The USTET (University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test) is the entrance exam for undergraduate admission to the University of Santo Tomas. This guide breaks down all four sections, a review timeline built around UST's own admissions calendar, and the questions students ask most — plus a free, timed mock exam that matches the real format.
See exam formatSource: UST Office for Admissions (ofad.ust.edu.ph, ustet.ust.edu.ph) · Updated July 2026 · figures are for the current admissions cycle and change each year.
Four multiple-choice sections, each separately timed, taken in one sitting. Here's what each one covers and where students most often lose points.
Problem-solving across algebra and core high school math (60 items · 45 minutes).
Tip: Sections are timed individually, so budget roughly 45 seconds per item and flag anything that's eating more time than that — you can't borrow minutes from another section.
Broad recall and application across the high school science sequence (80 items · 45 minutes).
Tip: This is the largest section by item count. Breadth beats depth here — a fast general review across all four sciences scores better than a deep dive into just one.
Vocabulary, grammar, usage, and reading comprehension (45 items · 45 minutes).
Tip: This is the shortest section by item count, which means each mistake carries more relative weight — work carefully rather than racing through it.
Abstract and logical reasoning independent of language, plus general problem-solving speed (80 items · 30 minutes).
Tip: 80 items in 30 minutes is roughly 22 seconds per question — this section rewards timed drilling far more than untimed review. Past takers consistently flag it as the section that's easiest to underestimate.
UST's USTET application and testing windows typically open in the second half of the year and run in cycles — plan backward from your assigned test date rather than starting review whenever motivation strikes.
Sit a full, timed mock before reviewing anything. It shows you which of the four sections — Math, Science, English, or Mental Ability — needs the most attention, and by how much.
These two sections carry the most items (60 and 80, respectively), so they benefit most from sustained review. Split time in proportion to your diagnostic gaps rather than evenly.
Mental Ability improves fastest with short, frequent, timed practice sets rather than long infrequent sessions — layer in 15–20 minutes a day to build speed against the 22-second-per-item pace.
Polish vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension, then run at least one full four-section mock under real time pressure. Confirm your assigned testing center and what to bring on test day — UST assigns your schedule and venue; you don't get to choose it.
The University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET) is the entrance exam required for admission to UST's undergraduate programs, administered by the university's Office for Admissions (OFAD). It's also used for admission to UST's Senior High School.
Timing shifts each cycle. Recent cycles have opened applications around mid-year, with testing dates running from October through the following February across multiple batches, and results released in the months after. Always confirm current dates on the official UST Admission portal (ustet.ust.edu.ph) or the OFAD announcements page, since UST assigns your specific test date and center rather than letting you pick one.
The USTET is open to students currently in Grade 12 applying for college admission, and students currently in Grade 10 applying to UST's Senior High School. Passers of the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT), ALS Accreditation and Equivalency test-takers, prior-year graduates, and applicants from foreign schools may also apply after securing clearance from UST. The USTET is for incoming freshmen only — transfer students go through a separate process. Registration is done online through the UST Admission Portal: submit your application and documents, wait for OFAD to verify them, select a testing center, pay the exam fee, and download your test permit.
Multiple-choice questions across four sections: Mathematics, Science, English, and Mental Ability. There is no essay or writing component.
No dedicated Filipino subject section is publicly listed in UST's own exam coverage — the four tested sections are Mathematics, Science, English, and Mental Ability, all administered in English.
UST hasn't publicly confirmed a right-minus-wrong deduction (unlike some other entrance exams that explicitly disclose "no penalty"). Since this isn't officially documented either way, the safer approach is to answer every item you can reasonably narrow down rather than assume guessing is free.
Your USTET results are combined with your senior high school academic record to determine admission, and some programs add an interview. UST doesn't publish an official weighting between exam score and grades — treat any specific ratio you see in other guides as unconfirmed, and focus on both your test prep and your grades.
Fees differ for local applicants, PEPT/ALS passers, and foreign or foreign-educated applicants, with a separate fee for international students. The exam fee is waived for qualifying public school applicants with high academic honors, for applicants covered under the Free College Entrance Examination Act (RA 12006), and for children of UST support staff. Confirm current fee amounts on the official UST Admission portal, since they can change each cycle.
At UST's España campus in Manila, or at one of the provincial and, in some cycles, overseas testing centers UST sets up each admissions period. You don't choose your center or schedule — UST assigns the nearest available one after you complete your application and payment, though rescheduling is possible (for a fee) if you miss your original date.
Take a full diagnostic mock covering all four sections before you review anything, then split your prep time across Mathematics, Science, and English based on where the diagnostic showed the biggest gaps — while building in daily short, timed Mental Ability drills from early on, since that section rewards speed as much as accuracy.
Create a free account and run a full, timed USTET mock exam — you'll get a section-by-section score breakdown right after. Also prepping for ACET? See the ACET exam guide →