By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores

Far Eastern University (FEU) Psychology students won third place out of 107 teams in the 38th Psychological Association of the Philippines - Junior Affiliates (PAPJA) Inter-Collegiate Psychology Quiz Challenge, following a four-year hiatus, at the SMX Convention Center last March 29.

The green-and-gold team consisted of fourth-year student Mary Grace Zaldarriaga and third-year students Abraham Deogracias Jr., Krizlyn Cruz, and Assunta Alexandra Sunga.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Deogracias shared his pride and relief in continuing the legacy of the University in the national competition, given its last participation and third place win in 2021.

“We feel extremely delighted that we proved that FEU PsychTams (Psychology Tamaraws) possess the caliber of a true winner. There was a lot of pressure on us knowing that FEU placed third in the last PAPJA Inter-Collegiate Psychology [Quiz] Challenge, hence winning gave us not just a rush of happiness, but a sense of relief that we did not disappoint the whole PsychTams community,” he said.

FEU also placed eighth among the 2025 PAPJA quiz bee’s Top 21 Best Performing Schools.

The four participants were selected following their championship in ‘PaPSYCHLaban: The Psych Quiz Olympiad’ competition for the Year 3 & 4 Division led by FEU Psychology Society last February.

Due to conflicting schedules, the team initially prepared for the competition on their own. A week before the competition, they were eventually provided by their coach, James Dominic Flores, with a review schedule, involving online review sessions conducted by the faculty of the FEU Department of Psychology.

They also had to review advanced materials that have yet to be discussed in their current curriculum, along with fulfilling their organizational duties and research courses.

“I can say that the solid support system that we have heavily contributed to our win, since we were relieved of some of the demanding workload in both our studies and extracurricular activities,” Deogracias added.

The competition proper involved a qualifying round, wherein three representatives of the team were required to answer a 50-item pen-and-paper exam individually. Additionally, only three participants played in the final round, which followed the traditional quiz bee format. In these rounds, Sunga served as the alternate contestant.

Moreover, the team deemed PAPJA as a valuable opportunity for celebrating and learning more about their chosen program: Psychology.

“It was a place of learning and socializing. We were able to hear the valuable insights from the experts in the discipline while also learning from fellow students about other things that we were unaware of. On a more personal note, this convention was able to remind me why I chose to take psychology as a degree. It reignited my drive to serve the people in a way that differs from the services of other disciplines but is as important,” Deogracias expressed.

Deogracias also highlighted their win as a testament to the Tamaraws’ capabilities alongside a supportive community.

PAPJA is an annual national convention for undergraduate Psychology students in the Philippines. Aside from the quiz bee, the event also offered workshops, which was held on March 30.

PAPJA quiz bee had a four-year hiatus due to the convention switching to online modality following the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Photo courtesy of James Karlo Badillo)