UPCAT 2027 Reviewer Comprehensive Study Guide

UPCAT 2027 Reviewer General Overview and Institutional Ownership

• The University of the Philippines (UP) Office of Admissions, located at UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, holds the copyright (2026) for the UPCAT 2027 Reviewer.
• This reviewer is designed to provide bonafide UPCAT applicants with a realistic experience of the actual test.
• The reviewer contains only a fraction of the content found in the actual University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT).
• Items included in this specific reviewer will not appear in the actual UPCAT 2027 examination.

Terms, Conditions, and Testing Integrity

By taking this reviewer, applicants agree to the following strictly enforced terms:

• Confidentiality: All contents, including test items, images, and solutions, must be kept strictly confidential and may not be made available for third-party use.
• Commercial Use: The contents may not be sold or used for any commercial purposes.
• Individual Testing: Taking the test with another person is strictly prohibited.
• Academic Honesty: Engaging in any dishonest activities that affect personal or others' test results is forbidden.
• Consequences: Violation of any of these terms results in disqualification from admission to the University of the Philippines.

UPCAT Structure and Time Allotment

The test is a mini-version consisting of four multiple-choice subtests with separate timing requirements. If a participant finishes a subtest early, they may only review answers within that specific part and cannot use extra time for other subtests.

• 1. Language Proficiency: 24 items; 14 minutes.
• 2. Science: 14 items; 12 minutes.
• 3. Mathematics: 14 items; 16 minutes.
• 4. Reading Comprehension: 24 items; 18 minutes.

Examination Strategy and Scoring Mechanics

• Speed and Accuracy: Work as rapidly as possible without sacrificing accuracy. Do not linger on difficult items; answer easier questions first and return to difficult ones later.
• Guessing Policy: One-fourth ($1/4$) of the total wrong answers will be deducted from the final score.
• Blank Items: There are no deductions for items left blank. It is recommended to leave an item blank unless some options can be eliminated.
• Multiple Answers: Shading more than one option for a single item number is marked as a wrong answer and results in the deduction penalty.
• Shading Requirements: Use heavy and complete shading within the oblong. Incorrect shading (cross marks, check marks, encircling, shading beyond the oblong, or shading too lightly) may cause the answer to be read as blank or wrong. Do not make unnecessary marks on the answer sheet.

Language Proficiency: Grammatical and Contextual Concepts

• Psychological Terminology: Dr. Sigmund Freud identified "parapraxes," commonly known as slips of the tongue or "unconscious" errors. These mistakes are believed to reveal hidden meanings, such as forbidden wishes, hostilities, and fears, demonstrating that the unconscious mind can influence the conscious mind.
• Common Grammatical Errors:
  • In formal usage, criminals were "hanged" (not "hung") when referring to execution by gallows.
  • Redundancy in verb use: The surgeon "requested a scalpel" rather than "requested for a scalpel."
• Idioms and Context:
  • Furnish: To provide or give (e.g., a company furnishing a statement of account).
  • Against the grain: Something that is irritating or contrary to one's natural inclination or custom.
• Sentence Organization: Requires logical flow, such as ordering descriptives: "The student’s blue apartment is painted."
• Reported Speech: Proper tense shifting in indirect discourse (e.g., "The girl assured her brother that she would defeat…" rather than "will defeat").
• Filipino Language Usage:
  • Linguistic Markers: Use of "ukol sa," "para sa," "tungkol sa," and "ayon sa" for specific thematic connections.
  • Vocabulary: "Masaswata" is synonymous with "mapipigilan" (to be stopped/prevented). "Matayog ang lipad ng imahinasyon" refers to someone who is "malikhaing mag-isip" (creative in thinking).

Science: Earth, Life, and Chemical Systems

• Tidal Phenomena: Tides are caused by the centrifugal force of the Earth-Moon system and the gravitational force exerted by the Moon on the Earth’s oceans.
• Volcanology: Volcanic eruptions are influenced by magma viscosity (resistance to flow) and dissolved gas content. An explosive eruption is most likely when magma has high viscosity and a high amount of dissolved gases.
• Hydrology (Rainfall and Runoff): Lag time refers to the delay between peak rainfall and peak river water level increase. In specific models, a peak rainfall followed by a peak water level 2 hours later indicates a 2-hour lag time.
• Plant Physiology: Transpiration (water loss in plants) is most rapid under hot, dry weather conditions.
• Cell Biology: Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells share a cell membrane, DNA (genetic material), and ribosomes (protein synthesis structures). They differ in that prokaryotes lack mitochondria for ATP production.
• Biotechnology: Insulin production in bacteria is achieved by inserting the gene for the protein product into a bacterial plasmid. As the bacteria reproduce, they replicate the genetic material and produce the protein.
• Chemistry:
  • Homogenous Solutions: A solution where the solute is completely dissolved in the solvent, such as $KOH_{(aq)}$.
  • Stoichiometry: In the reaction $2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_{2}O$, 2 moles of $O_2$ reacting with excess hydrogen will produce 4 moles of $H_{2}O$.
  • Gas Laws: According to Avogadro’s law, equal volumes of gases at the same temperature ($0^{\circ}C$) and pressure ($1\,atm$) contain the same number of molecules. Thus, $10^{-1}$ mole of $H_2$, $He$, and $O_2$ will all occupy the same volume ($H_2 = He = O_2$).

Physics: Mechanics, Optics, and Magnetism

• Kinematics: A ball rolled up an incline with constant velocity and dropped from the top follows a specific vertical displacement ($y$) vs. time ($t$) graph reflecting gravitational acceleration after the release.
• Optics: When an upright object is placed between the focal point ($F$) and a thin convex (converging) lens, the resulting image is virtual, erect, and magnified.
• Magnetism: The strongest magnetic field at the center of a four-bar-magnet cross configuration occurs when consistent polarities (e.g., all North or alternating North/South poles) are arranged to concentrate the field lines.

Mathematics: Algebra, Geometry, and Probability

• Scientific Notation Operations: Solving expressions like $\left( \frac{18 \times 10^{-4}}{4 \times 10^{-3}} \right) \times \left( \frac{4 \times 10^{-4}}{5 \times 10^{-3}} \right)$.
• Work Problems: If Archie eats in 30 minutes and Jughead in 10 minutes, their combined rate is $\frac{1}{30} + \frac{1}{10} = \frac{4}{30}$. The time taken together is the reciprocal: $\frac{30}{4} = 7.5\,minutes$.
• Linear Cost Functions: If $C(15) = 25$ and $C(27) = 40$, the slope $m$ is $\frac{40-25}{27-15} = \frac{15}{12} = 1.25$. The cost for 19 pieces is $25 + 1.25(19-15) = 25 + 5 = 30$.
• Arithmetic Progressions: For terms $(3-x)$, $(2x)$, and $(3x+1)$, the common difference $d$ is $(2x) - (3-x) = 3x-3$. Setting this equal to $(3x+1) - (2x) = x+1$ allows solving for $x$.
• Geometry:
  • Circle Angles: If the inscribed angle $\angle BAC$ measures $x^{\circ}$, the central angle $\angle BOC$ is $2x^{\circ}$. In the isosceles triangle $\triangle CBO$, the angle $\angle CBO = 90^{\circ} - x^{\circ}$.
  • Parallel Lines: For $AB \parallel EF$, transversal line angles (like alternate interior or corresponding) are used to find missing values of $x$ based on given angles like $20^{\circ}$ and $95^{\circ}$.
• Probability and Logic:
  • Probability: Calculated as the number of specific outcomes over the total population (e.g., probability of a male smoker from census data).
  • Syllogisms: "All clowns are funny. Some mascots aren’t funny." This implies that some mascots cannot be clowns, though some mascots could potentially be clowns if they fall within the "funny" category.

Reading Comprehension: Historical and Cultural Analysis

• Bamboo Metaphor: Represents life as flexible, open-ended, and enduring, bridging the older generation (dreams/stability) and the younger generation (visions/progress). It emphasizes that youth and age must work together to create history.
• Democracy and Ethics (Poetry): The ballot box is described as a "throne" where the poor and the rich, the weak and the strong, are leveled. The "power in my right hand" refers to the unpurchasable right to vote used to redress wrongs.
• The Filipino Comfort Women:
  • Historical context: Women were taken from unprotected peripheries during the Japanese occupation.
  • Moral lesson: Their bravery in facing public ridicule forces society to confront "the beast," defined as the evil or desire for power in the human heart. The powerless victim often preserves more humanity than the abuser of power.
• Philippine Biodiversity (The Banog/Philippine Eagle):
  • Characteristics: Also known as haribon, manaol, garuda, or malabagook; has bluish-gray eyes and stands $1.021\,m$ tall.
  • Conservation: It is an endangered species due to deforestation (logging and kaingin). Republic Act No. 6147 protects it. Foundation efforts resulted in successfully bred eagles named Pag-asa (1992), Pagkakaisa (1992), and Pangarap (1999).
• Educational Data Analysis: Graphs comparing English and Filipino usage in science subjects (Life Science, Physics, Earth Science, etc.) show that students often score differently depending on the language of instruction, providing data for language-in-education policy reforms.