Ranking ninth in the recently concluded September 2026 Psychometrician Licensure Examination (PmLE), Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) graduate Niño Benedict Lumanag shared his experience with academic pressure while discussing the psychological challenges faced by students, along with the scope of psychometrician practice.

While preparing for the licensure examination, Lumanag reflected on his experience with the pressures of academic demands, including burnout from juggling the licensure exams for two majors. 

“Mag-take din kasi ako ng NMAT this January, February, I wanted to try October sana ngayon. Pero, na burnout ako, di ko kaya na two different fields i-study ko and like, for 3 days, sakit masyado ulo ko, and I had difficulty talking because, weird if you think about it, I had difficulty conversing kay hindi ko mahanap ang words,” he shared.

Rather than relying on a single study strategy, he experimented with different methods and found that flashcards suited his learning style, which made studying accessible anytime.

“I really have batchmates that says na sometimes they see me studying sa jeep… I just do it when I’m in the mood and naka-comment sila na parang weird daw na naga-study ako sa jeep with flashcards. So with experiences like that, my preparations for the board exam was really fun, passion ko din kasi talaga ang Psychology.”

He also noted that psychometricians are often perceived primarily as assistants to psychologists and as professionals responsible for conducting psychological assessments, limiting their involvement in addressing broader psychological concerns in school settings.

“Limited kasi masyado ngayon ang role sa psychometrician, psychometricians are usually looked at, tig assist lang sa psychologist pero ngayon, we were introduced to a concept sa elective namin sa Psych, DMH (Disaster and Mental Health), there’s this thing called Psychological First Aid.”

Beyond professional limitations, he identified several psychological challenges affecting students today, including lack of inhibition, academic pressure, and bullying, pointing to social media as a factor that can influence students’ expectations of themselves and their perceptions of success.

“The most pressing psychological challenge that students may face now kay lack of inhibition. Parang, they should know when to stop and chill or relax kay from my personal experience, ano masyado ang kids ngayon, very, they’re really motivated by people online,” he mentioned.

Another challenge Lumanag highlighted was academic pressure, noting that excessive focus on academics may come at the expense of students’ emotional and psychosocial growth.

“Mas focus ang kids ngayon sa academic development kaysa sa emotional and psychosocial na development. So ayun, let’s say valedictorian ka sa school, palagi kang honor sa high school, you get to achieve everything you want in terms of academic stuff pero are you really having fun. Are you really getting to be mature? Are you making mistakes that force you to grow?”

Despite the achievement, he encouraged students not to measure their worth solely through excellence or accomplishments, especially in an online environment where achievements are constantly displayed.

“I want people to love themselves kahit hindi sila excellent na tao kay mahirap ngayon sa social media, sa tinuod lang, seeing all these achievements online, like seeing everyone achieve their goals, it’s really hard thinking na it’s okay to be average. You have your own measure of success naman din,” Lumanag stated.

Meanwhile, AdDU recorded a 97.37% institutional passing rate in the September 2026 PmLE, with 74 of its 76 examinees passing.

The September 2026 PmLE was conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) at testing centers nationwide, with 14,146 of 15,423 examinees successfully passing, resulting in a national passing rate of 91.72%.