Words by Jerika Danielle Clemente
Engr. Joseph Lawrence G. Celeste is the November 2022 Civil Engineering Board Exam Top 3 and is a fresh Summa Cum Laude graduate of BS Civil Engineering from the University of the Philippines – Diliman (UPD).
According to him, Civil Engineering is a broad field that offers a wide range of interconnected specializations and involves computations that lead to the building of real-world structures. It became his vision to someday use his analytical and problem-solving skills to design and construct safe, sustainable, and cost-effective structures. This myriad of specialization choices filtered through the lenses of his vision and new-found passion eventually led him to pursue the structural engineering career path.
And while he believes that acing the board exam does not entitle anyone to anything, he knew that doing so may direct opportunities towards his way. This is why, more than the recognition a board exam topnotcher gets, the prospect of better opportunities ahead became his main motivation while studying for the board exam. That, together with the all-out support and understanding of his partner, Eliza, and his family members, of course! Eventually, three months of blood, sweat, and tears resulted in his 93.95% score in the recently concluded CE Board Exam, giving him the hard-earned and well-deserved third place!
But ladies and gents, motivations are just the tip of the iceberg. What you do with those motivations makes all the difference!
So, how did Engr. Joseph Celeste go from a reviewee to a topnotcher? According to him, it only took three steps or stages, thanks to Kippap’s three-step program:
- REVIEW
- Have access to high-quality and repeatable lecture videos in the comfort of your own home and review at your own pace.
- These cover intensive discussions on the theories, principles, and problems usually found on the boards. And you can rest assured that the curriculum is always up to date for the next board exam!
- Utilize an open chat line wherein you can consult with your instructors anytime you have a question on any topic.
- Get mentoring opportunities from previous CE board topnotchers and experience how Kippap instructors and reviewers help pull each other up in their review journey.
- If you’re not a fan of remote online learning, they also offer face-to-face reviews in their La Union branch!
- REFRESHER
- Attend live zoom lectures every weekday (7-9 PM) to validate what you’ve learned during the main review.
- Instructors discuss solutions to board exam-level questions presented to you prior to the live zoom classes.
- These are also recorded so you can watch them at a later date!
- FINAL COACHING
- One week before the board exam, your instructors will give proven and tested exam tips and strategies.
- Hear more about personal experiences and gain exclusive insights from the topnotchers themselves.
- Miscellaneous topics like answering erroneous questions, calculator techniques, COSH terms, and more will be covered!
Engr. Joseph can attest to the quality of Kippap’s three-step program so much so that he decided to join their elite line-up of instructors. And if this three-step program helped him go from being a reviewer to a board exam topnotcher and now a Kippap instructor for structural subjects, I’m sure it will work wonders in helping you realize and reach your full potential too!
What else can we learn from Engr. Joseph’s journey to becoming a topnotcher? Well, here are a few tips from the man himself for all of you aspiring CE Board Exam reviewers:
- Equip your mind with the things that keep you going
- This is an important tip since the board exam is almost entirely a mental battle. Remember the TEA principle: your Thoughts will affect your Emotions which in turn will affect your Actions!
- Have an initial survey of all your undergraduate major courses
- To maximize your review, immediately determine which topics you must review from the foundational basics (zero-based approach) and which ones only need a little recall and practice.
Kippap’s well-segmented and organized video lectures and review materials give you the freedom and flexibility to determine which topics you want to focus more on.
- Study the past board exams & analyze the trends in the recent board exams
- Some, if not most of the questions, tend to be recurring in the exam. So having that familiarity with past board exam questions will guarantee you some extra points. You might want to check out Certbolt for study guides.
Insider scoop: In the past few editions of the board exams, Kippap was able to successfully anticipate new topics to appear in the very unpredictable Mathematics, Surveying and Transportation Engineering (MSTE) subject.
- Familiarize, familiarize and familiarize!
- The CE board exam covers a wide range of topics, so as much as possible, you must be familiar with all of the concepts and formulas – make sure no topic is left behind!
Kippap’s thoroughly planned and organized curriculum is always up to date and no topic essential to the board exam will ever be missed!
- Practice diligently & never get tired of the basics
- Practice answering questions right after familiarizing yourself with the concepts to help strengthen what you learned.
- The effort you exert in familiarizing yourself with the topics should be doubled when you practice answering questions. Remember, the exam is all about answering a lot of questions and not about watching lecture videos or reading learning materials.
- To skip reviewing or practicing for certain topics because they’ve become easy, boring or repetitive for you should be avoided as you might forget how to answer them under pressure during the actual exam. Remember, how you practice for the exam is how you will perform during the actual exam!
In Kippap, the board exam-level questions given prior to the refresher classes will prompt you to practice more, helping you establish a review-practice discipline and routine in your review journey!
- Avoid doing last-minute reviews of new topics that are algorithmic in nature
- Ideally, 2 months before the actual exam, you have already mastered almost everything computational in the board exam that you can. Topics that are algorithmic in nature require consistent practice beforehand, that’s why cramming them isn’t recommended especially if you’re not used to last-minute reviews.
- Utilize the “looks familiar” method
When it comes to conceptual terms, their appearance in the board exam is very unpredictable and it’s impractical to memorize them since there are a lot of them to begin with. By simply encountering them repeatedly days before the board exam, you develop a certain familiarity with them that will increase your chances of recalling them during the actual board exam.
- Rest, rest and rest!
A week or two before the actual board exam, rest your body aside from winding down your review to just simple browsing of terms with less practice solving. Engr. Joseph recommends avoiding going out and to catch up on your zzz’s instead.
Now, those are just a few tips from one topnotcher, imagine getting more tips and mentorship from seven of them! Being equipped with these tips and enrolling to Kippap will definitely take you one step closer to acing the board exam in just five to six months. So, what are you waiting for? Kippap Learning Corporation is now accepting reviewers for the April 2023 Civil Engineering Board Exam (starting January 2, 2023)! After that, the next cohort will start on May 1, 2023 for the November 2023 Civil Engineering Board Exam.
Like Engr. Joseph, give Kippap a chance, and you just might be the next CE Board Exam Topnotcher.
To know more about their packages, instructors, and three-step program:
Facebook: Kippap Education
Youtube: Kippap Education
Instagram: @kippap.live
Website: https://www.kippap.com/
But wait, there’s more! Kippap not only helps CE board exam takers reach their goals, soon they’ll be helping high school students reach their dream universities as well. So, inform your friends and family because early next year, Kippap High School’s wheels will hit the road!
