Behind the 91.80%: The journey to top 6

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At midnight last August 24, Aldrich John Ishise was not sitting in front of a computer waiting for the results of the Medical Technologists Licensure Examination (MTLE).

He was playing Mobile Legends with a friend who had also taken the exam.

The results had already been delayed for almost a week. Rather than stay anxious, Aldrich decided to relax. Then, in the middle of the game, he took a quick look at the list of topnotchers.

His name was there.

He checked again to make sure he had not mistaken another name for his own.

After the game, he looked at the results one more time.

“Topnotcher ako!”

Aldrich had just learned that he placed Top 6 nationwide with a rating of 91.80 percent in the August 2026 MTLE.

But the story behind that number began long before that midnight moment.

Finding his place

Aldrich’s journey as a Medical Technology student at Far Eastern University did not begin with a long list of academic achievements.

In fact, he describes himself as someone who was still finding his footing as a learner.

“Frankly, I was not studious nor academically achieved.”

He initially chose MedTech while researching possible pre-med programs. He was drawn to the program because it connected the core sciences with clinical diagnostics.

At first, however, he did not fully understand what the profession involved. As a freshman, he was even unaware that medical technologists performed blood extractions, something he only realized during his second year.

What began as a pre-med choice eventually became something more.

“Finishing it made me truly appreciate the beauty and necessity of laboratory diagnostics.”

The turning point came during his third year, when he encountered the clinical courses that made the program particularly demanding.

The difficulty and exhaustion were unlike anything he had experienced before. Yet rather than making him question the field, the experience helped him realize that this was where he wanted to be.

By his fourth-year internship, he had grown accustomed to the clinical setting and could finally picture himself pursuing a lifelong career in healthcare.

Learning how to study

The demands of the program also forced Aldrich to reconsider the way he approached learning.

He describes his experience as a MedTech student as “challenging and relentless,” with frequent quizzes and study sessions squeezed into brief breaks.

Looking back, he believes that constant difficulty was necessary because it forced him to develop the tenacity and mental fortitude he needed.

One of his biggest challenges was learning how to study effectively.

He had once believed that doing well on a test could be accomplished by studying a day or two beforehand. As he encountered low marks, and matured as a learner, he began to understand that preparation had to be methodical, systematic, and consistent.

“Developing the discipline to sustain an optimal study routine is not something built overnight, but it made all the difference.”

That discipline would later become central to his preparation for the board examination.

Starting over

Aldrich was originally supposed to take the March 2026 MTLE.

He had already prepared for three months when unforeseen application complications prevented him from taking the examination. The delay was devastating because he felt that his initial effort had been wasted.

He eventually redirected his plans toward the August examination.

With two months to prepare, he built his routine around six to eight hours of meaningful, active studying every day. During the final month, he sometimes studied for eight to ten hours when he had the momentum.

Preparation also meant making smaller changes: establishing a solid study routine, getting adequate sleep, minimizing distractions, and tracking his progress.

Even with that routine, doubts remained.

While answering question banks, rationalizing concepts, and reviewing flashcards, Aldrich sometimes found himself asking:

“What if I don’t pass? Will this delay be in vain? Should I have just gone into medical school immediately?”

He described it as a “cruel mind game.”

After missing the March examination and deciding not to proceed immediately to medical school, he gave himself a new goal: to become a topnotcher.

That goal became a way to focus his attention and manage the doubts that came with the preparation.

He also had support throughout the process.

Sealthiel helped him through moments when doubts took over and offered advice when he faced difficult decisions. His mother also supported his preparation through her constant presence and care, even though Aldrich had kept his desire to become a topnotcher a secret from her.

The examination

When Aldrich entered the examination room, he felt calm.

Rather than being overwhelmed by anxiety, he described himself as genuinely excited. To him, this was the moment that would determine whether he would pass the boards—and ultimately, whether he would top them.

During the examination, he became intensely focused.

He approached each question as an obstacle between him and his goal.

The more difficult part came in the waiting between subjects. Because examinees had to remain in their seats, Aldrich had time to sit with his thoughts and reconsider the answers he had already given.

Then the examination was over.

All that remained was the wait.

The moment he saw his name

The results were released at midnight last August 24.

Aldrich was playing Mobile Legends with a friend who was also an MTLE taker.

He took a quick look at the topnotcher list.

His name was there.

The initial excitement was followed by disbelief. He kept looking at the list to make sure he had not mistaken another name for his own.

After finishing the game, he checked the results again and finally exclaimed:

“Topnotcher ako!”

Later, as he was preparing to sleep, his phone continued buzzing with notifications from friends, family, and former classmates.

That was when the achievement finally sank in.

Staring at the ceiling in his condo, he felt the pressure lift and the satisfaction of seeing his name among the rankings.

“For once in my life, something went according to plan.”

The story behind 91.80 percent

Aldrich knows that people will see two things beside his name: top 6 and 91.80 percent.

But for him, those numbers do not tell the whole story.

He did not graduate with Latin honors or what he considers noteworthy achievements. On paper, he saw himself as an average student.

But he refused to accept that as the limit of what he could accomplish.

“I refused to accept that as my ceiling.”

His goal was not simply to prove something to other people. More importantly, he wanted to prove to himself that he was capable of something extraordinary when he committed himself fully to a goal.

That realization also changed what achievement meant to him.

“Not standing on a pedestal does not mean you lack worth.”

When that worth is realized through an achievement, he said, it becomes less about proving oneself to others and more about the quiet confidence of knowing that one earned every inch of where one stands.

The FEU experience

Aldrich’s preparation for the MTLE was shaped not only by his review routine but also by his experiences at FEU.

He considers his internship one of the highlights of his university journey.

Training at East Avenue Medical Center and Tondo Medical Center gave him knowledge, skills, values, and connections that became a cornerstone of his preparation for the MTLE.

Still looking ahead

For Aldrich, becoming a registered medical technologist does not change the dream he had when he first started thinking about his future.

He still wants to pursue medicine.

“Ever since I first envisioned my future career, becoming a physician is the path I have been driven to follow.”

And when asked what he would tell himself on his first day at FEU, his answer was not about becoming a topnotcher.

It was about learning not to compare his progress with everyone else’s.

“Everyone progresses differently; what matters most is how [one] grows and who [one becomes] in the process.”

His name now sits among the topnotchers of the August 2026 MTLE. But behind the ranking is a student who had to learn how to study, recover from a setback, and develop the discipline to keep going.

For someone who once described himself as an average student, 91.80 percent became proof that he did not have to let that description become his ceiling.

For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology program, please visit the following link: https://www.feu.edu.ph/institute-of-health-sciences-and-nursing/bachelor-of-science-in-medical-technology/