THE ATENEO administration has introduced a “refreshed version” of the Ateneo College Entrance Test (ACET) into the list of application requirements for SY 2023–2024, following a two-year suspension of the exam amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ACET was administered onsite in three batches: the first being on October 29 and the second on November 5 to 6, 2022. The third batch is scheduled to take the test this Saturday, January 21.
“We would have thought fewer people would apply, but instead the number increased. […] I can’t give you numbers, but this is the largest number of applicants in seven years,” Office of Admission and Aid (OAA) Director Jose Maria Ed Tirol added.
Referred to as the “refreshed version” of the examination, the ACET has been modified to better align with the current K-12 curriculum. According to the OAA, such content changes were made to ensure accuracy and relevance, especially in the reading comprehension and vocabulary sections.
Among the applicants, those with the most outstanding test results and credentials will be granted admission as Loyola Schools (LS) students. Above all, the ACET will serve as the main determinant in the OAA’s deliberations on which aspirants to accept, which will be done in February.
Adapting to changes
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the OAA spent the past two application years employing a process called “Zero ACET” as a means of assessing students from the thousands of LS applicants. ‘Zero ACET” was the alternative to the usual process that involved an examination, instead assessing applicants on their historical data, including their high school grades, ranking, and extracurricular activities.
While the process was thoroughly evaluated and designed to reveal the top-performing applicants throughout the course of the pandemic, Tirol admitted that conducting the ACET onsite is still “a more accurate measure of determining if the applicants really qualified for Ateneo.”
Tirol also explained current changes to the exam, “When we say refreshed, […] it’s a better measure of the K-12 curriculum. We even study what type of tests are created under K-12. So that’s how we adopted the ACET also […] and it’s shorter by 15 to 20 minutes.”
Moreover, Tirol shared that the OAA began planning for the ACET’s return in 2021, envisioning its return once COVID-19 restrictions eased.
In line with these preparations, Tirol shared that the OAA adjusted how they facilitated the exam based on the current COVID-19 Alert Level System protocols to keep all test takers safe. As such, since the October and November 2022 tests were conducted while Metro Manila was under Alert Level 1, it was no longer required for the applicants to do a temperature check or to show their vaccination cards.
However, the OAA still ensured that each testing site would have an open infirmary for the takers who may need medical assistance. A doctor was also on standby in the Ateneo Grade School and Junior High School buildings during the examination.
Examinees were advised to “not come if they are not feeling well” or if they showed symptoms of COVID-19 such as severe fever, body aches, headaches, and cough. Despite the national mandate on the optional use of face masks, Tirol highlighted that wearing these was still mandatory when taking the ACET.
On turnout and results
Contrary to the OAA’s expectations, the number of applicants this year increased compared to those from the previous years.
For instance, two batches were held to accommodate the more than 7,000 ACET takers who took their exams at the Loyola Heights campus.
There were also thousands of applicants in different parts of the country, thus prompting the OAA to identify 18 Provincial Testing Centers (PTCs) that were “most likely ready to hold a face-to-face entrance exam.” These PTCs were opened up in provinces like Pampanga, Bulacan, Batangas, Zamboanga, Davao, Palawan, Tuguegarao, and General Santos, among others.
According to the office, the results will be released sometime in May 2023.
