Psychometrician exam topnotcher balances 3 jobs while reviewing

Preparing meals on weekends, waking up, eating, working, studying and sleeping — this was the routine of John Jefferson “Jeff” Aguila, who lived alone while preparing for the Psychometrician Licensure Examination (PmLE).

So when he finally walked out of the examination room, he felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off his chest.

“Grabe ‘yong relief when you walk out of the exam and almost broke down walking out of that room kasi I didn’t know na I was carrying a lot like grabe ‘yung pressure pala sa akin and I was handling it alone,” Aguila recalled.

For months, the 23-year old who hailed from Antipolo had to juggle freelance work with three clients while preparing for the exam and providing for himself.

But even after completing the exam, he never expected to emerge as one of four examinees who tied for the top spot when the results were released in September 2026.

From a young age, Aguila knew his family could not afford to give him everything he wanted. His mother had epilepsy, while his father worked various jobs before eventually starting a motorcycle repair business. The family also moved five times, living in different parts of Antipolo City and nearby towns.

These struggles helped shape Aguila to the independent person that he is now.

“Basically hindi madali ang buhay… But hindi ako ‘yung kind ng kid na nagko-complain about those things, but I wish I could help. So I guess the way that I help is [to] be an independent overachiever,” Aguila said.

That independence also helped Aguila complete his psychology degree at the University of Rizal System–Morong, despite financial difficulties that nearly derailed his studies.

“Super hirap noong [COVID-19] pandemic,” he said of the health crisis that struck in 2020.

“Sometimes, we had to ask things out for food, ganoon kalala iyong ang life. One time I noticed na there were points in life na we really had nothing on the table,” he added.

The Department of Science and Technology scholar took a year off from his studies before returning for his fourth year, determined to finish what he had started. He eventually graduated summa cum laude in June 2025.

After his graduation, Aguila began working as a virtual assistant, handling three clients. He then eventually moved out of his parents’ home and began supporting himself financially.

Preparing for the licensure exam became a balancing act between earning a living and finding time to study.

When the results were released, the first person Aguila wanted to share the news with was his father, who had faced judgment over his work as a motorcycle mechanic, with some people questioning whether he could afford to send his child to college.

For Aguila, the journey was never solely about earning a degree or ranking first in a licensure examination. It was about learning to keep going when life offered little certainty, finding reasons to move forward, and discovering that there was more to life than simply making it through another day.

“The world is a good place and a lot of it lies away for you. You start to crave for it and you start to work for it relentlessly. I hope people find that kind of thing for them. Something that can keep them going,” he said.

Whatever challenges life may bring, Aguila advised others to “take it with grace.”

“Take it with grace kasi life can happen on any other things [and] will hit you. But you have to continue. Forward is only the way out,” he said.