Hello, friends! Happy New Year!

You are receiving a copy of this message

because, if I remember correctly, you were one of those who asked tips from me
on how to pass the LAE.. Apparently, the exam is going to be held on Feb. 8. In
my time, we had it in November. Anyway, ililista ko na lang mga alam ko rito na
sa tingin ko makakatulong. There's more than a month left before Feb. 8! Good
luck!!!
I. Exam Intro
-As you all know, LAE is a really competitive entrance exam. It's harder than the
UPCAT in the sense that only fewer people pass the LAE. Even UP undergrads-some who graduated with honers--fail the LAE. Sa UPCAT kasi, kung hindi man
pasok sa UP Diliman, may iba pang UP campuses. However, for the LAE, there's
only one law school provided and that's the one in Diliman.
Accordingly, around 1,500-2,500 students take the LAE every year. However,
they only accept around 150-250 students. Mayroon silang "Automatically
accepted" passers. Sa batch ko, 180 kami na automatically accepted. This was a
huge relief/blessing for me. If you're automatically accepted, you don't have to go
through the wait listed process (where they still interview you).
Then again, syempre, sa 180 na automatically natanggap--hindi naman lahat
tumutuloy sa law school. So, aside from this 180, they post a list of 80 (or more)
students in the "Waitlist" category. Ang alam ko, yung mga nasa wait list ay
dadaan pa sa panel interview kung saan kakausapin sila ng professors at titignan
din college grades nila. May iba naman na pumapasa sa interview, pero may iba
rin na hindi. But, as of now, your focus should be on passing the LAE muna.
Mamaya nyo na isipin yung next steps kung sakali na "automatic in" or "wait list"
category kayo.
Aside from this, note that for the LAE computation, I highly DOUBT that they look
into college grades. Hindi ata ito kasama sa computation. Ang major basis ay
yung exam mismo. I know people who graduated as Cum Laudes but still did not
pass the LAE--nakapasok pa yung bang students na wala namang college
honors. It's really the LAE that you have to work on. Even if you're "smart" in
college BUT if you did not prepare or do well for the LAE (for example: by
familiarizing yourself with logic or math) then you'd have a hard time with the LAE.
Syempre, some people say that you cannot "cram" the LAE review. The LAE is

an aptitude test which measures your skills/knowledge ever since you were
young (I think. Haha. It tests all the info and skills you have acquired through
elementary, high school and college). BUT of course, it won't hurt to do some
preparation. It would be helpful if you know the areas that the LAE will focus on
and try to assess if you're already "good" in those areas. I'll summarize below
the key areas (and attach links which I found useful).
II. Most important tip: LOGIC PRACTICE!
Okay, so in my time, the LAE consisted of the following parts (with 50-80
questions each, I think?):
1.
Reading Comprehension
1.
I don't know how one can "prepare" for this part. :)) You're suppose to
acquire this through the years of schooling. Hindi naman ito ganoon kahirap. Just
be mindful of your time. Don't spend too much time reading a passage since
remember, there's a time limit! Although others say that the LAE is not meant to
be finished, try as much as possible to answer as many questions as you can.
Hindi ko alam kung may "right-minus-wrong" rule. I also doubt that they have that
rule for the LAE. :)) In my case, I answered everything and didn't leave a blank
'circle' unshaded.
2.
Language Proficiency
1.
This is the typical 'grammar' part of the exam. Perhaps you can practice
this by looking at some "UPCAT Reviewers" in National Bookstore?
3.
Verbal Ability
1.
This part consists of word analogies. Pero, bukod sa analogy, they also
test your knowledge of various word definitions. Kumbaga, nakahalo sa analogy
yung expectation na alam mo rin yung meaning ng salita. :)) For this part, in case
you really don't know the definition, try to use proper "test-taking skills" (ex:
eliminate wrong choices until you get the most likely answer.
2.
soldier: war :: lawyer: ______ (courtroom)
3.
I think this part also has the "SENTENCE COMPLETION". Ex: The world
is _____ by the major ____ which has occurred. (correct choice: "perplexed;
upheaval")
4.
Quantitative Reasoning
1.
This is the MATH PART!!! Haha! They don't ask obscure math questions
that are only known to college Math majors. Even if you took up Fine Arts in
college, you're expected to be able to solve the math questions--quickly. Again,
it's all about the time limit. You're competing with thousands of other students
and it's best that you solve fast and correctly, of course.

2.
Siguro, for practice, you can look at the UPCAT reviewers available in
Natio? But, I think those reviewers have harder Math questions since they also
ask tons of Trigonometry questions. Sa LAE, wala naming heavy trigonometry
masyado. More of practical 'daily' math question; algebra and geom. You also
have interest/percentage/base problems. Yan mga naalala ko.
3.
Again, remember, there's a time limit. PLEASE don't get stuck in just one
question. Hindi ko maalala kung gaano karami yung tanong sa math dati at kung
slang minutes mayroon kami but before the exam starts for this section, TRY to
compute how many minutes you can allot for each question. Kung masyado
mahirap yung isang tanong, SKIP agad kayo. Mamaya rin kasi, naubos oars niyo
sa number na iyon tapos mali pa yung sagot niyo. It's best to answer
immediately those that you can solve asap. Then, IF you have time, try to review
those unanswered portions. If the proctor says that your time is nearly up and
you still have unanswered questions, I guess, you can shade all the blank circles
asap (that is, if they don't have the right-minus-wrong rule). :))
5.
Abstract Reasoning
1.
Haha, abstract reasoning! Hindi ko alam paano ito paghahandaan. :)) You
just have to hope for the best for this part. Be keen on the details and look at the
pattern of the objects (how many lines are in the object? are the lines increasing
or decreasing? is there a sequence in the way the objects are positioned? etc)
6.
Logical Reasoning
1.
OKAY, LOGICAL REASONING! This, I believe, is the most important tip I
can give you. You have more than a month left before the LAE starts. I think this
is sufficient time for you to study/brush up on "CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISM".
See, not all college graduates take up philosophy/logic courses on categorical
syllogism. Those who have encountered this and have had lots of practice
definitely have an edge over those who didn't. HOWEVER, DON'T FRET (in case
you're among the latter group)! As I've said, you still have more than a month to
practice on this portion.
2.
May mga haka-haka na mas mabigat daw ang "point percentage" for the
logical reasoning part. I'm not sure how true this is. Nonetheless, this is one of
the important parts that I think distinguishes those who pass from those who
don't. Remember what I said earlier? That there are college students who
graduated as cum laudes but still didn't pass the LAE? I think it's mainly because
they weren't prepared for this part (and maybe, the other parts of the LAE). May
mga kaibigan ako na matalino naman talaga pero hindi pumasa ng LAE, and I
think it's simply because they were "caught off guard" when they took the LAE. I
don't think it's because they aren't smart. Siguro, kung alam lang nila yung basic

rules ng CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISM o kung nakapag-practice sila nung college

na mag-solve nito, kayang-kaya rin nila.
3.
This is why I am telling you now to work on this portion. Honestly, I think
the LAE is more about being "skilled" the moment you take the test. For me, just
like other qualifying exams, the LAE doesn't completely measure a person's
"brilliance" or a student's level of perseverance in law school. It's just a test that
sees if you are skilled enough in certain fields--and, logical reasoning is one of
them. Unlike college entrance exams, iba ang focus ng LAE sa CATEGORICAL
SYLLOGISM. Kaya siguro yung bang test-takers, hindi na nag bother na magbrush up on this section. However, as I've told you, I urge you to work on this! It'll
really help you A LOT!
4.
So, how did I prepare? Simple lang. :)) I used this website:
http://www.indiabix.com/logical-reasoning/logical-deduction/formulas
5.
If you look at the left-most pane of the site, it has two sections:
"OVERVIEW" and "EXERCISE" (which has 3 parts). Itong website lang talaga
mainly ang ginamit ko to brush up on CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISM. And, this
really helped me a lot! Many resources are available online but I think this one is
really neat and organized. Plus, it has lots of practice tests. In my case, the LAE
had lots of questions similar to the ones posted in the site. Use this to your
advantage! (And share to your other LAE-test taker friends. Sharing is caring. )
III. Final words
Well, there you go. I hope this letter helps you with the LAE. The most important
advice I have to give, really, is to work on your logical reasoning. Ang maganda
sa section na ito ng LAE ay kaya niyo siyang paghandaan (hindi katulad ng
abstract reasoning o ng reading comprehension, haha). Do what you can now to
increase your chance in getting into UP Law. I have this friend once who told me
that for aspiring lawyers, there are only 2 main exams that you have to worry
after college: Those are 1) passing the U.P. LAE and 2) passing the Bar exam.
Haha. The LAE is hard, yes, BUT it is "passable". Wala yan sa college grades ng
students o sa school na pinangalingan. However, you just have to do well on the
exam. Unlike other law schools, UP has the HARDEST entrance procedure. It's
the hardest because you're competing with thousands of students! BUT!!! Again,
nasa exam performance mo yan. Regardless of how you were in college, you
can PASS this exam as long as you are prepared for the parts that they test you
in.
Of course, going through UP Law is an entirely different thing! Haha. And I'm not

kidding. There are other law schools that make the daily life "easier" for their
students. That's not the case in UP Law. Even if you pass, you have to work
hard--each day--so that you meet the expectations of the college. I think this is
one of the things that really distinguishes UP from other schools.
But of course, dear friends, at the end of the day, it's also JUST an exam. It
doesn't measure your worth as a person. It doesn't measure how successful you
can be in life. Sometimes, really, it's all about just being 'prepared' in the
particular parts of the test. This the reason why I think there are 3 tries allowed
for the LAE. Para sa mga tao na gusto talaga na mag-law, at sa UP talaga gusto
mismo.
I have this good friend who took the LAE but failed. She's now studying in San
Beda. Sabi niya, plano niya mag-take ulit ng LAE this Feb. If she passes, she'll
have to be a 1st year student again. Some would say that's a waste of time but
others would say that it's worth the shot (if you're in UP). Kani-kaniyang priorities
and preferences lang yan, sa bawat tao. Looking at the grander scheme of life,
what really matters is how well you LIVE your life. There are many ways to live
our lives and being a lawyer is just one of them. May iba nga na UP lawyer at
ang talino pero ginagamit naman sa masama ang kanilang mga natutunan (look
at some of our politicians). This, of course, is disgraceful. I hope that we don't
end up taking that path.
Ayun, so kaibigan, I hope this letter helps you. Remember that we should
continuously move forward NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. Whatever happens
in the exam, remember that life is FULL of opportunities! There many ways to
succeed and live a 'fulfilled' life-- a "fulfilled life" where we are able to make the
lives of other fellow people better. God bless you and good luck!!!!