OVER 2,800 applicants comprise the batch that will take the first UST Entrance Test (USTET) in two years at the Sampaloc campus on Sunday, Oct. 23, the Office for Admissions (OFAD) said.
OFAD Director Assoc. Prof. Imelda Dakis told the Varsitarian that these applicants would take their exams in rooms that had been retrofitted and cleared for use by academic units and the Facilities Management Office.
Only 20 examinees will be accommodated per room to ensure that health protocols would be followed during the exams. The number is half of the number of examinees per room in the pre-pandemic USTET setup.
The testing sites at the Sampaloc campus are the Main Building, Roque Ruaño Building, Albertus Magnus Building, Benavides Building, Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, and St. Raymund Peñafort Building.
Gates will be opened from 5 a.m. until 7 a.m. for the morning session and from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. for the afternoon session.
Applicants must enter the University through the following gates, depending on the building they are assigned to:
España
- Gate 1 – Roque Ruaño Building
- Gate 2 – Main Building, Albertus Magnus Building
- Gate 6 – Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building
Dapitan
- Gate 10 – Benavides Building
- Gate 11 – St. Raymund Peñafort Building
Dakis said the University had received 13,485 college applications nationwide, or about 33 percent of the projected 40,000 applications for this year, in the first month of the online applications for the USTET.
The USTET for this application year was first administered in two provincial testing centers: at the Naga Parochial School (Oct. 8) and at UST Legazpi (Oct. 9).
The OFAD administered the exam to 81 applicants at the Naga Parochial School, while 124 applicants took the USTET at the UST Legazpi Gymnasium.
Provincial testing center protocols
Dakis said the same health protocols as those in UST Manila were implemented . However, provincial testing centers were allowed to accommodate more examinees in each room, depending on the venue size.
“An example is in UST Legazpi, where the exam was held in their gymnasium, and for Angelicum Iloilo, the [number of examinees] will be 30 per room because they have big rooms. Before we allow the change though, we ensure first that the minimum health standards and appropriate testing conditions will be observed,” Dakis said.
Vaccinated and unvaccinated applicants will be allowed to take the exam.
Suspected Covid-19 positive examinees and those exhibiting symptoms on their exam date will be isolated and brought home. They may coordinate with the OFAD for the rescheduling of their exam.
The University could also postpone the test dates should a surge in Covid-19 cases occur in Metro Manila and other testing centers, the UST Health Service earlier said.
The USTET applications will be open until Jan. 6, 2023 for college and senior high school and until Nov. 18 for the Learning-Enhanced Accelerated Program for Medicine (LEAPMed) program.
The admissions office held another “information session” for college and senior high applicants on Oct. 22. Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta
