After a consistent hardwork beyond the call of duty, the College of Education, Arts and Sciences (CEDAS) community of Cor Jesu College marked May 19 red-letter day as one of its graduates topped the March edition of the 2023 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT).
Nieky Mae B. Gumera, a Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Sciences graduate notched the 3rd spot of the most coveted Top Ten, out of 48,005 (46.94%) secondary teachers who passed the examination out of 102,272 takers. Gumera, who graduated Magna Cum Laude on March 2023 got a rating of 94.00 in General Education, 90.00 in Professional Education, and 94.00 in her Major, with an average of 92.40%.
THE SCHOOL’S TOTAL PERFORMANCE
Institutionally, the 13 hopefuls from the elementary program marked a 100% passing rate while out of 116 secondary education program graduates, 106 (91.38%) hurdled the licensure feat.
The March 2023 takers of the Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers were the pioneers of the K to 12 Curriculum program.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Gumera elicited the feeling of excitement when someone talked about being a topnotcher. She said she remembered how sleepless and tired she was from reading books cover to cover. “I remembered my grandparents’ faces and how badly I wanted to make them proud,” she mentioned.
Aside from the review given by the school and the review center, she also invested in her review materials, health, and spirituality. “I collected good review materials as many as I could and I see to it that I sleep before 12 and have at least 6 hours of sleep to be functional. If it is really necessary, like I have an examination the next day, it is only then that I would sleep for only two hours,” the Top 3 shared.
However, when the board exam day was fast approaching, she decided to sleep lesser than usual to cover everything that she needed to study. “I also did not forget to go to church every Sunday. I always prayed for God’s guidance and grace when I was studying. I also went to Simala Shrine in Cebu to ask for a miracle from Mama Mary and help me become a topnotcher,” Nieky reiterated.
“While I was taking the examination, I really tried my best to calm myself. Fortunately, I was not that nervous that day. I never knew why I felt that way but there was never a time that I became hysterical over an unfamiliar question,” Gumera recollected.
She also evoked, “I just followed the elimination method. I already knew that I could write anything on the test questionnaire. When I read the stem questions, I used to circle and underline important details like positives, negatives, and double negatives such as the words “NOT”, “NEVER”, “LEAST LIKELY”, “MOST LIKELY”, etc. I also look for clues and highlight them and base my answer on it.”
As an advice to future LEPT takers, Gumera pointed out to start as early as they can. “I am fortunate that the school has two semesters for the review and I also enrolled twice in the review center because PRC did not allow us to take the LEPT last October 2022. If we sum it up, I reviewed for the LEPT for almost two years. Set a goal and work for it. Look for good quality materials and don’t forget to pray,” she called to mind.
What’s next to Nieky Mae Gumera, Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Sciences, Magna Cum Laude, and Top 3 in March 2023 LEPT? She excitedly shared, “Ever since I became a topnotcher, I received numerous doors of opportunities. I decided to teach in my Alma Mater, Cor Jesu College, to help young educators like me to be successful in their studies and board exam. I am also planning to take a science-related master’s degree this year.”
THE SCHOOL’S LEPT PREPARATION
For quite sometime, Cor Jesu College’s LET Coordinator, Dr. Anna Liza C. Cerbo has consistently facilitated the LET Review to graduating Education students through Educ 11A and Educ 11B, offered in the first and second semester in their senior year. This review subject, Competency and Skills Enhancement, which covers three areas, namely, Professional Education, Specialization, and General Education has been conducted by pool of experts from within Cor Jesu College that Dr. Cerbo organized.
“We are not a review school and our program is purely a three-unit subject, and when we say a subject, that should simply be a little of lecture and a little of test,” the LET Coordinator remarked. “But I really made a strategy that it would turn out into a review subject. So, it is really something beyond the call of duty,” she added.
“As to the quality of the content, the students have the leeway to check as a self-review and I find it to be effective for after all they are the ones who are taking the examination,” Dr. Cerbo expounded.
Doctor Cerbo pointed out while still in the review subject, the students are already trained to decipher the correct answers to the questions and rationalize their legitimacy as correct answers. “This I believe is a practical strategy to retain for students to work on,” she advised.
The next batch of examinees is getting ready for the September 2023 edition of the Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers.
