DARAGA: Bicol University (BU) posted a 100 percent passing rate, including an alumna in the top 10, as the pioneer BS Psychology batch made waves in the August 2024 Psychometricians Licensure Examination..
As per the results released by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) on Monday, Thea Marie Sales led BU’s 33 first-time takers, registering a score of 85.40 to be among the 10th placers.
Chiqui Castro-Patio of Holy Angel University-Pampanga led all passers with a grade of 88.
A total of 7,478 out of 10,717 passed the board exam held Aug. 11 and 12 at PRC testing centers in Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu and Davao.
In an interview on Tuesday, Sales said she did not expect to land in the top 10.
“I found the psychological assessment and industrial-organizational psychology so difficult to the point that I thought I was not going to reach the cutoff score for these subjects and ultimately fail the board exam,” she said.
The licensure exam’s other three topics were developmental psychology, psychologic
al assessment and abnormal psychology.
She credited her strong support system and the “bahala na” (whatever will be, will be) mindset, which she said was made famous by one of the pioneers of psychology in the Philippines, Dr. Alfredo Lagmay.
“Throughout the review season and the actual board exam, I adopted the bahala na attitude. When I encountered something I didn’t understand, I accepted my limitations without frustration. Even when I made mistakes in drills, I didn’t dwell on them because I knew they would be valuable lessons later,” she recalled.
“Reflecting on Lagmay’s concept, I realized that this approach was not about resignation or passivity towards fate. Instead, I chose to surrender what I couldn’t control to prayer, trusting in a greater power, because I knew I had done everything possible to prepare for the Board Licensure Examination for Psychometricians. I fought hard where I could, and where I couldn’t, I trusted that God would take care of the rest,” she added.
Sales said topping the bo
ard exam was a mere icing on the cake.
“Being a topnotcher is just a bonus. What truly matters to me is earning our license, as it means increasing the number of mental health professionals, which will make services more accessible here in Bicol,” she said.
Source: Philippines News agency