MindGym Philippines

Here’s more for Math majors from Glenn Gilongos.  Other majors can learn by doing these drills, too.  Answers below.

1.  How many minutes after 2:07 pm will the hands of the clock form 126 degrees for the first time?

2.  A can do a job in 8 hrs while B can do the same in 10 hrs. A has already worked for 1 hr when B came and together they worked for another 40 mins. A left B, how many more minutes will B finish the remaining work?

3.  Find the equation of the line that passes thru pt (8,6) that will make the triangle (formed by the line and the positive x and y axes) with the minimum area.

4.  Find the domain and range: y = sqrt(12 + x – x^2)

5.  What is the area bounded by y = x^2 + 4 and y = 20?

Answers to September 18 drills:

1.  42
2.  117/125
3.  22
4.  (2x^4 – 3y^6 + 5x^2y^3)(2x^4 – 3y^6 – 5x^2y^3)
5.  4 2/3 days

Answers to the above drills:

1.  26 9/11 mins
2.  435 mins
3.  x/16 + y/12 = 1
4.  domain is [-3, 4] and range is [0, 7/2]
5.  256/3 sq units

***

We’re now offering an online-based LET review. Click here to know more.

For Math majors, this should be easy.  Glenn compiled these for you.

1.  How many ways can you rearrange the letters of the word wizards if the consonants should be arranged alphabetically but not necessarily together?

2.  If sin x = 3/5 and x is in Q2, find the value of sin 3x

3.  What is the maximum possible number of regions of the circle formed by 6 intersecting lines in a circle?

4.  Factor: 4x^8 – 37x^4y^6 + 9y^12

5.  12 kgms of rice can be consumed by 4 persons in 2 days. At the start, there are 20 kgms of rice and 4 persons. After 1 day, 2 persons leave, how many more days will the remaining kgms or rice last?

Answers to September 17 drills:

1.   5/16
2.   (x^2 + 2 + 2x)(x^2 + 2 – 2x)
3.   y is not equal to -2/3
4.   15 + 5sqrt3 cm
5.   6 and 28

Here’s another set of Math questions to work with:

by Glenn Gilongos

Almost every education student dreamt to be a PRC board exam topnotcher someday and I am one of those students who had a great thirst to top the 2005 LET. I made it first  place in the 2005 LET out of more than 129,000 examinees nationwide, with a record breaking rate of 93.4%). Here are some of tips and secrets about how what I did and how you too could make this seemingly “Mission Impossible” feat achievable

1. Accumulate as many reviewers as you can.

I can’t remember the number of  reviewers I had back then when I was reviewing for LET.  Take the advice of Sir Albert Basa, Top 3, April 2009 LET, who said:  be an OC (obsessive compulsive) as you gather LET review materials. As much as possible, I did not buy reviewers; I only had them photocopied to minimize my expenses.  But, my copying costs were still substantial though nothing compared to the fulfillment I got in achieving my dream.

2. Spend as much time in mastering all available reviewers.

I recorded all the scores I got in answering review materials I’ve gathered, monitored stats carefully and made sure my scores were increasing.  I noted them increasing, reaching almost 100% as the LET grew  closer and closer.  I answered all reviewers not only twice or thrice but even four or five times for subjects where I got low scores. I  set a personal passing mark of 85% and target average mark of 95% to top knowing that LET and other PRC board topnotchers had  90%++  ratings.

3. Do better than others.

If you really want so much to top the board exam, your review style should be better than the rest of your fellow LET takers.  I believe that you should spend more time than your average classmate; answer more challenging test review items; and exert more effort than the rest.  Remember that out of hundreds of thousands who will take the LET, there are hundreds or even thousands of them who are also striving very hard to top the LET.  Outbeat them in your test preparation and passion.

4. Sweat it out.

Success is said to be 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.  Find great inspiration. It can be anybody or anything. During my LET review, I had three sources of inspiration: my bedridden father, my beloved mother and my 2^nd child (who spent his 1^st whole month battling for life inside the pediatric ICU.  Imagine how tedious reviewing was for me as I took care of my second child in the hospital.   My bestfriend  Victor Emmanuel Cuarto, 3^rd placer, LET 2000, gave me extra inspiration plus tips when I consulted him.

5. Take good care of your health

Eat healthy food, exercise regularly, have enough time to relax and play, and have sufficient and sound sleep.  A healthy body, a well trained mind, and a positive overall disposition are key ingredients in topping the LET.

6. Strengthen your faith

Despite our best efforts of doing what may seem unthinkable for others, we still have to face a lot of risks and challenges on LET day:  unreasonably strict proctors, a non conducive testing place, or even unanswerable or poorly worded test items.  When these unexpected happen, remember to call for Divine guidance and interventions. Pray before, during , and even after the LET.

Remember, to top the LET, you need: inspiration, dedication, determination, discipline, and faith.

I had all these and I topped the LET in 2005.

Any other things that you did or are doing to ensure a place this September 26?

Thanks to Glenn who wrote this article to share his techniques to aspiring MindGym topnotch candidates and passers.  Glenn has been a permanent reviewer for Mathematics, General Education and Professional Education since MindGym started its first Intensive Coaching for LET for the September 2009 (Ondoy days).  He has been coaching in various colleges and review centers for the past 10 years.

For September 2010 LET takers and other readers,  see how well you remembered your rules on subject-verb agreement with these exercises. Simply choose the correct verb.

1.  Everyone (has, have) done his/her homework.

2.  Many a child (dream, dreams) about becoming famous one day.

3.  Some of the water in the jug (is/are) gone.

4.  A number of people (grow, grows) tomatoes in their backyard.

5.  None of the students (has, have) done their Set B drills in Math.

6.  The number of flood relief volunteers (increase, increases) each day.

7.  There (is, are) two main reasons why they broke off.

8.  Aleli (is, are) one of those who (enjoy, enjoys) reading comic books.

9.  My glasses (was, were) on the bed.

10.  The pair of scissors (is, are) on the table.

11.  Our thanks (go, goes) to the MindGym coaches who unselfishli helped us review.

12.  Mumps (is, are) a contagious disease.

13.  Four and four (is, are) eight.

14.  The jury members (has, have) been arguing for three days.

15.  Thirty per cent of the students (is, are) in favor of attending classes at night.

16.  How (is, are) the neighbors taking the disturbing news?

17.  The teacher, together with her students, (has, have) prevented the fire from spreading throughout the building.

18.  Neither the actors nor the director (is, are) coming on time for taping.

19.  Some of the books (was, were) scattered on the floor when we arrived.

20.  Both (do, does) a good deal of work around the office.

Easy?

Here are the answers to the drills last 3 July:

1.  C

2.  D

3.  A

4.  D

5.  A

Today, give some literature-related items a try. Here’s an easy starter.

1. “Nothing happens in this world by chance, it is all part of a grand design.” The author speaks of one’s _________.
A. ambition
B. luck
C. destiny
D. dream

2. The Master said:
“Only one who bursts with eagerness do I instruct. Only one who bubbles with excitement do I enlighten.”

These lines give one the idea that true learning ________.

A. makes man a disciple of instruction
B. involves patience and a dash of lethargy
C. is capable of making man
D. comes with commitment and passion

3. Which of the following line is a simile?

A. “Holding wonder like a cup”
B. “Eyes that love you, arms that hold”
C. “Life has loneliness to sell”
D. “Buy it and never count the cost”

4. Read the following lines:

“Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost its memory
She is smiling alone
In the lamp light the withered leaves
Collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan.

These lines means:

A. Confusion
B. Optimism
C. Eagerness
D. Loneliness

5. “Life is but a walking shadow, a pun player that struts and frets… And is heard no more.”

In this line, life is portrayed as:

A. Passing
B. Goes by stages
C. Has its end
D. eternal

Answers to yesterday’s (July 3) drills:
1. D
2. A
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. D
8. D
9. C
10. C

After the warm up drills in English, here’ s another round of multiple choice items to keep you going in your review for LET.

1. Wise people can _________ with frustrations.
A. cope up
B. cope on
C. cope in
D. cope

2. My grandpa had some “lucid moments” before he died. He was ____________.
A. thinking clearly
B. sad
C. confused
D. ambiguous

3. The measure of choosing well is whether or not a man likes what he __________.
A. has chosen
B. is choosing
D. choose
C. chose

4. All except this one word sounds like the “wh” in “when”?
A. While
B. Whole
D. Whiz
C. Whine

5. Which does not belong?
A. Foot
B. Kilometer
C. Centigrade
D. Mile

6. I saw a nasty _______ between two cars this morning.
A. happening
B. damage
C. accident
D. danger

7. What correction should be made to this sentence?

Most fire-related death’s result from household fires, yet many people do not have fire extinguishers in their homes.

A. Remove the comma after fires
B. Change result to results
C. Change have to has
D. Replace death’s with deaths

8. Which passage is expressed effectively and without structural error/s?
A. Having called the other students and they, the secretary went home.
B. Having called the other students and ourselves the secretary went home.
C. Having called the other students and we, the secretary went home.
D. Having called the other students and us, the secretary went home.

9. ________ not making the most of _____ opportunities.
A. You’re – you’re
B. You – your
C. You’re – your
D. You’re – you

10. The seatwork is difficult for Alfonso and _____
A. Myself
B. I
C. Me
D. Himself

Answers to yesterday’s (July 1) drills:
1. c
2. c
3. d
4. b
5. c

Are you taking the LET this September? How do you plan to go about reviewing? Are you reviewing by yourself? with a study partner? or with your college chums? Or are you currently attending a review class at MindGym or another center?

Do you know what specific topics to cover in your review? Which topics are your strengths? or weaknesses? Have you allocated time for a daily or weekly review? What review materials are accessible to you? Are these materials adequate and reliable?

It’s barely 3 months or 87 days to go before the 26 September 2010 LET (Licensure Examination for Teachers). By this time, you would have thought about or done your LET review plans. You may probably have started refreshing your stock knowledge with the use of a commercial reviewer, your old university references and notes or MindGym’s intensive coaching materials (if you’ve joined us last May 15). You may have received hand me down LET reviewers and study tips from family and friends. So the ball is in your hands.

The coaches at MindGym still have 2 groups of reviewees to coach starting July 17 and 18. Our reviewees would surely find reviewing effective, meaningful and fun — with us. Although we want to enable as many entry-level teachers aiming to pass the LET, we can not yet reach as far nor accommodate as much in our La Casa MIA center. We have yet to gather enough resources to meet varying demands of LET takers. We have yet to make our reviewers more attuned to a bigger and more heterogeneous group. We have yet to “clone” ourselves to make sure that our LET reviewers are cared for by equally committed newer and younger coaches.

In the meantime, we want to share what we have on hand, through this series of FREE online LET work outs — mainly for the benefit of the many aspiring teachers all over the country whose only means to hurdle the LET would be to self review and get a little guidance from their remote kapamilya at MindGym. May these workouts also serve all others reviewing for the LET in their journey towards becoming professional teachers.

This July 1, we’ll start what is supposedly the easiest subject for many LET takers: English.

For the LET, English would comprise 20% of the General Education (GenEd) competency or roughly 30 items. Based on the Professional Regulatory Commission Board of Professional Teachers — Table of Specifications for the LET), English would cover and have weights relative to total GenEd items as follows:

Study and thinking skills 6%

Writing in the discipline 5%

Speech and oral communication 3%

Philippine literature 4%

Master works of the world 2%

So, here’s the English quickie for today.

1. Your mother is paying for your plane ticket, ___________?

A. isn’t it C. isn’t she

B. is she D. aren’t you

2. The words “inappropriate, illegal, irresponsible, and unaware” have prefixes which are classified as _________.

A. positive C. negative

B. common D. neutral

3. Which among these words has the “z” end sound?

A. Maps C. Laughs

B. Jokes D. Buys

4. What figure of speech is in the following line from the poem “The Brook”?

The second time it was a tiny snake.”

A. Personification C. Simile

B. Metaphor D. Apostrophe

5. The person in the lines below could be characterized as __________.

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rage at close of day;

Raged, against the dying of the light.

-Dylan Thomas

A. pessimistic C. courageous

B. violent D. strong

We hope you find these exercises a good warm up for the succeeding MindGym work outs you’ll have to accomplish. Answers will be posted tomorrow.

What can you say about these warm up items in English?