NMAT: How the National Medical Admission Test Works and When Pre-Med Students Take It
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Study in Southeast Asia
NMAT is the entrance test every Philippine medical school requires before admission. The Center for Educational Measurement runs it twice a year, scores you on a percentile against other takers nationwide, and lets you sit it up to three times, keeping your best result.
📩 Administered by the Center for Educational Measurement (CEM), not CHED or a university
🎓 Two parts: Part I aptitude (verbal, inductive reasoning, quantitative, perceptual acuity) and Part II science (biology, physics, chemistry, social science)
Scored 200-800 per part, converted to a percentile rank from 1 to 99+
⏱️ CHED requires you to take it within two years of medical school admission
Up to three attempts allowed, only your best percentile counts toward applications
What NMAT is and who requires it
The National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) is the standard entrance exam for every medical school in the Philippines. The Center for Educational Measurement (CEM) , an independent testing body, develops, administers and scores it, not the schools themselves and not the Commission on Higher Education directly. You need an NMAT percentile on file before any Philippine medical school will process your application.
The two-part format
NMAT splits into two parts. Part I measures general aptitude across verbal reasoning, inductive reasoning, quantitative reasoning and perceptual acuity. Part II tests the science foundation you need for medical coursework: biology, physics, chemistry and social science. Both parts combine into your overall result, so a weak science background will not be fully offset by strong aptitude scores, and the reverse is also true.
How the score works
Each part is scored on a 200 to 800 scale, then converted into a percentile rank from 1 to 99+. Your percentile tells you how you performed against other examinees nationwide in the same testing cycle, not against a fixed pass or fail line. Individual medical schools set their own minimum percentile requirement for admission, and that minimum varies by school and by year, so check the specific cutoff each school you are applying to publishes rather than assuming a single national passing score exists.
When to take it
CEM administers NMAT in scheduled cycles through the year, and the CHED rule on medical school admission requires that your NMAT result be no more than two years old at the time of admission. Most pre-med students sit NMAT during their final year of a four-year bachelor's degree, timed so results are ready before medical school application deadlines. Register early through CEM's NMAT Online Registration System, since slots at testing centers fill up ahead of each cycle.
What each part actually covers
| Part | Focus | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Part I | Verbal, inductive reasoning, quantitative reasoning, perceptual acuity | General aptitude and reasoning speed, independent of your college major |
| Part II | Biology, physics, chemistry, social science | Whether your pre-med science foundation is strong enough for medical coursework |
Because Part II draws on four years of accumulated science coursework, cramming in the final weeks before the test rarely closes a large gap. Students who keep their biology, chemistry and physics fundamentals current throughout their pre-med years, rather than only in the semester before NMAT, walk in with a real advantage on that half of the exam.
You get three attempts
CEM allows up to three NMAT attempts, and schools consider your best percentile result across those attempts, not an average. If your first result falls below the range your target schools require, retaking is a normal path rather than a setback, provided you still fall inside the two-year validity window CHED sets for admission.
Because CEM runs NMAT on a scheduled cycle rather than on demand, plan your retake around the next available sitting rather than assuming you can sit again immediately. Students who know early that their first percentile came in below target should register for the next cycle as soon as it opens, since testing center slots for popular cities fill up ahead of each administration.
Test day logistics
CEM runs NMAT at designated testing centers in major cities, and you select your preferred center during registration. Bring a valid government-issued ID and your NMAT registration confirmation, and arrive with enough buffer before your reporting time, since late arrivals are commonly turned away rather than seated once testing begins. Results are released to your CEM account and forwarded to the medical schools you designate as part of your application, so keep your account details and designated school list accurate at the time you register.
Eligibility for foreign-based and returning applicants
Filipino students and foreign nationals applying from schools abroad follow additional guidelines set under CHED Executive Order 285, series of 2000, and CHED Memorandum Order No. 18, series of 2016. If your undergraduate degree was earned outside the Philippines, confirm your specific documentary requirements with CEM and the CHED Office of Student Services before registering, since foreign transcripts typically need separate clearance.
NMAT is one input, not the only one
Medical schools weigh your NMAT percentile alongside your undergraduate general weighted average, letters of recommendation and, at many schools, an admission interview. A strong percentile improves your odds but does not guarantee a slot at competitive schools with limited seats, so build your application around your full academic record rather than the test score alone.