Each year, the Philippines entrusts its Professional Regulation Commission with the solemn task of determining who may enter the healing professions — and in mid-September 2026, nearly 29,000 aspiring nurses received that answer. Of the 37,359 who sat for the Nurses Licensure Examination across four testing days in August and September, 76.69 percent passed, their names now entering the long record of those licensed to care for others. The results, released quietly in the early hours of a Saturday morning, mark not merely a bureaucratic milestone but a renewal of the country's covenant with it
Over 28,600 nurses pass Philippine licensing exam with 76.69% pass rate
Nearly 29,000 nurses cleared the licensing exam in a single cycle
Mark
So nearly 29,000 nurses passed. That sounds like a lot of people entering the profession at once. Is that normal?
Mimi
It's a single testing cycle—they hold the exam twice a year typically. So this is what one round produces. Whether it's normal depends on whether we're comparing to previous years, which the announcement doesn't tell us.
Luke
Right. We know the absolute number and the pass rate, but we don't know if this is up or down from last year, or if the pool of test-takers is growing or shrinking. That context matters for understanding whether the healthcare workforce is actually expanding.
Mark
Fair point. What about that 76.69 percent—is that considered a good pass rate for a licensing exam?
Mimi
In most professional licensing contexts, anything above 70 percent is respectable. It means the exam is filtering out people who aren't ready, but it's not so brutal that it's excluding qualified candidates.
Luke
Though we should note that "qualified" here means meeting whatever standard the PRC set. We don't know if that standard is rigorous, moderate, or lenient compared to other countries' nursing boards.
Mark
And those 21 people whose results are pending—what happens to them?
Mimi
They're under review for some violation of the exam rules. Could be anything from cheating allegations to administrative issues. The PRC will make a final determination.
Luke
The source doesn't say what the violations are or how long the review takes. That's a gap.
Mark
The top scorer got 92.20 percent. Does that tell us anything?
Mimi
It tells us someone performed very well on that particular exam. But without knowing the exam's difficulty level or how scores have trended historically, a single high score is just a number.
Luke
Exactly. Is 92.20 exceptional? Average for a top performer? We can't tell from this announcement alone.
Der Puls
- More than 37,000 candidates faced a high-stakes, four-day examination spread across late August and mid-September — a grueling gauntlet that determines entry into one of the Philippines' most vital professions.
- Roughly one in four test-takers did not pass, leaving thousands to weigh whether and when to attempt the examination again.
- Twenty-one candidates remain in an unresolved state, their results held under standard commission review — a small but pointed reminder that the process is never entirely frictionless.
- Dianne Tacazon Tolentino of the University of Northern Philippines–Vigan led all scorers at 92.20%, part of a broad cohort of high achievers drawn from institutions spanning the entire archipelago.
- The 76.69 percent pass rate signals a steady flow of newly qualified nurses into a healthcare system that depends on them — a quiet but consequential replenishment of the workforce.
Each year, the Philippines entrusts its Professional Regulation Commission with the solemn task of determining who may enter the healing professions — and in mid-September 2026, nearly 29,000 aspiring nurses received that answer. Of the 37,359 who sat for the Nurses Licensure Examination across four testing days in August and September, 76.69 percent passed, their names now entering the long record of those licensed to care for others. The results, released quietly in the early hours of a Saturday morning, mark not merely a bureaucratic milestone but a renewal of the country's covenant with its own health and future.
In the early hours of a Saturday morning, the Professional Regulation Commission made public what tens of thousands of Filipino nursing graduates had been waiting days to learn: 28,652 of the 37,359 candidates who sat for the Nurses Licensure Examination had passed, a success rate of 76.69 percent. The results were finalized the night before but released to the public only at dawn — a routine rhythm for a body managing licensure across an entire archipelago.
The examination itself unfolded in two waves: August 29 and 30, then September 11 and 12. Six days after the final session, the outcomes became official. A small asterisk accompanied the announcement — 21 candidates' results remained under review, held in the standard limbo the commission applies when questions arise.
Leading the rankings was Dianne Tacazon Tolentino of the University of Northern Philippines–Vigan, who scored 92.20 percent. Close behind her were Clifford Jay Patoc Cafe of Ateneo de Davao University at 92 percent and Lee Chen Padilla Ducusin of Lorma College at 91.80 percent. The upper tiers expanded steadily downward — five candidates at 91.60 percent, seven at 91.40, seven more at 91.20 — representing schools from Bataan to Davao to the Ilocos region, a geographic spread that speaks to the breadth of nursing education across the country.
The aggregate picture is one of a profession replenishing itself. For every four candidates who passed, roughly one did not — and those individuals face the decision of whether to return for another attempt. But the majority now hold a license, their names entered into public record, ready to take their place in a healthcare system that has long relied on the quiet dedication of Filipino nurses both at home and abroad.
The Professional Regulation Commission released results early Saturday morning showing that nearly 29,000 nurses had cleared the country's licensing examination. Of the 37,359 people who sat for the test across four days in late August and mid-September, 28,652 passed—a success rate of 76.69 percent. The announcement came six days after the final exam session, with one small caveat: 21 test-takers remained in limbo, their results pending review under the commission's standard rules.
The exams themselves were administered on August 29 and 30, then again on September 11 and 12. Results were technically finalized on Friday night but didn't become public knowledge until early the following morning. The staggered testing schedule and the brief delay in announcement are routine for a licensing body managing tens of thousands of candidates across the archipelago.
At the top of the rankings sat Dianne Tacazon Tolentino from the University of Northern Philippines–Vigan, who scored 92.20 percent. Just behind her was Clifford Jay Patoc Cafe of Ateneo de Davao University with 92 percent, followed by Lee Chen Padilla Ducusin from Lorma College at 91.80 percent. The fourth tier of high achievers—those scoring 91.60 percent—included five candidates: Johanna Marie Macay Bagayao from Saint Louis University, Al-Radjie Pangadapun Laguindab from Liceo de Cagayan University, Sheena Reena Patayon Oco from Cebu Doctors University, Roi Christian Taguiwalo Pachica from Central Philippine University, and one other. The fifth rank, at 91.40 percent, expanded to seven names, representing schools from Bataan to Davao to Ilocos.
The distribution of high scores reveals a broad base of strong performers. Seven candidates tied for sixth place with 91.20 percent. Ten more achieved 91 percent. Fourteen finished at 90.80 percent, nineteen at 90.60 percent, and twenty-two rounded out the top ten percentile at 90.40 percent. These numbers suggest that the examination, while selective, produced a cohort of newly licensed nurses with solid foundational knowledge across the country's nursing schools.
The 76.69 percent pass rate represents the outcome of a single examination cycle—a snapshot of how many candidates met the commission's standards in a given testing window. For context, this means roughly one in four test-takers did not pass and will need to retake the exam if they wish to practice nursing in the Philippines. The names and scores of the top performers are now public record, a tradition that recognizes excellence and allows employers and institutions to identify standout graduates.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The Professional Regulation Commission announced that 28,652 out of 37,359 passed the Nurses Licensure Examination— Professional Regulation Commission
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei The Manila Times ↗
Education