Nursing Board Exam Results August and September 2026: 28,652 out of 37,359 Passed (76.69%)

Still in nursing school? What the nursing board exam results tell you now

My nephew is in his third year of nursing. He has never searched his own name in the nursing board exam results, yet he already follows them closely. Three of my high-school classmates took the NLE years ago, passed, and now work as nurses abroad. He has their old group chat to look at, and his questions are short and practical.

He does not ask about pass rates. Instead, he asks about timing and the path. So this section answers his questions first, before the long list of numbers further down.

“Kailan ako magsisimula ng review?”

Start when your class load is lighter, not while you are still finishing your third-year subjects. That is the only rule I can give him from what I saw. My classmates reviewed at the usual seasonal review centers, and the ones who did best had the time to sit in those classrooms after class.

So the real decision is between two dates: the review season right after graduation, or the one after that. Write both down. Then check the next exam date in the schedule section below, because PRC sets the NLE calendar every year.

“Big batch or small batch, alin ang mas okay?”

PRC now runs two NLE batches a year, and they are not the same size. The big batch draws about 35,000 to 45,000 takers. Meanwhile, the small batch draws about 8,000 to 11,000. In PRC’s last six releases, the big batches passed 77% to 90% of takers, while the small batches passed 44% to 70%.

However, PRC’s numbers do not say who sat each batch. Treat the gap as a pattern to know about, not proof that one batch is easier. One of my classmates chose the small batch on his second try because the big crowd made the waiting feel worse. He passed. For him, it was a choice about time.

“Kailangan ko pa bang mag-NLE kung aalis din naman ako?”

Everyone I know who left took the NLE first. My three classmates treated the Philippine license as the paper already in the folder when the overseas process started. In their messages, the foreign exam always came on top of that license, never instead of it.

Still, I cannot tell my nephew what a specific country will require by the time he graduates. Rules change. Check the current requirement with the regulator of the country you are aiming for, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK, the state board of nursing in the US, or the health authority of the Gulf country you have in mind. My advice to him is simple: check the current requirement, and do not copy what someone did in 2015.

“Mag-work muna ako dito or diretso review?”

Honestly, I do not know. One classmate did both at once. She volunteered at a local hospital while she waited for her retake and caught review classes after her shift. It worked, but it stretched her months. I cannot say whether that was better or simply what was available to her.

Latest results: August and September 2026 NLE

On September 18, 2026, five working days after the last exam day, PRC posted the August and September 2026 NLE results. That matches the speed of the February release. Examinees took the test in 26 testing centers all over the Philippines. The passing rate was 76.69%: 28,652 passers out of 37,359 examinees. PRC withheld the results of 21 examinees pending review of their cases.

The Board of Nursing gave the exam: Hon. Leah Primitiva S. Paquiz, Chairperson; Hon. Elsie A. Tee, Hon. Zenaida C. Gagno, Hon. Mary Grace C. Lacanaria, Hon. Mila Delia M. Llanes, Hon. Merle L. Salvani and Hon. Josefina A. Tuazon, Members. For August and September 2026 passers, online registration opens October 13, 2026. The oath-taking date will be announced later.

How the latest batch compares

The passing rate moved up 32.45 points from February 2026. The average across these five batches is 72.07%, so this batch is above average. 29,197 more examinees took this batch than February.

Next NLE: exam schedule

In 2024 and 2025, the NLE ran in May and November. In 2026, PRC moved it to February and August, and PRC labeled the second batch “August and September 2026” because some testing centers finished in September. As a result, last year’s month is no longer a safe guess. This section shows the next date only after PRC publishes it in its yearly schedule, so you never see last season’s date left up.

How is the NLE scored?

Every name on the passers list cleared the same rule, and it comes straight from the law. Under Section 15 of the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 (Republic Act No. 9173), you pass with a general average of at least 75% and no subject below 60%.

The law also has a middle path that many students miss. If your average reaches 75% but one subject falls below 60%, you retake only that subject. On the retake, you need at least 75% in each subject you repeat. In other words, a single weak subject does not send you back to the whole exam.

Results night: how to find your name in the nursing board exam results

I remember the group chat from those nights more than the scores. First came “board na,” then the waiting. On my classmate’s first results night, someone posted “PRC live na” around 8 in the evening, then the link. The site slowed down. Soon, a screenshot of the list was going around before most of us could even open the page.

Her name turned up on the second or third screenshot. She replied “nakita ko na,” and nothing else for a while. Within an hour, the whole chat knew she had passed.

On their second tries, the other two did it differently. They did not wait for someone to spot them. Instead, they opened the official list and searched their own names. One of them has a common surname, so he typed his full name and his school to be sure. A blurry forwarded image went around that night too, but everyone ignored it once the official PDF was up.

Here is what that taught me:

• First, open the official PDF from the results box at the top of this page. It is one complete file, so you search it once.
• Then search your full name, not just your surname. If your name is common, check your school as well.
• Also ignore “results out na” posts with no official file. A screenshot is a rumor until you see your own name in PRC’s PDF.

The morning after you pass

Results day felt like the finish line to my classmates. It was not. By the next morning, the chat had moved on to papers.

For August and September 2026 passers, online registration opens October 13, 2026. You register online through PRC’s website, prc.gov.ph. For the latest batch, PRC asked passers to bring a screenshot of the system-generated registration form and a valid government-issued ID. You must also sign the Roster of Registered Professionals in person. PRC announces the oath-taking date separately, and the Philippine Nursing Act requires every new nurse to take the oath.

The same week is a good time to sort out your other IDs. You will need an SSS number for your first employer, and it helps to register with PhilHealth online before your first payslip. If you want the bigger picture, our guide on what a PRC license actually covers explains the card you are about to receive.

Going abroad: the license is the first paper, not the last

None of my three classmates stayed. M. left for the Middle East about two years after her results. N. followed about three years after her second-take pass. D. took the longest, three to four years from the board to the UK.

The chat never listed their overseas exams the way it listed “board na.” Instead, it mentioned papers, an English test, and a licensing step in the destination country. After that, the updates were about visas, start dates, and hospital assignments. Most of those years happened off the group chat.

If that is your plan, start with the documents early. Our guide to Philippine passport requirements covers the first one most applicants need. Once you work abroad, you can keep your benefits running through SSS for OFWs and Pag-IBIG payments from abroad.

Staying: the local path is real

The hospitals in our part of CALABARZON did hire from my classmates’ batch. Some of their batchmates are still at the provincial hospital or the private hospitals that take new graduates. They have work. What I hear, secondhand, is that the shifts are long, and the patient load is the first thing they mention.

On pay, the law sets a floor for government work. Section 32 of RA 9173 says nurses in public health institutions start at no lower than Salary Grade 15. Private hospitals set their own rates, so ask each one directly.

Even so, staying was never the story the chat treated as the default. Once someone passed, the next questions were about agencies and countries. I cannot tell my nephew which choice ages better. Both kinds of nurses came out of the same results list, and both still had real work ahead of them once their names appeared.

What the NLE path costs a family

The PRC fee is the small part. PRC’s schedule of fees (Resolution No. 2005-267) sets ₱900 for a licensure exam that needs a bachelor’s degree, and ₱450 for a removal exam. Confirm the current amount when you file, since PRC can update it.

The review center is the big early expense. For my classmates, their parents paid for it. They stayed home and commuted, so the extra costs were transport and printed materials. Exam week added the bus or van, a place to stay if the testing center was far, and food. Their families treated those as ordinary expenses.

• Plan for the retake before you need it. For two of my classmates, the second try meant one more review season and one more exam-week trip, paid by the same family.
• Expect the leaving costs to come later and run larger: agency fees, the English test, papers, and the ticket.
• Know who usually pays what. In my classmates’ case, the parents paid for the board, and the nurse’s own early salary helped pay for leaving.

If your family wants to set money aside for the review years ahead, our Pag-IBIG MP2 savings calculator shows how a monthly amount grows over five years.

If your name is not on the list

Two of my three classmates did not pass on their first try. Neither of them switched review centers. What changed was time: they treated the second sit as the one that had to stick, because the first had already cost a season.

Meanwhile, the chat simply got quieter. Messages turned into duty schedules, “ingat sa duty,” and later the date of the retake. When the second results came out, both of them passed. Their posts were shorter than the first-time ones: just the confirmation, then talk about papers.

Also check your rating slip before you plan anything. If your average reached 75% but one subject fell below 60%, the law lets you retake only that subject.

Nursing board exam results archive

Every regular and special NLE batch on PRC’s results list, newest first, with PRC’s own PDFs. The special batches are small exams PRC gives abroad.

PDF downloads by batch

August and September 2026

May 2026 (special)

February 2026

November 2025

June 2025 (special)

May 2025

November 2024

June 2024 (special)

May 2024

Frequently asked questions about the nursing board exam

When were the August and September 2026 NLE results released?

Do I still need to take the NLE if I plan to work abroad?

Everyone I know who left passed the NLE first and treated the Philippine license as the first paper in the folder. Rules differ by country and change over time, though. So check the current requirement with your destination’s regulator, such as the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council, a US state board of nursing, or the health authority of your Gulf country.

Is the big NLE batch or the small batch better?

In PRC’s last six releases, the big batches passed 77% to 90% of takers and the small batches passed 44% to 70%. However, PRC does not publish who took each batch, so the gap is a pattern, not proof. Pick the batch that gives you enough review time.

When should I start my NLE review?

Start when your class load is lighter, not during your heaviest semester. Most students choose between the review season right after graduation and the one after that. Before deciding, check the next NLE date in the schedule section above.

What is the passing score for the NLE?

You need a general average of at least 75% with no subject below 60%, under Section 15 of RA 9173. If your average reaches 75% but one subject falls below 60%, you retake only that subject and need at least 75% in it.

The years after the list are the real path

If someone had told my classmates one thing, I wish it were this: the two to four years after the results list are the actual path, not a delay. The nursing board exam results list sits in the middle of the story. Passing puts the paper in the folder. It does not start the job abroad the next season, and it does not make staying a smaller choice.

For the other health board exams, see our medical technologists board exam results, the midwives board exam results, and the physicians licensure exam results. Every other licensure exam we track is on our PRC board exam results page.