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Formulas & Strategies

Every formula the exams expect, 23 lecture lessons, the solving techniques that beat the clock, and per-exam battle plans. Formulas are free for everyone — lectures, strategies, and exam pointers come with any purchase.

🧮 Essential Formulas Free

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Algebra & Linear Equations

All exams · MPASS Folder 5 & 9

Slope-intercept form

y = mx + b

m = slope, b = y-intercept

Slope between two points

m = (y₂ − y₁) / (x₂ − x₁)

x₂ = x₁ → vertical line, slope undefined

Quadratic formula

x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / (2a)

for ax² + bx + c = 0

Direct variation

y = kx

k = constant of variation

Inverse variation

y = k / x

k = x · y, and x ≠ 0

📐

Geometry

UPCAT · USTET · ACET · DCAT

Area of a circle

A = πr²

Circumference

C = 2πr

Area of a triangle

A = ½ · b · h

Pythagorean theorem

a² + b² = c²

right triangles only

Polygon interior angles

S = (n − 2) × 180°

n = number of sides

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Trigonometry

All exams · MPASS Folder 8

SOH

sin θ = opposite / hypotenuse

CAH

cos θ = adjacent / hypotenuse

TOA

tan θ = opposite / adjacent

Pythagorean identity

sin²θ + cos²θ = 1

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Statistics & Probability

Heavy in DCAT (own subtest) · UPCAT · USTET · AdUCET · ACET

Mean (average)

x̄ = Σx / n

Probability of an event

P(A) = favorable outcomes / total outcomes

Sample standard deviation

s = √( Σ(xᵢ − x̄)² / (n − 1) )

advanced — DCAT's Statistics subtest

Percentage

Part = Whole × Rate

Percent change

(New − Old) / Old × 100%

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Business Math, Money & Age

ACET favorite · CSC word problems

Simple interest

I = P · r · t

principal × rate × time

Compound interest

A = P(1 + r/n)^(n·t)

advanced — n = compounds per year

Profit

Profit = Revenue − Cost

Discounted price

Price − (Price × Discount rate)

Distance

d = r · t

distance = rate × time

Age problems

now: x · n years ago: x − n · in n years: x + n

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Physics Essentials

DCAT (conceptual physics) · UPCAT · USTET Science

Average velocity

v = Δx / Δt

Δx = displacement; total distance ÷ time is average speed

Acceleration

a = (v_f − vᵢ) / t

v_f = final, vᵢ = initial velocity

Newton's 2nd law

F = m · a

Kinematics (no distance)

v_f = vᵢ + a·t

Work

W = F · d · cos θ

Potential energy

PE = m · g · h

g ≈ 9.8 m/s²

Kinetic energy

KE = ½ · m · v²

Ohm's law

V = I · R

Density

ρ = m / V

∫

Basic Calculus

USTET Mathematics

Power rule

d/dx (xⁿ) = n · xⁿ⁻¹

Constant rule

d/dx (c) = 0

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Sets, Polynomials & Factoring

MPASS Folders 6-7 · UPCAT · ACET Algebra

Union count

n(A ∪ B) = n(A) + n(B) − n(A ∩ B)

inclusion-exclusion

Difference of squares

a² − b² = (a − b)(a + b)

Perfect square trinomial

(a ± b)² = a² ± 2ab + b²

Sum of cubes

a³ + b³ = (a + b)(a² − ab + b²)

Difference of cubes

a³ − b³ = (a − b)(a² + ab + b²)

🏛️

CSC Numerical Shortcuts

CSC Professional & Sub-Professional

Work together

1/T = 1/t₁ + 1/t₂

add RATES, never times

Average → total

Total = Average × Count

unlocks missing-number items

Mixture price

(q₁p₁ + q₂p₂) / (q₁ + q₂)

Ratio parts

one part = total ÷ (sum of ratio parts)

Successive % change

net = a + b + (a·b)/100

+10% then −10% = −1%

Price before VAT

P = final ÷ 1.12

divide, don't subtract 12% · assumes the 12% PH VAT rate

🧠 Problem-Solving Strategies With any purchase

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Science

Dimensional analysis (unit tracking)

Forgot the formula? Read the units of the answer choices. If they're in m/s, you must divide a distance by a time. The units alone often reveal the operation.

Keyword association

Biology and Earth Science are memorization games. Ma…

Draw it out

For kinematics and mechanics (DCAT loves these), ske…

🗣️

Language & Grammar

The 'blank' strategy

On fill-in-the-blank items, cover the choices, read …

Roots, prefixes, suffixes

mal- = bad, bene- = good, -ology = study of. A handf…

Tone elimination

Unknown word in a sentence? Decide if the sentence f…

The 'ear' test

Read the sentence silently in your head. Subject-ver…

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Reading Comprehension

Read the questions first

Prime your brain with what to hunt for — names, date…

First & last sentence rule

The main idea lives in the first and last sentences …

Beware extreme language

Choices with 'always', 'never', 'all', or 'must' are…

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Abstract Reasoning & Mental Ability

One element at a time

Don't stare at the whole figure. Track ONE feature (…

The 15-second rule

ACET once gave 25 pattern items in 5 minutes. Never …

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CSC-Specific

Analogy bridges

State the relationship as a sentence first — 'a ther…

Clerical speed: file as one word

Alphabetizing? Write surnames as unbroken words (DEL…

Filipino items: master the pairs

nang/ng, din/rin, daw/raw, may/mayroon — the same ha…

Gen-Info: know the numbers

SALN: 30 days in, April 30 yearly. Martial law: 60 d…

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Test-Day Habits

Answer everything — where safe

Check each exam's scoring first (see the pointers be…

Skip and return

Hard question? Mark it and move on. Momentum on easy…

Bring momentum, not cramming

The night before is for sleep, your kit (IDs, pencil…

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Strategies unlock with any reviewer or bundle purchase — pick any exam to get the full playbook.

Unlock →

📚 Lecture Modules First lesson free

23 lessons written for the cadetship exams — read these before you drill. Learn the method first, then prove it on the questions.

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Math Shortcuts

6 lessons

PMA · PNPA · PMMA · MAAP

Entrance exams reward speed, not elegance. These are the shortcuts that turn a 90-second problem into a 15-second one.

1.Percentages without a calculator

Almost every percentage question on a cadetship exam can be done in your head if you break the percent into pieces you already know. Find 10% first — just move the decimal one place left — then build everything else from it.

This works because percentages are additive. 35% is simply 10% + 10% + 10% + 5%, and 5% is half of 10%. Nobody needs long multiplication for that.

Worked example

What is 35% of 240?

10% of 240 = 24
30% = 3 × 24 = 72
5% = half of 24 = 12
35% = 72 + 12 = 84

10% → move the decimal one place left
5% → half of 10%
1% → move the decimal two places left
x% of y always equals y% of x — 18% of 50 is easier as 50% of 18 = 9

2.The Pythagorean triples you must memorise🔒

Right-triangle questions appear in every cadetship exam — as ladders, as ships changing co… Unlock →

3.Work and rate problems🔒

The classic trap: two people finish a job in 6 hours and 3 hours, so together they take 4.… Unlock →

4.Averages hide totals🔒

Whenever a question mentions an average, immediately convert it into a total by multiplyin… Unlock →

5.Ratios: find one part first🔒

A ratio splits a total into equal parts. Add the ratio numbers to get the number of parts,… Unlock →

6.Reading the question twice🔒

The most common lost mark in cadetship math is not a calculation error — it is answering a… Unlock →

✍️

English & Communication

5 lessons

PMA · PNPA · PMMA · MAAP

Grammar rules that actually appear, vocabulary strategy, and how to read a passage under time pressure.

1.Subject-verb agreement: ignore the interrupter🔒

Exam writers hide the subject behind a phrase to see whether you can still find it. 'The s… Unlock →

2.The word pairs that decide marks🔒

A small set of confusable pairs accounts for most vocabulary-in-context errors. Learn thes… Unlock →

3.Dangling modifiers🔒

When a sentence opens with an -ing phrase, the very next noun must be the one doing that a… Unlock →

4.Vocabulary by word roots🔒

You cannot memorise every word, but you can decode most of them. Cadetship exams draw heav… Unlock →

5.Reading comprehension under time pressure🔒

Do not read the passage carefully first. Read the QUESTIONS first, then scan the passage f… Unlock →

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Science Essentials

6 lessons

PNPA · PMMA · MAAP

The physics, chemistry, and earth science concepts that cadetship exams return to year after year.

1.Newton's three laws, in plain language🔒

Nearly every physics item on these exams reduces to one of the three laws. Learn them as s… Unlock →

2.Why steel ships float🔒

Steel is far denser than water, so a solid steel block sinks. Yet ships float, and the rea… Unlock →

3.Pressure, and what changes with depth🔒

Pressure is force spread over an area, measured in pascals. Underwater, pressure rises ste… Unlock →

4.Heat, energy, and conversions🔒

Energy is never created or destroyed, only converted — and some always escapes as heat. Th… Unlock →

5.Earth science for archipelagic exams🔒

Philippine exams lean heavily on the country's own geography and hazards. The Pacific Ring… Unlock →

6.Chemistry you actually need🔒

The chemistry on these exams is basic and highly repetitive. Master the pH scale, the stat… Unlock →

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Abstract, Spatial & Mechanical Reasoning

6 lessons

PMA (SPMA) · PMMA · MAAP · PNPA

The sections nobody teaches. A repeatable checklist for figure series, matrices, folding, and mechanical diagrams.

1.A checklist for every figure series🔒

Figure questions feel like guesswork until you have a fixed order of checks. Run this list… Unlock →

Civil Service Examination — Sub-Professional Level

📋 Format

165 items, 2 hours 40 minutes. Verbal (with spelling), Numer…

⏱️ Pacing

~58 seconds per item. Clerical items are free points at spee…

🧮 Scoring

Passing is 80%. Spelling and clerical accuracy are where pas…

🎯 Focus

Alphabetizing rules ('file as one word', 'nothing before som…

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The full CSC Sub-Professional battle plan comes with the CSC Sub-Professional reviewer (₱999) or its bundle.

Unlock →

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