ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org

The Alpha Phi Beta Law Aptitude Exam (LAE) Tips*

Abstract Reasoning
Component Parts: Break down the figure into its component parts and identify the odd one.
1.
A.

B.

C.

D.

D is the answer. Its component parts are not identical; it has four triangles and a diamond.
Numbers: The general rule is COMPUTATIONS ARE OUT OF THE QUESTION and the odd ones can
be identified ON FIRST IMPRESSION. Master the trick of looking at all the choices as a whole and
isolating the part which, AT FIRST NOTICE, is deviant. Most of the time, it is always the ODD-EVEN
relationship. If it doesnt work, move on to the MULTIPLE relationships. Next is The PRIME NUMBER
RULE.
2.
A. 1,2,3,5

B. 3,1,4,5

C. 2,7,9,16

D. 5,0,5,5

C is the answer because it has two even numbers. If you start with A and assume that the
pattern involves addition, i. e. 1+2=3, 2+3=5, then you would have wasted time computing all
four choices and realize in the end that it is a common pattern.
3.
A. 9

B. 16

C. 125

D. 64

C is the answer because it is the only odd-even pair, the rest are odd-odd and even-even. If
you assume that the answer lies in the choices exponents, then you would have wasted so
much time. The fact that the numbers are arranged in a familiar manner (e.g. in exponential
form) does not denote taking them in the same form.
4.
A.

B.
3

* Updated as of July 2008.

C.
4

D.
6

10

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org
A is the answer because it is the only odd number. The figures are negligible.
5.
A. 1
2

B. 37
74

C. 121
242

D. 24
48

D is the answer because it is the only even-even pair. The fact that the choices are presented in
fractional form is inconsequential.

Interior-Extreme: When presented as a series, take a look first at the FORM before going into substance
like computing mathematical progressions, etc. Most letters, figures, and numbers are arranged to
emphasize the differences in the interior-extreme, interior-exterior, top-bottom, or left-right. FORM, in
general, especially with letters and numbers, never forget that COMPUTATIONS ALWAYS COME
LAST.
7.
A. SIMPLETON

B. EXAMPLE

C. IMPLEMENT

D. COMPLEX

B is the answer because the MPLE component ( which, in your minds eye should stand out
as an entire unit instead of four letters) lies at the right-extreme, whereas in all others it is
bound on both extremes by other letter-components.
8.
A.

B.

C.

D.

C is the answer. These types of series can only be solved by trial and error. However, if you
represent each figure with another more logical and less confusing one, it would be easier:
Taking the number of sides of each figure and representing them in that manner we have:
A. 3,0,4,4 B. 0,4,3,4 C. 4,3,0,4 D. 4,4,0,3. It is now clear that C is the answer because it is
the only series wherein both extremes are composed of four-sided figures.
9.
A.

B.

C.

D.

D is the answer. The feet point to two opposite directions. The movement of the arms is a
diversion.
10.
A.

B.

D.

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org

C is the answer. It is the only choice where the two figures overlap; the line is a diversion to
lead one into thinking that the bisection is the key.
11.
A.

B.

C.

D.

A is the answer. It is the only choice where a bounded figure was created.
12.
A.

B.

C.

D.

A is the answer; it is the only figure not representing a letter.

13.

A.

B.

C.

D.

D is the answer, it is the only figure with the least symmetry.

Tip: The shapes and letters are arranged arbitrarily, despite the seemingly ordered order.
ABC

DEF

GHI

JKL

MNO

OR

Ones task is to identify the MOST DIFFERENT. The LAE seeks to select not logical but legal thinkers.
One has to think in terms of rules not necessarily logical. Remember not to overburden ones mind; this
section is ridiculous, really.

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org
The answer to the first set is the option with the vowel, the second sets answer is the last option for
obviously the more shapes, the more difference.
Tip: One will also be given other shapes or symbols or jagged lines or order of shapes. Again, the most
erratic and the most number of shapes and variations are most likely to be different.
Tip: Subsequent parts of this IQ test will task on with identifying what will come next. This is relatively
easy and is culled from the standard IQ test. If you passed the UPCAT, this section would not be a
problem.

Essay
The essential rules of grammar and usage can be found in the handy book The Elements of Style by Strunk
and White. Read it a few months before taking the LAE. Its lessons will guide you even if you are already
in the College of Law (assuming and hoping you, dear reader, will get in).
You may master the rudiments of grammar and usage but if you have nothing to write about, or if you
barely know anything about the assigned topic, you will end up with a blank sheet of paper. Failing to
prepare is preparing to fail. Read, read and read more. Be in the know. We recommend The Economist,
The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Time Magazine.
Now, let us talk about strategy.
Brevity is the soul of wit, as they say. Start the essay with a clear and brief statement of your position. If it
is a yes-no question (e.g. Should the death penalty be abolished?), answer in clear and unequivocal terms
(yes or no only and never say it depends on the situation or partly yes, partly no or there has to be a
middle ground/compromise in this debate). YOU HAVE TO TAKE A CLEAR POSITION. Any
qualifications may be presented later in the essay, but remember that YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT.
You can do this by REBUTTING EVERY ARGUMENT OF THE OTHER SIDE, should you choose to
present them. No matter what your opinion is, forget it for a while and never appear to accept an
argument against your stand because it will weaken your position.
Example:
CORRECT: The death penalty should be
abolished. It is against divine law to take
the life of another man. To argue that it
should be adopted simply because it is the
law is to assert that the laws of man are
superior to those of God. Such is not the
case.

INCORRECT: The death penalty should be

abolished. It is against divine law to take the
life of another man. However, this adherence
to Gods law should not be absolute. Before
the death penalty is abolished, society should
seriously consider the fact that our laws are
created for purposes that may, at time,
override any pre-conceived notions of divine
morality.

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org
YOUR ESSAY WILL NOT BE EVALUATED ON THE CORRECTNESS OF YOUR POSITION. The
examiners only objective is to know how you can take a position and sustain an argument using a clear
and consistent analytical framework.
The ideal format of the essay is:

POSITION very brief, very clear, and very responsive to the question. A yes-no question
should be answered either in the affirmative or negative only. A how question should be
answered by a concrete proposal or a series of proposals.

NEVER do the following:

Does God Exist there are many conceptions of a god in varying cultures and questioning the
existence of god should always begin by asking exactly what the concept of god is.
Which is better Federal or Unitary Government? the proposal to shift to one political
system must first be examined contextually. Is it the move to a federal government necessary? Or
is it a diversionary tactic of Arroyo?
How many islands does the Philippines have? high tide or low tide?
Avoid trying to sound smart, just sound logical. You should not be concerned with the morality
and political correctness of you position, as long as you can defend it.
CONTEXT supply relevant background information but keep it very brief.
ARGUMENTS enumerate at least 3 arguments to support your position. Start with a new
paragraph for each. The first sentence of the paragraph should readily state your argument.
Succeeding sentences should merely clarify or expound on your argument.
COUNTER-ARGUMENTS cite only the most convincing counter-arguments to your
arguments but never exceed the number you presented in the preceding paragraph. Never forget
to rebut counter-arguments. If you cant, dont bother to cite it at all.
CONCLUSION briefly restate all your arguments and reiterate your position. For example: On
the grounds of wisdom, mechanism, and morality, this writer maintains that prostitution should
not be legalized. Thats it.
Write clear, concise and coherent sentences.
Be conscious of grammar, syntax, usage, and punctuation marks.

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org

Be conscious of politically correct terminology:

a. No matter how inconvenient always use the term he/she, him/her if the use of such pronouns
is extremely necessary. Otherwise, use gender-neutral terms (e.g. if he commits a crime, he
must suffer the consequences should be rephrased to if one commits a crime, one must
suffer the consequences)
b. When stating general observations, always qualify them if you cannot cite a particular work
or author.
Correct:

Wrong:

Filipinos, according to the latest SWS data Filipinos are generally amenable to
(July 2005) are amenable to charter change charter change
Women according to Filipino custom, are Filipino
women
generally submissive
submissive

are

generally

c. Never use contentious terms if a safer, more academic term would suffice:
Estradas downfall only proves that Estradas
downfall
in
2001
Filipinos are vigilant against corruption
demonstrated the Filipinos vigilance
against corruption
Proof is contentious while demonstration is not. Using the past tense makes the statement more detached,
because it does not affirm something as universal fact.
In reality, laws are useless.

In practice, laws are ineffective

Reality is an abstract and subjective term. Practice denotes application in the concrete sphere. Useless is
very loose, while ineffective denotes a criticism only of the failure of laws to achieve their desired effect
and not of the laws per se.
The will of the people is sovereign

Public perception must

paramount consideration.

be

given

While the first sentence is more romantic and appealing, it is so vague (not to mention clich-ish) as to
make it nonsense. The will of the people cannot be identified in concrete terms but public perception can
be. Sovereign is also vague and impractical in actuality, so that paramount consideration becomes
relatively more realistic and less dogmatic.
Avoid using the first person (I, Me) and instead use detached terms like this writer.
Use This writer is of the opinion that instead of I think/ I believe

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org
In arguments, as much as possible, never invoke general terms like social justice, divine law, or
inherent rights if such can be substituted by concrete terms like equitable distribution of resources,
commonly held norms, or internationally recognized human rights.
The checkers dont have time to DECIPHER unintelligible symbols, WRITE LEGIBLY.
Clear up what you want to say. Remember the word KISS -- KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE.
If asked yes or no, answer yes or no then why in the most COHERENT MANNER.
We know and the examiners know that you will be tired at this part but now is the time to take your
opinions from the doormat and let it spill on a page, supported by facts of course.

Reading Comprehension
Always watch out for important signifiers:
a. In the selection, in the text, in the words of the author means you look back on the
selection and find your answer there. Anything not there is simply wrong, no matter how
common-sensical it may be.
b. May mean, what the author implies, what it symbolizes means you look back on the
selection and interpret it. If the answer is not there, this question requires you to render an
opinion.
Many questions require you to classify a selection.
It is INFORMATIVE if it is a mere factual narration.
It is PERSUASIVE if it renders an opinion which convinces the readers.
It is ARGUMENTATIVE if it convinces the readers by debunking counterarguments.
The key to this part is to keep to the text, like a lawyer does.
Leave your opinions at the entrance of MALCOLM HALL . Reserve your defensible opinions for the
essay segment. STICK TO THE TEXT FOR DEAR LIFE.
14.
The leaves of the maple tree sings in the wind
Two slabs are needed to make a violin. It takes (a certain number) of months to make it.
-

You will be asked how many months and how many slabs. Your opinion of how brilliant or
parallel the metaphor of the leaves and the violin doesnt amount to any points.

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org
15.
The Poem
I had dishes in the cabinet
It fell when
- Again stick to the text unless otherwise allowed to surmise. You will be asked in the last
question what the poem is about. It is about broken confidence.

Logic
This test will not test your capacity for logical thought but your ability to imbibe rules given to you which
you are tasked to apply to a given situation. Each question or cluster of questions has a logic
independent from the other questions
Logic is not the primary consideration in the study of the law. The life of the law has not been logic, but
experience, Oliver Wendell Holmes said.
Leave your opinions at the door. Your opinions and biases will not amount to points and may even make
you choose the wrong answer.
The key to this section is to treat the rules as if God wrote it on stone tablets with his own fingers.
After every question, delete the cache of your mind; that is start again with your new rules EXCEPT
when you are given a set of rules for several numbers.
Attempt to reduce arguments or propositions into symbols to simplify things.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER read a selection and evaluate its meaning and correctness. These sentences are
mere symbols of a framework. Unless otherwise stated, their truth value is negligible. When a sentence
says MAN IS AN AMPHIBIAN, just accept it as it is, reduce it to symbols (A->B) and base all
succeeding propositions on it. Never mind that man is actually not an amphibian.
The CONCLUSIVE PART of a line of arguments (usually preceded by THEREFORE) must ALWAYS
follow the logical sequence and rules laid down prior to it.
Never extrapolate on an arguments conclusion. The answer must always be extracted from the line of
reasoning presented before. Never answer MAN IS NOT AN AMPHIBIAN even if, in fact, that is true,
because it is contrary to prior propositions.
Sample (actual) question:
Rules:
The assertion makes logical sense, therefore it is valid
The assertion does not make logical sense, it is invalid
The statement is valid and is supported by facts: therefore it is sound.

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org

All men are irrational.

All fratmen are men.
Therefore fratmen are irrational.
-

The statement is valid but without facts it is unsound.

Verbal Reasoning
There is no better preparation than enriching your vocabulary. Memorize meanings of commonly-used
exam words. Read comic books. Read Websters Dictionary of English Usage. Read newspapers and
magazines (like The Economist).
Resort to context clues.
In verbal analogies, classify unfamiliar words into negative or positive just by looking at its structure.
This section is about pairing this to that.
Be sure to note the subtle nuances in the meaning of words in the English language. There are questions
which rest on the slightest relation between the two words. Note the connection and you will be fine.
16.
Numismatics is the study of rare coins.
17.
Bete-noir means nemesis
18.
Score means ten years

Mathematics
It is almost impossible to answer every problem. The best you can do is to solve them one by one as
correctly as possible rather than rush to the finish with half-solved questions.
Never complicate matters. All problems involve on basic arithmetic and algebra. Try first to solve the
problem using mental common-sensical calculations before going into lengthy computations.
As you may not finish this entire set, make sure you pick a number and shade all unanswered questions
accordingly. Never randomize when filling up blank questions.
Finish this section as quick as you can. Review the answers if you have time.
The math part is designed so that you will not have enough time. The testers would prohibit going back
to this section. The Machiavellian you would go back if you could live with the knowledge that you
cheated to get in UP LAW. Fast Fact: 7 out of 10 UP LAW students admit privately to have gone
back to the MATH section.

ALPHA PHI BETA FRATERNITY

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF LAW

www.residents.alphaphibeta.org
19.
1
1

1
The test employs basic math principles expressed in seemingly complicated terms.
20.
It takes one broom to kill one rat in one minute. How many minutes would it take to kill
100 rats with 100 brooms?
Answer: one minute
21.
A certain t-shirt costs P 750 at 25% off on sale. How much was the original price?
Answer: P 1000

A final note
In July 2008, the Admissions Committee said that the INTERVIEW PART of the ADMISSION
PROCESS has been scrapped. Still, you will need to rely on 3 things to get in Malcolm Hall: your
undergraduate grades, your performance in the LAE and most importantly, luck.
We wish you, dear reader, good fight and good luck!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE ALPHA PHI BETA
Since its founding in 1939, the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity of the University of the Philippines College of Law
endures as a brotherhood for the bar and bench. From our ranks come legal luminaries and leaders of the nation
Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Senior Associate Justice Leonardo Quisimbing; Senators Francis
Chiz Escudero, Robert Barbers, Heherson Alvarez, Jose Lina and Ambrosio Padilla; Congressmen Edcel Lagman,
Carlos Padilla and Pablo John Garcia; Former UP College of Law Deans Froilan Bacungan, Pacifico Agabin and
Salvador Carlota; Integrated Bar of the Philippines President Feliciano Bautista; Sycip Salazar, Hernandez and
Gatmaitans Andres Gatmaitan; Philippine Daily Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot and Deutsche Bank Philippines
Chief Operating Officer Rhoneil Fajardo -- among many other distinguished brothers.
Intellectual or political leadership, or the potential to rise to leadership, is the criterion for membership. The Greek
letters AB stand for Association of Philippine Barristers. It also stands for Abogado Para sa Bayan the raison
dtre of the Fraternity.
For more information, please visit www.alphaphibeta.org and www.residents.alphaphibeta.org.