Page 4 - Flares Issue 5

"It's the Hard that makes the Great"

Passing the Written Comprehensive Exams

The Written Comprehensive Exam (WCE) is a capstone requirement of the
graduate student's academic endeavors. As the name implies, it tests the
breadth and depth of students' knowledge of fundamental concepts
underpinning their field of specialization, and assesses students' capacity
to earn a graduate degree. Arguably the most dreaded of exams,
students cannot advance to candidate status and start the final phase of
their masters studies without passing the WCE.

Last July 16 and 17, Cohort 4 Batch 1 took on the WCE, a.k.a. their Mt.
Everest, and emerged victorious, with each one passing with flying colors.
Jing Climacosa was the topnotcher among the batch and with a whopping 96%, recorded the highest WCE score
in MAP thus far.

Nuggets of wisdom
Congratulations, Ann, France, Jess, Jing, Jordan and Lester! Well done!
Compre 101 from WCE topnotchers
by Jing Get enough beauty rest
on the night before the
exam. Don't stay up Manage your time, and keep writing. If you
Start preparing from Day 1 of MAP.
until the wee hours of cannot think of what to write, move on to the
Everything that is done in the classroom,
the morning reviewing. next item and keep going. Most of all, trust
Focus is very important yourself and breathe!
virtual or otherwise, will play into the
especially for these Ms. Mariel Paulino
Compre. So embrace the work, be it
kinds of exams. Good Cohort 1 Batch 2
journal critiques, character analysis,
luck!
presentations, psych assessments, role Ms. Kei Gabutero
Exams are meant to
Cohort 1 Batch 1
plays, reflections or any other activity,
challenge you. They
however difficult or time-consuming they
are never easy; you
The Compre is nothing to fear - it is merely a
will be the one to
may be. These, collectively, represent
measure of knowledge and understanding. My
make it easy for
what you will face in the exams.
tip for future compre takers is to create a
yourself. I know I was
review strategy ahead of time; don't cram it
anxious and nervous,
all in one month. You can and you will
but I told myself to
Read, read, and read. Devour books,
conquer this, like many of us ahead of you!
breath. You can do it
journals, and research papers. Re-read
Rachel Bonifacio
so believe!
your own work. And when you read, do so Cohort 2 Batch 2
Merriza Reyes
with a critical eye. For me, I always ask Cohort 2 Batch 1
Ace the Comprehensive
myself, what could have been done
exams! First, read, read,
differently? How could the thoughts and
read all you can about
Doing well in the CE was unintentional but I
the subjects included in
intended to pass it. What keeps me grounded
ideas be expressed so it's more cohesive?
the exam (unleash your
despite the high levels of anxiety is my "why"
What dots were not connected and what
bookworm side!). And
in taking the CE.
picture would have emerged if they had
second, try to find a
"The only thing greater than the power of the
study buddy to bounce
been connected better? mind is the courage of the heart." - John Nash
ideas and review
(A Beautiful Mind)
concepts together.
Myles Vergara
Be shameless in asking for help. MAP is
Mello Yukdawan
Cohort 3 Batch 3 Set A
Cohort 3 Batch 1
blessed with faculty members and fellow
students (and alumni!) who are all too
I think preparing for the comps
happy to share what they know. If you are would need study techniques and
strategies to cover all the subjects.
confused or unsure about something, the Compre Tip: PRAY
In my case, instead of passively re-
P - Pray
answer is often just one message away.
reading and highlighting ebooks
R - Read
and course materials, I employed
A - Allot time for study every day
active recall and spaced repetition
Keep calm and relax. As I often tell my Y - Yearn to succeed
to check which information were
It takes hard work and discipline
myself, panic is never a state conducive
retained and to identify and revisit
but still don't forget to have fun
to clear thinking.
those that I could no longer recall.
and do self-care.
Rhea Orozco
Tin Felipe
Cohort 3 Batch 3 Set B
Irregular Cohort
Good luck, you got this!