PMAEE Coverage 2026: Official Subjects, Question Format, and Reviewer Plan

The official 2026 PMA Entrance Exam coverage is Mathematics, English, and SPMA abstract reasoning. PMA currently names Algebra and Geometry under Mathematics; Grammar, Composition, Reading and Comprehension under English; and Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Pattern Analysis under SPMA.

That list comes directly from the Philippine Military Academy's current Cadet Application page and PMAEE Do's and Don'ts page, checked July 23, 2026. Those pages do not publish Science, General Information, Filipino, or Current Events as separate current PMAEE sections. They also do not publish a fixed live-exam item count, section weights, per-section limits, or a fixed passing percentage.

This distinction matters because many reviewers promise an exact five-section syllabus, 200 questions, a three-hour test, or a target percentage without linking those numbers to a current PMA specification. A large reviewer is not automatically an accurate reviewer. Start with what PMA actually publishes, then treat every extra topic as optional background unless your own current PMA notice says otherwise.

free PMAEE practice bankPractice questions with detailed explanations

Official PMAEE coverage versus common reviewer claims

This table does not prove Science or General Information could never be useful to a future officer. It answers the narrower question a PMAEE candidate is asking: what does PMA currently identify as written-exam coverage? As of July 23, 2026, the official answer is the three-area structure above.

What the official PMA sample questions reveal

PMA provides a small set of sample problems on its application and exam-rules pages. A sample set cannot reveal the complete difficulty, frequency, or distribution of the live test, but it gives better format evidence than an anonymous PDF.

The official English examples use five answer choices and test classification of a word plus correct comparative usage. The Mathematics examples use a short unit-price calculation and a basic triangle-angle fact. The SPMA examples use a simple numerical continuation and a visual sequence whose figure count changes.

Those examples support four conclusions:

1. Foundations matter. The published examples reward accurate handling of basic rules rather than specialized college content.
2. Language precision matters. A candidate must distinguish grammatical function and select the form that makes a sentence correct.
3. Mental calculation matters. PMA lists calculators among prohibited devices, so arithmetic fluency supports both Algebra and Numerical Reasoning.
4. Pattern rules must be stated, not guessed visually. The SPMA explanations identify the changing relationship before selecting the next figure or number.

Do not turn four official examples into a fabricated blueprint. They do not establish how many easy or difficult questions appear, whether one algebra topic is more frequent than another, or how many minutes belong to each area. Their value is showing the response style and the kind of fundamental reasoning PMA expects.

Is the PMA Entrance Exam multiple choice?

The current PMA materials provide strong evidence of an objective, selected-response format. Every official sample problem displays five lettered options. The Do's and Don'ts page tells candidates to match each numbered answer-sheet item with the same numbered test-booklet question, shade one circle, erase a changed response completely, make an intelligent guess, and leave no item unanswered.

That is more useful than simply saying multiple choice because it changes practice:

• Work on a separate answer grid at least once a week, not only by tapping answers on a phone.
• Check the question number before every mark so one skipped item does not shift the rest of the sheet.
• Shade cleanly inside one circle and practice erasing without leaving a second visible mark.
• Choose an answer for every practice item, but record low-confidence guesses separately for review.
• Stop immediately when a timed block ends; PMA lists failure to follow the proctor's pencils-down instruction as a disqualifying act.

PMA also prohibits calculators, cellular phones, and other electronic gadgets during the test. Conduct arithmetic practice without a calculator and learn to verify answers with estimation. Do not assume a phone will be available as a clock, calculator, or reference.

Mathematics: prepare inside the official boundary

PMA's published Mathematics boundary is short: Algebra and Geometry. It does not provide a granular 2026 list of formulas or weights. A defensible reviewer therefore begins with broad skills that operationalize those two labels while clearly identifying them as preparation choices, not PMA promises.

Algebra practice ladder

Start with arithmetic fluency because algebraic work fails when signs, fractions, decimals, ratios, or order of operations are weak. Then move from one-step equations to multi-step equations, algebraic expressions, proportional reasoning, and short word problems. The official unit-price sample makes manual rate reasoning a sensible drill, but it does not prove a published rate-problem quota.

Use three levels:

• Level 1: accuracy. Solve without a clock and write every transformation.
• Level 2: compact work. Remove unnecessary lines while preserving sign and operation checks.
• Level 3: timed choice. Solve, estimate, compare options, and move on when a method becomes too slow.

Geometry practice ladder

Begin with angle relationships, triangles, perimeter, area, and simple diagram interpretation. PMA's own sample asks about the interior-angle sum of a triangle, so fundamental properties deserve priority. Add harder geometry only after basic figures and units are reliable.

Maintain a one-page formula sheet during study, but reproduce it from memory rather than carrying it into the exam. When reviewing an error, label the cause: forgotten rule, incorrect diagram, unit mismatch, arithmetic slip, or time-pressure guess. The label tells you what to fix.

English: grammar, composition, reading and comprehension

The wording on PMA's application page is broader than a list of vocabulary words. Grammar requires correct form and relationship. Composition points to how sentences and ideas are constructed. Reading and Comprehension requires extracting meaning from text. PMA does not currently publish a separate vocabulary weight or say that Composition means a scored essay, so do not invent either claim.

Build three complementary drills:

Grammar and usage

Practice identifying parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, verb tense, modifiers, comparison, and sentence correctness. These are reasonable ways to build the officially named grammar skill; they are not an exhaustive PMA topic list. Explain the rule after each answer. A guessed correct option without a rule is not yet mastery.

Composition decisions

Use sentence-order, clarity, logical-transition, and concise-revision exercises. Ask which choice communicates the intended idea most clearly and grammatically. Keep this as selected-response practice unless PMA publishes a different writing instruction for your cycle.

Reading and comprehension

Alternate short and longer passages. For every answer, point to the sentence or inference that supports it. Separate main idea, stated detail, word meaning in context, purpose, tone, and inference in your error log. These labels are preparation categories, not official section weights.

Reading English daily helps, but passive reading is not enough. Convert each article into a one-sentence main idea, three supporting points, and one inference. That creates the decision habit an entrance test can measure.

SPMA: verbal, numerical, and pattern reasoning

SPMA is the most easily neglected official area because it does not map neatly to one school subject. PMA identifies three components: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Pattern Analysis. The goal is to detect a relationship and apply it consistently.

For verbal reasoning, practice stating the relationship between two words before looking for the matching pair. For numerical reasoning, inspect differences, alternating operations, multiplication or division, and interleaved sequences. For pattern analysis, track one attribute at a time: count, position, direction, shading, size, or combination. These are training methods for the official skills, not a disclosed inventory of live item types.

Use a four-step routine:

1. Describe what changes from the first element to the second.
2. Test whether the same rule explains the next transition.
3. Predict the missing element before reading all options.
4. Reject any option that violates one part of the rule.

Speed comes after rule accuracy. If you repeatedly miss rotations, for example, stop doing mixed sets and complete a small rotation-only block. Then return to mixed patterns so you must identify the rule without a label.

Build a source-bound diagnostic

Because PMA does not publish section weights, a balanced diagnostic is a neutral starting tool, not a prediction of the actual exam. Create or select 60 questions:

• 20 Mathematics questions split across Algebra and Geometry;
• 20 English questions split across Grammar, Composition, Reading and Comprehension; and
• 20 SPMA questions split across Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Pattern Analysis.

Complete the set without a calculator. Record accuracy and average time separately for the three areas. Then tag every miss as a knowledge gap, method gap, careless error, time-pressure error, or blind guess.

Allocate the next two weeks by weakness. If Mathematics is 48% accurate, English 76%, and SPMA 62%, equal study time is not efficient. Give Mathematics the largest share until the weakest foundation improves. This allocation comes from your data, not an invented PMA weighting table.

Do not convert one diagnostic result into a predicted pass or fail. PMA has not published a current fixed passing score, and a third-party set cannot reproduce a secure live exam. Use the score only to choose the next study task.

Six-week PMAEE reviewer plan

This plan is an OpenExamPrep preparation framework, not an official PMA schedule. Adjust session length around school, work, and your assigned exam date.

A flexible simulation is deliberate. Since PMA does not publish a fixed current question count or section timing, do not market your practice as an exact replica. Use progressively longer mixed sets, take breaks only when your chosen simulation rules allow, and build concentration across the official noon-to-4:30 p.m. exam window. On the real day, the proctor's instructions control section order and timing.

What to do with Science, General Information, and other extras

If a reviewer contains Science or General Information, do not throw it away automatically. First classify it correctly. It may be designed for PNPA, PMMA, AFPSAT, a combined academy package, or general aptitude preparation. It may also contain useful background learning. What it cannot do without a current PMA source is label those topics as confirmed PMAEE sections.

Use this priority rule:

1. Finish the current official PMA coverage first.
2. Repair weak Math, English, or SPMA performance next.
3. Confirm your own permit, PMA account, and current official notice for any cycle-specific addition.
4. Only then spend remaining time on optional general enrichment.

This protects candidates from a common failure mode: memorizing history and science facts while still missing equations, grammar decisions, reading evidence, or patterns that PMA explicitly names. It also prevents accidental mixing of Philippine Military Academy and Philippine Merchant Marine Academy materials, whose similar abbreviations lead to misleading search results.

Exam-week checklist for the written test

Academic readiness and response-sheet discipline should meet in the final week:

• Reopen the official coverage and sample problems; verify that your reviewer still centers on the three published areas.
• Complete one answer-grid drill with Number 2 pencil and a clean eraser.
• Run short no-calculator Mathematics sets and estimate before selecting an option.
• Review English rules from your own error log rather than rereading an entire book.
• Practice one mixed SPMA set in which question types are not labeled in advance.
• Stop chasing a rumored item count, cutoff score, or secret leaked question set.
• Follow the official PMAEE Do's and Don'ts for answer-sheet handling and prohibited devices.
• Use the official PMA FAQ and your personal permit for reporting time and exam-day instructions.

Bottom line

The safest 2026 PMAEE reviewer plan is narrower and more honest than many commercial packages: Algebra and Geometry; Grammar, Composition, Reading and Comprehension; and SPMA Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Pattern Analysis. Practice the objective-answer format, no-calculator work, careful answer-sheet transfer, and continuous reasoning across timed blocks.

PMAEE practice questionsPractice questions with detailed explanations