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Nurses Licensure Examination

The PNLE is the Philippines' national licensure examination for the nursing profession, required under Republic Act No. 9173 (Philippine Nursing Act of 2002) and administered by the Professional Regulation Commission through the Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing; it is a two-day pencil-and-paper examination of five Nursing Practice subjects (100 items each, 500 items in total under the Enhanced Tables of Specifications effective November 2025), with passing set at a 75% general average and no subject rating below 60%.

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Questions500 items: five subjects (Nursing Practice I-V) of 100 items each, per the Enhanced Tables of Specifications; within each subject, items are split Part A 80% / Part B 20% and distributed across Bloom's taxonomy cognitive levels

Testing timeFive 2-hour subject sessions (10 hours of testing) across two days, plus a 45-minute general-instructions and form-filling period opening day one; August 2026 schedule: Aug 29 at 8:00-10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and 2:30-4:30 p.m., and Aug 30 at 8:00-10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

ScoringPass requires a general average of at least 75% with no subject rating below 60%; an examinee at 75%+ average but below 60% in a subject is a conditional passer who re-takes only the failed subject(s), needing at least 75% there to pass

Exam feePHP 900 examination fee (nursing is a baccalaureate profession - Board of Nursing Resolution No. 02, s. 2022 sets 'Degree/Course Requirement: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)', and PRC's FAQ publishes the baccalaureate examination fee at PhP 900.00; the nursing list of requirements itself states only '* Subject to payment of examination fees')

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Exam overview

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Who runs it: PRC
Category: Nursing Licensure
Current version: Enhanced Tables of Specifications adopted by Board of Nursing Resolution No. 10 (s. 2025), applicable starting with the November 2025 Nurses Licensure Examination and all subsequent schedules (supersedes Board Resolution Nos. 18 s. 2006 and 11 s. 2017)
Where it applies: PH — national
Exam languages: English
Score scale: Percentage ratings by subject and a general average rating (passing general average 75%, minimum 60% per subject)
Testing provider: Administered directly by the Professional Regulation Commission through the Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing at testing centers nationwide (no commercial testing vendor)
Format: Pencil-and-paper written test taken in person at assigned schools/testing centers (examinees bring No. 2 pencils and black-ink ballpens; all calculators and electronic gadgets are prohibited); R.A. 9173 Sec. 12 likewise requires 'a written examination'
Availability: Fixed national administration dates twice in 2026 - February 26 and 27 (23 testing centers) and August 29 and 30 (26 testing centers), with online application open May 15 through July 15, 2026 for the August sitting; overseas Filipino workers may sit the same exam through an SPLE edition (May 29 and 30, 2026 in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan)
Results: Target release of results: September 18, 2026 for the August 29-30, 2026 examination, per PRC's official 2026 schedule of examinations (February 2026 edition target: March 19, 2026)
Remote testing: Not available

Exam structure

Five subjects, 100 items each (20% of the exam each): Nursing Practice I - Care of Individuals, Families, Population Groups and Community (Community Health Nursing); Nursing Practice II - Part 1 Care of Mother, Adolescent (Well Clients), At Risk or With Problems (Acute & Chronic) and Part 2 Human Growth and Development; Nursing Practice III - Care of Clients with Problems in Surgery, Oxygenation, Fluid and Electrolytes, Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Response, Cellular Aberrations (Acute and Chronic); Nursing Practice IV - Care of Client with Problems in Nutrition, and Gastro-Intestinal, Metabolism and Endocrine, Perception and Coordination (Acute and Chronic); Nursing Practice V - Care of Clients with Maladaptive Patterns of Behavior (Acute and Chronic) and Care of Clients with Life-Threatening Condition, Acutely Ill/Multi-Organ Problems, High Acuity and Emergency Situation

Where rules vary

One uniform national licensure examination required to practice nursing in the Philippines under R.A. No. 9173, administered on the same dates at PRC testing centers nationwide (26 centers listed for August 2026); the same examination is also administered abroad to overseas Filipino workers through Special Professional Licensure Examinations (SPLE), e.g. Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in May 2026

Eligibility

Citizen of the Philippines (or of a country that lets Filipino nurses practice on the same basis with substantially the same licensing requirements), of good moral character, and holder of a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from a recognized college or university; Board of Nursing Resolution No. 02 (s. 2022) prescribes the documentary requirements (PSA birth certificate, TOR marked 'For Board Examination Purposes', notarized Certificate of Undertaking signed by the Dean and Registrar)

Retake policy

Conditional/removal rule: an examinee who reaches the 75% general average but rates below 60% in a subject retakes only that subject (or those subjects), needing at least 75% to pass (PRC's conditioned/removal examination fee is PhP 450.00); full failures may reapply as repeaters - the nursing list of requirements prescribes no additional documents for repeaters ('Repeaters: None')