Jomel Lapides achieved something only a few people can brag about after he topped the November 2020 Physician Licensure Exams.
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| Photo: MU SIGMA PHI FRATERNITY (via Inquirer.net) |
The University of the Philippines-Manila cum laude graduate got a score of 88.67 during the medical licensure tests. The Rizal native said that he hoped that he would get into the top 10 but he did not expect he would place even near the top of the list.
Lapides’ humble background
Jomel Lapides did not make the fact that his family faced financial difficulties a secret.
Lapides’ family previously lived in a relocation site in Rodriguez, Rizal. His father was employed as a construction worker in the past.
Jomel Lapides also topped 2011 Nursing Licensure Exam
It is hardly the first time Lapides made headlines because of his achievements.
Back in July 2011, he also led the topnotchers for the Nursing Licensure Exams. He had the highest score out of the 37,513 people who passed the said examinations.
Lapides’ girlfriend passes November 2020 Physician Licensure Exams
The release of the results of the November 2020 Physician Licensure Exams served as a double celebration for Lapides after his girlfriend also passed.
Lapides’ girlfriend, Baby Lyn Ann Tanalgo, also aced the exams. She noted how she did not realize her boyfriend was the no. 1 topnotcher until after a friend told her.
Physician Licensure Exam results
The November 2020 Physician Licensure Exams was the first licensure exams to be held since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns and community quarantines.
A total of 3,538 out of 4,704 examinees successfully passed the notoriously difficult examinations. The list of passers was released a week after the last testing day.
Among the other notable topnotchers for the 2020 PLE include UP-Manila's Tiffany Uy, who placed fifth. Uy is notable for holding the highest general weighted average (GWA) in the University of the Philippines-Diliman since World War II when she finished her undergraduate studies. She also finished as magna cum laude and batch valedictorian of UP Manila.
Source: Inquirer.net
