Jerusalem Angela Mercado was not so sure if she was prepared to take the 2016 Medical Board Examinations in Manila, Philippines after her classes in a review center in Manila ended in January 2015.
When her father, Norberto, asked her if she would take the physician's examination the following month, she couldn't readily reply to the former's query. She was, in fact, speechless.
"How did you fare in your review class?" her father asked her. It was breakfast time in their house.
She squirmed. "Very bad, Papa. Some of the lectures were poorly given, and the lecturers were sometimes absent. I don't think I'm prepared to take the exam this coming month. If I do, I may flunk it," Jerusalem said.
"That's bad. If you fail in your first try of the medical board, it will be a poor record on your medical career, even if you land in the top ten on your second try," her father said.
Jerusalem was silent. She realized that what her father said really counted.