DOST JLSS Exam Reviewer

The Junior Level Science Scholarships (JLSS) are DOST-SEI scholarships for students about to enter their third year of college in a priority science and technology program. If you missed the DOST scholarship in Grade 12, or never took that exam, this is the one to aim for now.

Three programs share one qualifying exam. RA 7687 is for students whose families fall within DOST-SEI’s income and socioeconomic limits. The Merit program has no income limit. RA 10612 is for students in science and math teaching programs, since it was set up to train more high school science and math teachers.

The 2026 exam produced 1,000 qualifiers: 269 under RA 7687, 372 under Merit and 128 under RA 10612. DOST-SEI emailed the other 231, listed as potential qualifiers, to ask for more documents.

Going by the 2026 call, you need to be:

• a natural-born Filipino citizen
• a regular second-year student in a priority S&T program on DOST-SEI’s list, moving up to third year
• at a GWA of at least 83%, or its equivalent, from the first semester of first year up to the first semester of second year, with no failing or conditional grades
• of good moral character and in good health

Taking the DOST-SEI undergraduate exam before doesn’t rule you out. You can still apply if you didn’t qualify then, or if you qualified and never used the scholarship.

RA 7687 applicants have two extra conditions: their family’s socioeconomic status has to fall within DOST-SEI’s limits, and they need a barangay certificate showing at least four years of residence in their municipality.

Read the 2027 call carefully when it opens. It comes with the list of eligible programs, and some programs qualify only at certain schools.

Our DOST JLSS 2027 guide lists the documents you can start gathering now, from your grades to your certificates of good moral character and good health.

Here is what the 2026 package gave JLSS scholars for the rest of their college years:

• ₱8,000 monthly living allowance
• Up to ₱40,000 a year for tuition and school fees, for scholars in private schools
• ₱10,000 a year for learning materials and connectivity
• One round-trip economy fare a year, if your school is outside your home province
• ₱10,000 thesis allowance and ₱1,000 graduation allowance
• A research dissemination grant of up to ₱50,000
• Group accident and health insurance

RA 7687 and RA 10612 applicants also sign a commitment to return service as part of their application.

1. This week, take one practice test from each of the four groups above. Start your review with whichever score came out lowest.
2. Mathematics gets 60 of the 135 minutes, so give it the biggest share of your study time. Dig out your math notes from first and second year and work through their problems alongside our tests.
3. Part I packs creative reasoning and language into 30 minutes. Drill those items with a timer running. An analogy you can’t crack in 30 seconds is one to skip and revisit.
4. Don’t study only what your course covers. A chemistry major still sits through the full math and reasoning parts.
5. Before exam day, do at least one full run: 30, 45 and 60 minutes back to back, with your phone in another room.

The JLSS is a pen-and-paper exam. In 2026, DOST-SEI sent test permits by email in June, so watch your inbox and spam folder once applications close.

Bring everything your permit lists and arrive early. Plan for about four hours at the testing center. Each part is timed on its own, and you can’t go back to a part once its time is up.