of allowed
calculators. If not, buy or borrow a calculator that has a model listed there (I bought mine). If
you dont want to buy a new one, make sure you have a non-programmable calculator. But dont
take my word on this because I wasnt sure if other proctors had allowed calculators not on the
list. Although my friend said she didnt even check the list and just grabbed a basic calculator on
the exam day. Proctors check each calculator before the exam starts.
# 6 Get enough sleep before the exam.

Make sure you dont feel drowsy while taking the exam so you have enough time to answer all
the test questions. You dont want to fail because you didnt have enough sleep the night before.
# 7 Avoid erasures, OR MAKE THE ERASURE CLEAN AT LEAST. And Of
Course, Shade it Properly!

In Centro Escolar University (CEU), where I attended college from 2003 to 2007, we used
Scantron papers for our prelim, mid-term, and final exams. So, Im used to answering tests by
shading boxes.
I knew how erasures could make a bad score. So before you shade it, make sure you are shading
the right answer, or at least it is your final answer. If you need to erase it, make sure it is clean.
But I still dont think it is a good idea.
So, before the exam day, try the eraser you plan to bring. On a white paper, or a semi-cardboard
white paper, write something on it with the pencil you plan to bring and erase this writing with
this eraser. If the eraser erases cleanly your writing, then you are good.
I also make sure when I shade the box of my answer, I dont shade it beyond the box (huwag
lumampas ang shading). Dont shade it heavily too (Baka masira mo ung papel).
# 8 Skip questions you arent sure and go back to them later on.

There are some questions that no matter how well you prepared for the exam, you will have no
idea what the answer is or it will take you a lot of time to answer it. If you come across to
questions like these skip them first. Answer questions that you know as much as you can then go
back to the questions you skipped.

If you still cant figure out the right answer the second time you look at the skipped
question, make an educated guess. Eliminate options that are obvious detractors and you will
end up with two best possible answers.
Make a very very educated guess at this point when you really cant figure the right one out. Or
follow your instinct (See Tip #10).
# 9 Follow instructions.

Listen to what the proctor is telling you during the exam. If you are confused, ask the proctor
directly not your seatmate.
# 10 Bring with you your Common Sense.

Most of the time, you havent reviewed whatever appears on the real exam. What will help you
answer the exam are your basic understanding of the topics and your analytical skill. Dont
overdo it though because you might miss the right answer.

My Story:

I completed 18 credits in Education together with my degree in Mass CommunicationsJournalism. In 2008, a year after I graduated, I took the Licensure Exam for Teachers or LET
held in September.
The challenging exam made me think of enrolling in a review class, but at the end, I chose to
study on my own. Not an easy choice but I was fortunate to have my friend enrolled in a review
class that I photocopied her reviewers.
I started to self-review though just a month away before the exam, and took it more seriously just
two weeks before the exam (define cramming!). If I had a bigger goal like to be one of the top 10
examinees, I would had taken the review more seriously and started the review months before or
took an earlier initiative to enroll in a review center (excuses!). I just wanted to pass the exam
and get a license. Im glad I did, with an overall score between 82-84%.
More Tips When Taking the LET

By Reah Guevarra Sandberg on Jul 29, 2011 in Education | 42 comments

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Search this

I already wrote 10 tips on taking the Licensure Exam for Teachers, but I remembered something
last night that I missed sharing. It is about my experience when answering some math questions.
Anyway, heres tip #11:

When trying to solve math problems manually (paper and pen), make an effort to organize your
solutions.
At any empty corner of the solution you just wrote, write the number of the question that solution
was for.
Then encircle this number or use any symbols you would like. Then, box the entire solution with
the number in it or at least separate that section with a line from the other solutions you have.
This way, if you are unable to solve a problem quickly you can easily go back to it later on and
see what you already have done for that question.
You dont have to do this with every math question you are trying to solve. Do this with
questions you decided to give up at that moment.
And another but not related to just Math, tip #12:

Do not spend a lot of time answering one question when there are still a lot of questions you may
answer right quickly. This is a paraphrasing of my Tip #8 from my previous article, but theres an
addition to it.
Keep a section of your scratch paper, if you have any, and name that section skipped questions
or just skipped with the appropriate subjects. Put the numbers of your skipped questions here.
Later on, when you have time, go back to those skipped questions and cross a number out once
you finish answering it.
If you are allowed to write on the test booklets, just go ahead and mark that skipped question
with a star or an x mark, so you can easily find these questions when you are going over the
test the second time.

Tip #13:

Be careful with questions that have conditions such as not, except, including, never,
only, best, and other similar words.
Its been a while and I didnt have my old LET reviewers with me in my current location, so I
cant verify if there are really questions that have these words.
But I took some multiple choice exams in the past year and there were questions that contained
these words.
The tip is: Read and understand the question thoroughly. You can rephrase the question as well,
and maybe by doing that, you will understand it better.
When you missed reading the word except in the question, then your answer is most likely
wrong.
Trivia:

One question that I havent forgotten is a question about the side view mirror of a car.
The reason I think I remember it until now is because I decided to verify my answer once the test
was over (I was not that observant you know and didnt pay much attention reviewing mirrors or
lenses).
Now, when Im in a car and happens to look at a side view mirror, I remember that question.
Well the question is: When you look at a cars side view mirror, is the image you are seeing
closer?
Whatever the actual question might had been, I found out that what you see in the side view
mirror is closer than you think. They appear farther and smaller. As an object go closer to the
mirror, it appears bigger. A vehicles side view mirror typically has a convex lens.
I dont remember what I answered on that question. I think I was just curious to research after the
exam was over.
Read more about curved mirrors in Wikipedia.