Homeschooling is indeed a fulfilling activity, dear parents, since you get to choose what your kids get to learn. Also, you get to turn every place you go to a classroom, for learning can happen anywhere. However, you may be forced, due to changes in circumstances, to enter (or reenter) the formal education system. Also, colleges and universities only accept Senior High School graduates as applicants. This is where the PEPT comes in.
What Is the PEPT?
The PEPT, or the Philippine Educational Placement Test, is an exam given by the Department of Education, through the Bureau of Education Assessment, to see if homeschooled children or out-of-school youth have the skills needed to enter formal schooling at a certain level. This test has 10 levels, corresponding to each grade level below Senior High. To be considered for any college, a homeschooled child has to pass the Grade 10 PEPT and finish Senior High in any school.
Before, the PEPT results were acceptable for college applications, but with K-12, the PEPT results only cover Grade 10 equivalency. This is because the PEPT only covers the subjects all basic education students take, while Senior High has specialized subjects, depending on the track students will take.
Who Needs to Take the PEPT?
All youth outside the school system, who wish to either enter/reenter, or apply for Senior High School, need to take the PEPT to see if they have the competencies needed for a certain level, for instance, Grade 10. However, if a homeschool provider is accredited by the Department of Education, then it won’t be necessary to take the PEPT, since an accredited homeschool provider is as good as a private school, as far as DepEd is concerned.
What Is Covered in the PEPT?
The subjects covered in the PEPT are English, Math, Science, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan, which are the basic subjects covered by all schools in the country. Each level of the PEPT covers the curriculum of the corresponding grade level. For example, I tutored someone preparing for the PEPT, and I had to give her a crash course on Philippine History, since it is covered in the high school level of the PEPT.
When and Where Can the PEPT be Taken?
The Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA), under DepEd, administers the PEPT every November. For this year, the application period will be until September 30. The Bureau administers the exam in regional testing centers all over the country. However, Metro Manila examinees can take the test in the Bureau’s office inside the DepEd Complex, located in Pasig. Dear parents, if you really want your homeschooled kids to take the PEPT, then apply in the DepEd Complex as soon as you can!
How can I register for the PEPT?
To register your kids for the PEPT, dear parents, all you need to do is troop to the Bureau of Education Assessment office (or Regional Center, for provincial applicants) and submit the following: 2 1×1 ID pictures and your child’s birth certificate (if your child has been homeschooled since the beginning), while those who had formal schooling have to include their Transcript of Records/Permanent Record. Also, since your child will be taking the regular PEPT, you will have to pay a registration fee of 50 pesos. Your child will be screened based on age and level completed, in order to determine what level of the PEPT he/she will be taking.
When Will the Results be Released?
Since the test is normally taken on November, the results will be released by BEA anytime from February to March, and Metro Manila examinees can pick their rating certificates there. Provincial examinees can get their certificates in their respective regional centers. However, the results will be valid for enrollment for the coming school year, since it will be starting by June anyway.
PEPT is the Homeschooler’s First Taste of Formal Schooling
In the end, it is very important for homeschoolers to consider the importance of the PEPT in their daily lives, for even though homeschooling is effective, it can only last until Grade 10 (unless the provider has DepEd accreditation). This is because the college application process mandates that Senior High be taken, especially due to the new tracking system. As a result, the PEPT, and its preparation, are not only meant to measure if a homeschooler is ready for Senior High, or for a return to formal schooling, but also to serve as an adjustment to the test-heavy world of formal schooling. Thus, your preparations, dear parents, should not merely be about the competencies of PEPT, but should incorporate the atmosphere as well.