Tonight, thousands of Standard 6 students from around the country are breathing a sigh of relief because they finished the PSE today, sitting Paper two, the Math and Social Studies subjects.

It's the most important test of their young academic careers, and today 7News got a chance to speak with a few of them to get a feel for how challenging they found the test to be.

Adalmi Cambranez - Wesley Upper School
"We were taking Social Studies and Mathematics today."

Daniel Ortiz
"In your optinion, how was it now that you've gone through it?"

Adalmi Cambranez
"Only one of two were hard - not that hard but it was good. I think I passed it with a high score."

Daniel Ortiz
"How long did it take you to prepare for it?"

Adalmi Cambranez
"It took me long enough because I was doing very well in my opinion so I studied very hard."

Kevin Vega - Grace Primary School
"The Mathematics was kind of challenging but I know I did well. The Social Studies was faily easy I think."










Emerson Cruz Jr. - Grace Primary School
"The Mathematics wasn't too hard. The Mathematics 2 was difficult but the Social Studies was easy. As long as you study, God will be on your side"

Daniel Ortiz
"What were some of the topics that they focused on in the exams?"





Melanie Azueta - Holy Redeemer Primary School
"Economy and History"

Daniel Ortiz
"And in the problem solving? What were some of the areas of focus in Mathematics?"

Melanie Azueta
"Geometry and order of operations and angles."

Daniel Ortiz
"I know the problem solving is always a difficult area."

Hanifah Gonzalez - Holy Redeemer Primary School
"It was challenging but most of it was doable"










Shenique Sutherland - Holy Redeemer Primary School
"Some of it was challenging but still doable."

Daniel Ortiz
"Was there any topic of choice that caught you off guard?"

Shenique Sutherland
"No, not really."






Amber Staine - Holy Redeemer Primary School
"It was doable."

Daniel Ortiz
"The math - Geometry, angles?"

Amber Staine
"The multiple choice was kind of difficult"

Daniel Ortiz
"What was the exams like for you?"

Israel Gonzalez - Holy Redeemer Primary School
"Challenging for the problem solving."

Daniel Ortiz
"What was in the problem solving that caugh you off guard."

Israel Gonzalez
"The phone bill - that caught me off guard."






Keenen Flowers - New Horizon Academy
"In my perspective, I am a very big fan of Math so that wasn't any problem for me at all. I took every second until I passed up the paper so I was able to do everything completely and to check over my work. I believe I got almsot a 100 in Math."







Sheldon Lynch - Saint Martin De Porres Primary
"To me Social Studies isn't a hard subject."

Daniel Ortiz
"How do you expect to perform overall? Do you expect that you will have a great passing grade?"

Sheldon Lynch
"I don't know because results haven't come out as yet."

Daniel Ortiz
"You could judge - how confident were you throughout your exams? I could tell whenever i'm going to pass with a high grade and I also can tell when i'm going to fail"

Sheldon Lynch
"I would say yes to passing."

Results will be announced in June.

Channel 7


Day two of PSE; students say math hard, social studies easy

Day two of the PSE took place today at different locations countrywide. Close to eight thousand primary school students sat the exams. While a number of students were comfortable with social science, math is still a challenge for the majority. News Five's Jose Sanchez, spoke to students from various primary schools.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

Today close to eight thousand students completed Day 2 of the Primary School Examinations.� The students across the country were focused on Math and Social Studies.

Jamie Fuller, Student, Bethel Primary School

Jamie Fuller

"Math one, math paper two and social studies."

Jose Sanchez

"You got a smile on your face. Any indication about how you felt about the exams?"

Jamie Fuller

"Good."

Jose Sanchez

"What was difficult; what was easy for you?"

Jamie Fuller

"Well the social studies was easy. The math paper two mi difficult."

Eve Forbes

Eve Forbes, Student, Bethel Primary School

"The math mi kinda difficult, but the social studies mi kinda easy."

Jose Sanchez

"Anything in particular that you enjoyed about the exam?"

Eva Forbes

"The social studies. It was easy because it ask about the cabinet."

Yvonne Davis, Principal Education Officer, National Exams

Yvonne Davis

"A total of seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-one we have sitting the exam today. This is a difference of a hundred and forty-two from day one. We have a hundred and forty-two less. These are students who have been reported to us from the schools as students who have dropped out of the school since we registered them in November."

Jose Sanchez

"Is that one forty-two an unusual number?"

Yvonne Davis

"For us, no. normally it is about two hundred persons who do not take the exams-either they are absent for whatever reason or are sick for that day and have dropped out. So this number reflects only the dropouts that have been reported to us since November. But the number is not unusual for us; it usual goes to about two hundred."

Erica Amaya

Most of the students were happy the exams were over, but seemed positive about their performance.

Erica Amaya, Student

"The difficult one was math paper two and the kinda easy one was the social studies."

Jannelly Dougal, Student, All Saints Primary School

"I thought it was a little bit challenging. But everything you get it was kinda difficult. But I felt good about it and I think I get it right."

Jannelly Dougal

Mira Mahler, Student, All Saints Primary School

"Well I go dah All Saints School and the PSE, it was kind of challenging but it was also easy."

Principal Education Officer for National Exams, Yvonne Davis explained that the math was relevant to real life in Belize.

Yvonne Davis

"The profit margin; how much would you pay for a CD player if you buy it at eighty dollars at it is sold at fifteen percent profits. How much would you gain from that? I was telling you about the higher purchase which is a popular thing now in Belize. I notice that they are advertizing higher purchase and lay-away. So we begin to get the children familiar with what is out there. And then of course the GST; always a question on GST and our GST is set at twelve point five percent. So you cannot get away from that. Gives them a lot of trouble to calculate twelve point five percent of whatever."

Shanique Baltazar

By the end of the first week in June, the results should be announced.

Shanique Baltazar, Student, All Saints Primary School

"To me none of them were difficult because at All Saints, our teacher prepared us very well. It was a breeze for me. I think I did really well because I studied for it and we were prepared."

Jose Sanchez

"I can’t help but notice that you have on your rosary. Was that for good luck? Were you praying for the exam?"

Shanique Baltazar

"I wear it every day and of course I pray because if it wasn't for god we wouldn't be here. And every morning we pray so that god can be with us."

Rayla Good, Student, All Saints Primary School

Rayla Good

"Everything mi easy cause my teacher prepare we and she mi prepare we good and we study good."

Leandra Estrada, Student, All Saints Primary School

"Science and the language mi kinda easy. The math two mi challenging. The social studies that mi kinda easy a little bit, but the math two mi really challenging. The multiple choice; that mi kinda easy too."

Kiana Gonzalez

Kiana Gonzalez, Student, All Saints Primary School

"Social studies was kinda difficult and the math was easy for me. Only part two was kinda hard. But other than that math was easy. And our teachers from All Saints mi prepare us good too."

"Reporting for Channel Five, Leandra Estrada."

Channel 5