Honed by past experiences, a fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Accountancy student from Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) has balanced the ledger of success by emerging Top 1 in the March 2024 Civil Service Examination (CSE) professional level for Region 1 with a rating of 95.68 percent.
John Manuel Sanchez, a 21-year-old resident of Batac City, Ilocos Norte, proves that when you invest in the basics and build the foundation of knowledge, anything is possible.
The accounting student said he did not do anything special to prepare for the exam.
“I did not get preliminary preparation, specifically on the technicalities of the exam, because I did not get the luxury of time for reviewing the different topics in the CSE,” he said.
During that time, Sanchez had to balance his review for the CSE along with his studies.
“We were bombarded by a lot of long exams, quizzes, recitations, and so on. That’s why I did not get the leisure time to browse some of the review notes that I had for the CSE,” he added.
However, after the results came out, Sanchez didn’t anticipate the results he would get.
Before the exam, Sanchez told his mother that he may not pass the exam.
Once the results of the exam came out, Sanchez himself didn’t expect where he placed.
He said, “I felt blessed because the exam results were unexpected for me since I didn’t get to review enough back then.”
When the exam results were finally revealed, Sanchez was in for a big surprise.
Before the test, he had shared with his mother his worries and doubts about passing the exam.
So when the results came in, he was stunned.
“I felt so lucky because I didn’t expect this outcome. I hadn’t had the chance to review as much as I wanted, so this result was a total surprise,” Sanchez said.
Despite not being able to prepare as thoroughly as he had hoped, he had faith in himself, focusing simply on passing the exam.
To his surprise, topping the entire region was an unexpected bonus.
He shares his success with his main support system – his family and friends.
Sanchez is grateful not only for the financial support he’s received but also for the emotional and mental encouragement.
He appreciates everything done for him, saying, “They haven’t just supported me financially; they’ve also been there emotionally, mentally, and physically.”
At present, he is preparing for the Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE), which is known to be one of the most difficult exams in the Philippines.
With all the support he receives from his family, Sanchez wants to repay his gratitude by becoming a CPA lawyer and giving his family the comfortable life they deserve.
“Our goal for our family is to make their lives comfortable and then give their needs as they grow old. As much as we have the means to do so, we will give back to them. Even if they don’t want to, we still have to give back to them because they have been there ever since we were still children,” said Sanchez.
His message to fellow accounting students is one of perseverance and optimism.
He encourages them to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process and to maintain a positive outlook.
“I want to remind them to never give up on their dreams. Treat failure as a redirection because that’s how life unfolds. As long as you stay resilient and keep pushing forward, success will follow,” he said.
Additionally, he also has a message for those who plan to take the CSE.
He says that working on improving the basics in every subject helps a lot and strategize to be more efficient when taking the exam.
“Invest in your continuous improvement and read, write, and hone your basics. I always tell them to invest in the basics because I think that’s what the CSE is trying to test. Our proficiency, our framework on linguistics and analytics,” ended Sanchez.
In a Facebook post, the MMSU took pride in the achievement of one of its students, adding more laurels to its educational distinction. (AMB/MJTAB/BDC-intern PIA Ilocos Norte)
