For thousands of aspiring teachers, the Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers—or LEPT, commonly called the LET—is more than just another examination. It is the final hurdle between years of study and becoming a licensed professional teacher.
The good news is that preparing for the exam does not necessarily mean spending thousands of pesos on a review center.
I know this because I took the examination as a self-review examinee—and passed.
My experience may not be the perfect formula for everyone, and passing the LET is never guaranteed. But for those who cannot afford a review center, have a full-time job, live far from review centers, or simply prefer studying independently, my experience may provide a practical starting point.
First, Know Your Examination Schedule
The Professional Regulation Commission has scheduled the September 2026 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers on September 20, 2026. The examination is scheduled to be conducted in various testing centers, with additional testing centers designated by PRC as needed.
For those taking the examination outside the Philippines, this is particularly important. PRC announced that Hong Kong, Thailand, and Vietnam were designated as additional testing centers for the September 2026 LEPT.
Always check the latest announcements directly from the Professional Regulation Commission because examination schedules, testing centers, and instructions can change.
My LET Journey Was Not Exactly Straightforward
My story is a little different from that of a traditional education graduate.
My bachelor's degree is not in education but I am an education unit earner. My academic background is related to computer and business, and when I applied for the LET, I initially selected Mathematics as my major for the secondary level.
I thought Mathematics would be the appropriate specialization because of my background.
But there was a problem.
Only about two or three weeks before the September 2024 examination, I discovered that PRC had changed my major to Social Studies because my undergraduate degree was classified under the business field.
That meant I had very little time to prepare for a major I had not originally planned to take.
The September 2024 LEPT was held on September 29, 2024. According to PRC, the examination was administered in 40 testing centers in the Philippines and Thailand.
Imagine discovering only weeks before the examination that your specialization is different from what you had been preparing for.
At that point, there was little I could do except adjust.
And that experience taught me one important lesson:
Don't wait until the last few weeks before the examination to start preparing.
I Started With General and Professional Education
I began reviewing General Education and Professional Education around May, several months before the September examination.
I did not spend the entire day studying.
Instead, I tried to build familiarity with the topics little by little.
I searched the internet and YouTube for free review materials. I looked for reviewers, lectures, practice questions, discussions, and explanations that could help me understand the topics.
This is one of the biggest advantages of self-review today.
Years ago, someone preparing for a professional examination might have needed to buy several review books or enroll in a physical review center.
Today, you can find lectures, reviewers, practice questions, educational discussions, and even mock examinations online.
But there is also a danger:
Not everything you find online is reliable.
Don't simply watch the first video that appears in your search results. Compare sources. Look at the credentials and experience of the person teaching. Check whether the information is consistent with official PRC announcements and established educational references.
Use YouTube as a learning tool—not as your only authority.
One YouTube Channel Became Part of My Review Routine
During my preparation, I discovered Sir Melvin Buracho Corner.
His channel provides free LET review sessions on YouTube, and I found his teaching style useful for my preparation. His channel continues to publish LET review materials and drills for examinees.
Eventually, I also joined one of his paid programs for major review and final coaching. If I remember correctly, I spent around ₱600 at the time, which included access to additional review materials and a mock examination.
The important thing here is not that you need to pay for that particular program.
The lesson is that you can combine free resources with carefully selected paid resources when necessary.
If you cannot afford a review center, don't immediately assume that you cannot prepare properly.
You can start with free resources.
Then, if there is a particular subject where you need additional help, you can consider spending a small amount on a targeted reviewer, mock test, or coaching program instead of paying for a complete review package.
My Secret Weapon: Listening While Doing Other Things
This may sound unusual, but one of the things I did was simply listen to review lectures repeatedly.
Because the review videos were available online, I played them while walking, doing other tasks, or working.
I wasn't always sitting in front of the screen taking notes.
Sometimes I was simply listening.
This worked particularly well for Professional Education because the lecturer was explaining the concepts instead of merely displaying answers.
Of course, simply listening is not enough.
You still need active study, practice questions, and actual recall.
But repeated listening helped me become familiar with terminology and concepts.
Later, when I encountered questions during the examination, some concepts felt familiar.
It was almost like my brain was saying:
"I've heard something like this before."
That familiarity can be useful.
However, don't make the mistake of assuming that everything discussed in a review video will appear on the actual examination.
It won't.
During my examination, some areas received considerable attention that I felt were not emphasized in the particular review materials I watched. Professional Education, for example, included situational questions and topics involving special education that I had not encountered heavily in the videos I used.
That's why your preparation should not depend on memorizing a single reviewer's predicted questions.
Understand concepts instead of trying to predict the exact questions.
My Major Was the Biggest Challenge
My preparation for my specialization was not as extensive.
I watched only around two or three full major review videos.
And then, just weeks before the examination, I learned that my major was Social Studies rather than Mathematics.
There was not much time left.
Surprisingly, some of the questions I encountered did not seem to require extremely deep specialization knowledge.
Some required knowledge from previous studies. Others required careful reading and logical thinking.
And yes, there were questions where common sense helped.
But I don't recommend relying on common sense as your primary strategy.
If you have several months to prepare, use that time to study your specialization properly.
My experience was a combination of preparation, prior knowledge, elimination, reasoning, and, honestly, some uncertainty.
That is not a strategy I would recommend copying exactly.
Rather, it is an example of what can happen when someone has limited resources and limited time.
Start Early—Even If You Can Only Study a Little
If I could give only one piece of advice to future examinees, it would be this:
Start early.
You don't have to study eight hours a day.
In fact, if you begin too aggressively, you may burn yourself out long before examination day.
Instead, build familiarity gradually.
For example:
Five months before the exam:
Begin General Education and Professional Education.
Three to four months before:
Add your specialization and begin answering practice questions.
Two months before:
Increase your practice tests and identify weak areas.
One month before:
Focus on recall, practice questions, and topics you consistently get wrong.
Final week:
Review strategically. Don't attempt to learn an entire textbook from the beginning.
The goal is not to fill your brain with thousands of facts in one week.
The goal is to make information familiar enough that you can retrieve it when you need it.
Don't Try to Memorize Everything
The LET can cover a wide range of topics.
Trying to memorize everything is unrealistic.
Instead, ask yourself:
- What does this concept mean?
- How is it applied?
- What is the difference between these two concepts?
- What would a teacher do in this situation?
- Which answer is most appropriate?
- Why are the other choices wrong?
This is especially important for situational questions.
When you encounter a question you don't immediately know, don't panic.
Read it carefully.
Look for clues.
Eliminate obviously incorrect answers.
Then compare the remaining choices.
Sometimes the answer becomes clearer when you stop trying to remember a specific sentence from a reviewer and start thinking about what a professional teacher would reasonably do.
Practice Answering Questions Under Time Pressure
Watching review videos can help you learn.
But eventually, you need to answer questions yourself.
Practice tests serve two purposes.
First, they help you identify what you know.
Second, they help you become comfortable with the examination format.
When reviewing your answers, don't just look at whether you got the question right or wrong.
Ask:
Why is this answer correct?
And if you got it wrong:
Why did I choose the wrong answer?
Was it because you didn't know the concept?
Did you misread the question?
Did you rush?
Did two choices look similar?
This kind of analysis is more valuable than simply counting your score.
Don't Depend on "Leaks" or Predicted Questions
One thing I want to emphasize is this:
Don't build your entire review around claims that someone has the actual LET questions.
During my preparation, I encountered mock examinations that appeared to contain questions from previous examinations. I don't know how those questions were obtained, and I cannot verify whether any particular material came from an actual previous LET.
For your own preparation, treat these materials as practice questions, not guaranteed examination questions.
Be particularly careful with anyone promising:
"These are the questions that will come out."
Nobody outside the proper examination process can legitimately guarantee the exact questions you will see.
Study the subject.
Understand the concepts.
Practice answering questions.
That is much safer than chasing supposed "leaked" questions.
The Night Before the LET: Stop Studying
This is another part of my experience that I strongly recommend.
The night before my examination, I did not conduct an intense review.
I wanted my brain to rest.
I did watch a little of the review material that Sir Melvin released shortly before the examination, but I did not spend the night cramming.
Then I went to sleep early.
Your brain needs rest.
There is little benefit in staying awake until two or three in the morning trying to memorize the last 100 pages of your reviewer if you arrive at the testing center exhausted.
A rested mind can think more clearly.
Arrive Early
On examination day, avoid unnecessary stress.
If you live near your testing center, plan your route ahead of time.
If you live far away, consider staying somewhere nearby the night before.
This can be especially important for examinees traveling from another city or province.
You don't want your biggest problem on examination morning to be:
"Will I make it to the testing center on time?"
Remove that problem before examination day.
Prepare your things.
Know the location.
Know how long it takes to get there.
Then arrive early.
Don't Spend Examination Day Reading Your Notes
Once you're at the testing center, you may see people frantically reading reviewers, notes, screenshots, and even entire books.
Don't let their anxiety become your anxiety.
You have already prepared.
At this point, your job is to take the examination.
Read the instructions carefully.
When you receive your test paper, stay focused.
Don't waste mental energy thinking:
"I should have reviewed this topic."
You cannot change what you didn't study.
Focus on the question in front of you.
Answer the Easy Questions First
Not every question deserves the same amount of time.
If you encounter a question that you genuinely cannot answer, don't allow one difficult item to consume several minutes.
If the examination rules and answer sheet allow it, mark the item and move on.
Answer the questions you know first.
Then return to the difficult ones.
But there is one very important rule:
Make sure you return to the questions you skipped.
During my examination, I noticed that some examinees finished surprisingly quickly and submitted their papers even though there was still considerable time remaining.
I chose a different approach.
I used the remaining time to go over my answers.
I checked whether I had answered every number.
I revisited difficult questions.
I looked for mistakes caused by careless reading.
You don't get extra points for being the first person to submit your paper.
Use the time that is given to you.
Don't Leave Questions Unanswered
If you have reached the end of the examination and there are unanswered questions, make sure you deal with them according to the examination instructions.
An unanswered question cannot earn you a point.
If you genuinely don't know an answer, use your reasoning and elimination skills rather than simply giving up.
Sometimes you can eliminate two obviously incorrect choices and improve your chances significantly.
But remember: always follow the official examination instructions regarding how answers should be marked.
Take Care of Your Body, Too
Preparing for the LET isn't only about studying.
Your physical condition on examination day matters.
Don't experiment with unusual foods the night before.
Eat a normal meal that you know your body can handle.
And don't drink excessive amounts of water or other liquids immediately before the examination.
You don't want to spend valuable examination time making repeated trips to the restroom.
At the same time, don't intentionally dehydrate yourself.
The goal is simply to be comfortable and prepared.
Your concentration matters.
Stay Calm When You Encounter Difficult Questions
There will probably be questions you don't know.
That's normal.
Don't interpret one difficult question as evidence that you are failing.
You might encounter ten questions that make you think:
"I have no idea."
Then suddenly you encounter ten questions that you know very well.
That's how examinations work.
During my own LET, there were questions where I was confident about the answer.
There were questions where I had to recall something I learned years earlier.
And there were questions where I had to rely on careful reading and reasoning.
There were also questions where I wasn't completely sure.
That is normal.
The goal isn't to know every answer.
The goal is to accumulate enough correct answers to pass.
A Simple Self-Review Strategy
If you cannot afford a review center, here's a practical approach based partly on my experience:
1. Build your own resource library
Collect reliable:
- Review lectures
- Reviewer PDFs
- Practice tests
- Flashcards
- Educational references
- Official PRC announcements
Don't collect hundreds of resources just because they're available.
Choose a few good ones and actually use them.
2. Divide your time among the major areas
Don't spend all your time on the subject you enjoy.
Give attention to General Education, Professional Education, and your specialization according to the requirements of your examination.
3. Use YouTube strategically
Watch complete lessons when you need explanations.
Use shorter videos for difficult concepts.
Listen to lectures while walking or doing routine tasks if that learning method works for you.
4. Practice, don't just watch
After watching a lecture, answer questions.
If you only watch videos, you may feel like you understand the material.
But answering questions reveals whether you can actually retrieve and apply it.
5. Track your weak areas
Keep a simple list:
I don't understand this yet.
Then review those topics repeatedly.
6. Don't cram everything at the end
The earlier you start, the more time your brain has to encounter the information repeatedly.
Little by little is better than trying to absorb everything in the final week.
And Finally: Nobody Can Guarantee That You Will Pass
This may be the most important thing I can tell any LET examinee.
A reviewer cannot guarantee that you will pass.
A review center cannot guarantee that you will pass.
A YouTube channel cannot guarantee that you will pass.
And I certainly cannot guarantee that you will pass.
What you can control is your preparation.
Study consistently.
Practice.
Sleep properly.
Take care of yourself.
Arrive prepared.
Stay calm.
Read the questions carefully.
Use your time wisely.
And don't give up simply because you encounter difficult questions.
When I walked into the testing center in September 2024, I was not someone with a perfect preparation strategy.
I was an education unit earner whose bachelor's degree was outside education. I had initially prepared for Mathematics, only to discover weeks before the examination that my specialization had been changed to Social Studies.
I had not spent months in a review center.
I had not memorized every possible topic.
I had not watched hundreds of review videos.
But I had started early.
I listened.
I studied.
I practiced.
I tried to understand.
And when the examination came, I simply did my best to answer one question at a time.
That was enough for me to pass.
Your LET Journey Is Your Own
If you're preparing for the upcoming LET and you're worried because you cannot afford a review center, don't automatically think you're already at a disadvantage.
You have access to something examinees from previous generations did not have at the same level: a tremendous amount of educational material available online.
Use it wisely.
But don't confuse having access to information with actually learning.
You don't need to watch everything.
You don't need to buy everything.
You don't need to study every waking hour.
You need a plan, consistency, reliable resources, practice, and enough discipline to keep going.
And when examination day finally arrives, remember:
You don't have to know everything.
You just have to do your best with every question in front of you.
One question at a time.
One subject at a time.
And one step closer to becoming a licensed professional teacher.
