THE UNIVERSITY dominated the professional licensure examinations for teachers, certified public accountants (CPAs), and interior designers last October, but figured dismally in the Electrical Engineering board examinations last September.
Leland Adriano Alejandro, a Bachelor of Arts – Bachelor of Secondary Education (AB-BSE) graduate from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, ranked sixth in the secondary level teachers’ exams with a 90 per cent mark, while Kathlyn Mediante Sta. Maria, also an AB-BSE graduate, tied for ninth place with four other examinees from different schools.
UST topped the 300 to 499 examinees category of the secondary level exams, posting a 92.67 per cent passing rate as 278 of the 300 Thomasians who took the exams passed.
Meanwhile, 25 out of 26 examinees passed in the elementary level teachers’ exams, for a 96.15 per cent passing rate.
The national passing rate in the elementary exams was 29.22 per cent as 17,377 of the 59,457 students who took the exams passed. In the secondary level exams, 32.44 per cent or 7,290 of the 53,303 examinees passed. Both national passing rates increased from last year’s 27.50 per cent and 25.39 per cent averages in the elementary and secondary level exams, respectively.
In the CPA exams, Accountancy summa cum laude Smith Lim placed fourth with a 90.14 per cent mark, tying with a student of the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Diana Rose Cue and Jessamyn Domingo tied with four other examinees for seventh place after posting a 89.57 per cent average.
UST placed first in the 100 or more category after registering a 74.3 per cent passing rate as 159 of the 214 Thomasians passed. However, the passing rate dropped from last year’s 86 per cent average.
The national passing rate decreased to 24.57 per cent from last year’s 25.18 passing rate as only 1,597 of 6,499 examinees hurdled the exams this year.
In the Interior Design examinations, Thomasians Patricia Grace Hamoy (85.85 per cent), Monica Joy Cordero (83.45 per cent) Charissa Castaneda (82.80 per cent), and Eugenia Camille David (81.65 per cent) placed third, sixth, seventh, and tenth, respectively.
UST placed second after registering a 45 per cent passing rate as 25 of the 56 Thomasians passed. However, the passing rate slightly dropped from last year’s 52 per cent average.
The national passing rate for this year’s exam also decreased to 31 per cent from last year’s 43 per cent, as only 57 of 183 examinees passed.
Lowest in five years
In the Electrical Engineering (EE) Licensure Examination, UST posted its lowest performance in five years when its passing rate dropped from 94 per cent last year to 69 per cent this year. Only 57 of the 83 Thomasian examinees passed, led by third-ranked Mark Anthony Corpuz, who registered an 89.40 per cent average.
The national passing rate also declined from 45 per cent last year to 41.02 per cent this year after 2,132 of the 5,198 examinees passed the board exam.
Despite the low passing rate, the University still ranked number one over-all in the 50 and above examinees category, although the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) does not recognize such distinction.
“PRC only commends those universities that have an 80 per cent passing rate in the board exam,” EE department head Danilo Guinto told the Varsitarian. “It was unfortunate that although we have maintained the number one position in the board exam, we failed to reach the required 80 per cent mark of the PRC.”
Meanwhile, Edwin Juanito Alonzo ranked 10th in the Master Electrician examination after posting an 83 per cent passing rate.
The University’s passing rate, however, dropped slightly to 88 per cent from last year’s 95 per cent. A.T. Elumba, K.J. Liu, R.S. Mejia and L.J. D. Postrado
