ZAYRA Blanche Correos did not expect to land in the top ten; she did not even know the exam results were already out.
So when Correos, a BS Psychology graduate of Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, woke up on the morning of September 6, she could not contain her excitement and happiness when she discovered that the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) had announced the passers of the 2016 Psychometrician Licensure Examination at exactly 12 a.m.
A psychometrician is a person (as a clinical psychologist) who administers and interprets objective psychological tests.
The exam was given by the Board of Psychology last August 30 and 31 in different test centers in the country including Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro city.
Out of the 7,312 exam takers, only 3,690 passed all over the Philippines.
Correos ranked ninth.
"I was very shocked. I didn't know that the exam results were already out since I was fast asleep during the time of the release. When I woke up in the morning, I wondered why I received so many text messages and it was only then that I found out that I made it to the top ten. I was in complete disbelief," Correos said.
Correos had graduated last March and proceeded to take the Psychometrician Board Exam along with 115 fellow Xavier students.
She and some of her classmates then spent a few months to review at Peak Review center where Correos was awarded as the top student for the Psychometrician Pre-board exam.
"Psychology always had a place in my heart even when I was still in high school. I have always been intrigued by it and I believe that it is truly an interesting subject to take. Upon entering college, the primary reason I took psychology as a course was that I knew that it could help me understand myself more and I knew that I wouldn't regret taking it," Correos said as she shared her enthusiasm in the field she chose.
She sees her family as her greatest inspiration for her most recent achievement, in fact, in the phone call between her and her parents right after she knew of the results, she recalls hearing her mother cry over the phone.
She thinks a lot of her success also came from the dedication of her school to give them a thorough knowledge of Psychology.
"My parents have always been my inspiration in a lot of things. And, everything I do and every achievement that I accomplish is always for them. I want nothing more in life than to make them happy and proud. On the other hand, I do believe that our training in Xavier was very helpful. I owe a lot of what I know about psychology to my professors at XU. They have always been there to guide us and support us and without them, I would not have achieved anything like this," she said.
Like so many Psychology graduates in the country, Correos also went through so much stress and anxiety in the few months before taking the exams. Correos overcame all these by keeping her optimism and relying on her strong faith in God.
"Just like any other student, I did my best to study for the four subjects in the exam. I told myself that I needed to finish reading a book for each subject. However, I was only able to finish 2 books out of the 4 subjects. I was already cramming for the other 2 subjects days before the exam. Apart from that, I kept going back to the church to pray for the exam,” she said.
“I knew that with faith in God, I could pass the exam," Correos added.
Now that Correos has finally aced one of the biggest test of in her field, she can only see more good things in the future.
She sees her degree in Psychology opening many doors for her since it is a very flexible course.
"Flexible in the sense that I can pursue several other professions such as being a teacher, a guidance counselor, a human resource manager, a doctor, a lawyer, and so much more. I, however, do not really have any concrete plans as to what to do next but I am open to a lot of things such as either looking for a job or maybe pursue higher education like post-graduate studies," she said.
Her only message to her fellow psychology majors, graduates, and future Psychometrician Board exam takers is to always remain positive and to have faith in what one is doing and in God.
"Always believe in yourself. Never think that you will fail the exam. Anyone can achieve anything as long as he/she just puts his/her mind and heart into it. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Remember that faith in God propels you to pass the board exams. You shouldn't just prepare yourself mentally but emotionally and spiritually as well. Ika nga, do your best and God will do the rest."
"I found the exam really difficult and I was only praying to God that I did enough in the exam to get a passing score,” she said.
“He gave me so much more,” she said.