A Topnotcher’s Story

What a way to start the year 2021 for Tiffany Cabildo as not only she had passed the recent Medical Technology Licensure Examination but also managed to ace it as she placed third overall in the country. Tiffany Jane Bautista Cabildo born in Barangay Palutan, San Mariano, Isabela graduated at the Medical College of Northern Philippines at 2019. A daughter of an OFW and a butcher, she described herself as “Mahiyain” and was never used to publicity.  But with her recent achievement, it is hard to escape the public eye and be an inspiration to future takers not only to people who know her personally but also to MCNP.

Tiffany described the examination as an arduous process of waiting and adjustment. Considering the number of times the national examination has been postponed, she found herself prioritizing the attitude of time management above else. Though she admitted that she was unable to perfectly stick to her schedule, she strictly made sure that she would be able to read all the readings for at least one subject within a week. She also explained that it was quite difficult to have no study buddies due to the lockdown as this was the setup she was used to prior the pandemic. She preferred studying along with a small group of friends and taking short breaks in between with the casual conversation as to break the monotony of their study session. That’s why when the pandemic hit, her home became a limited space for her to study as it was only in the bedroom where she could do so. However, she was quick to point out that she had to make sure she would not be lying on bed just to end up sleeping in her review. She said that she is good in any environment as long as it is quiet and free of distractions. During the remaining two months of last year, she decided to bring her A-game as she carefully selected her review materials that would be most probably appear for this year’s examination. She also went as far as watching videos online as supplementary lessons. Above all, she had to maintain her concentration through sheer will and determination which allowed her to focus for three hours every day. When the examination day finally arrived, she found the exam difficult as most of the items had choices that could be the answer. She also thought that of all the number of topics one could have reviewed, it would be quite frustrating to see what would appear on the questionnaire but still was grateful to have a number of items where she was definite with the answers. After the examination, never did she entertain the idea of not passing despite having doubts rather she pressed on with the words “RMT parin ako kahit anong mangyari”

She was actually sleeping when the results came out a month after. She found herself bombarded with texts after waking up. Upon reading her messages, she immediately got up and confirmed the results herself. Of course she was happy for herself and for her friends who were able to pass the examination but the fact that she was among the list of the topnotchers made her feel as if she was on cloud nine even up to this day. When asked what motivated her, she explained that it was her family and friends that allowed her to give her very best along with the idea that she would prefer taking the examination with only just one take just to pay her parents’ efforts for her review. She also advised future takers to just focus on the review and trust God and the process.  Talking about her plans after now being medical technologist, she revealed that it has always been her dream to take up medicine and be a doctor. With the quarantine protocols as of today, she has only been just waiting for the schedule of the NMAT to be one step closer in realizing her dream. As of now, Tiffany Cabildo has been feeling nothing but grateful to her family, friends, and the MCNP for making a difference in her life and this achievement would serve as her inspiration to do more and give her best to her next endeavors.