Philippine Science High School - Application Criteria and Requirements

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Philippine Science High School Main Campus

I was recently asked about what the requirements are to qualify for admission into the Philippine Science High School.  There is, of course, a stringent screening process for applicants including a scholastic aptitude test or a National Competitive Examination (NCE) designed to measure Scientific Ability, Quantitative Ability, Abstract Reasoning and Verbal Aptitude.

Last year, out of the over 20,000 students that took the Philippine Science High School - National Competitive Examination (NCE), only 1091 passed.  That means you would have to beat roughly 94.5% of all the examinees...

To make it more difficult, before you can even take the exam, you'd have to be in the top 10% of your graduating class.  I remember during my time, there were only around 70 students in our batch, and so only 7 of us were allowed to take the exam.

What that means is you not only have to beat 94.5% of all examinees, but you have to beat 94.5% of the best Elementary graduating students in the country.

PSHS Application - Criteria for Eligibility

Here are the pertinent details from the PSHS Website:

A grade 6 or 7 elementary pupil from a duly recognized school by the Department of Education, who meets the following criteria is eligible to apply for the PSHS National Competitive Examination (NCE). He/She must:

1. belong to the upper 10% of the current class and does not have a grade below 80 as certified by the School Principal. If the applicant does not belong to the upper 10%, he/she should have special aptitude in science and math as supported by the report card, with at least a grade of 85 in Science and Math and 80 in all other subjects;
2. be a Filipino citizen with no pending application as immigrant to any foreign country;
3. be born on or after June 1, 1996;  (this probably changes every year)
4. be in good health and fit to undergo a rigorous academic program;
5. be of good conduct and behavior; and
6. not have taken the PSHS NCE previously

[I was a bit surprised at #3 - I don't recall having that criteria before. Does it mean they don't accept 9-year-old kids as high school freshmen even if they can pass the exam? Haha. I guess so!]

Requirements

All applicants must submit the following to the PSHS Registrar's Office in Diliman, or to any Regional PSHS Campuses, or to the DOST offices and Provincial S & T centers:

1. Fully accomplished Application Form in two (2) copies
2. Two (2) identical recent 1 x 1 ID pictures
3. Non-refundable test fee — for private school students — P 100 — for Public school students — free
4. Copy of report card if the applicant does not belong to the upper 10% of the current class

Where to get and submit your PSHS Application Forms

The PSHS System NCE application forms are available and may be filed at the following:

DOST Regional Offices

DOST Provincial Science & Technology Centers

PSHS Main Campus
Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City
(+2) 924-0614

PSHS Ilocos Region Campus
Poblacion, San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur
(+77) 726-4190 to 91

PSHS Cagayan Valley Campus
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
(+78) 321-4112

PSHS Central Luzon Campus
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga
(+45) 893-4357

PSHS Bicol Region Campus
Brgy. Tagongtong, Goa, Camarines Sur
(+54) 453-2048 / 453-1463

PSHS Western Visayas Campus
Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro District, Iloilo City
(+33) 329-5644

PSHS Central Visayas Campus
Brgy. Talaytay, Argao, Cebu
(+32) 516-1543 / 513-0957

PSHS Eastern Visayas Campus
Pawing, Palo, Leyte
(+53) 323-5627 / 327-6192 / 323-5616

PSHS Southern Mindanao Campus
Tugbok, Davao City
(+82) 293-0002 / 293-0004

PSHS Central Mindanao Campus
Mindanao Civic Center, Tubod, Lanao del Norte
(+63) 836-0097 to 98

PSHS Cordillera Administrative Region Campus
Camp 8, Baguio City
(+74) 442-1100

Please take note: Application forms with incomplete information will not be processed. Erasures, alterations and insertions must be initialed by the applicant.

The PSHS NCE application form and the accompanying material are NOT FOR SALE, may be PHOTOCOPIED, there are NO RESERVATION FEES.

The Test Permit/s will be mailed to the applicant or to the school principal for distribution to its applicant/s. In case the test permits are not received before the examination day, the applicants may check with the nearest PSHS campus, DOST Regional Office or at any DOST Provincial Science and Technology Center.

Deadline for Application

For this year, the deadline for filing of application for SY 2011-2012 was August 27, 2010. Take note that filing for application begins early in the year, so if you're planning to apply for PSHS SY 2012-2013, be sure to check back on the PSHS website or call any of the numbers above.

If you want to see the Application Form, here is a link: PSHS Application for Admission

Tips for PSHS Examinees

This year's exam will be on November 6, 2010. Good luck to all examinees! Here are some practical tips for you:

1. Have a good sleep on the night before the exam. It is best to take the exam with a relaxed mind.
2. Be sure you've got your basic algebra down. :)
3. Read each question twice - there are not a few trick questions in there.
4. When you find an error in the exam questions, relax, don't panic, just bring it to the attention of the exam proctors.
5. When you encounter a question you can't answer, take a deep breath, and go with your gut feel.

Again, best of luck to the examinees this year!


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