1.1 CB-NCAE Overview, Governance, and Purpose
Key Takeaways
DepEd administers the CB-NCAE through the Bureau of Education Assessment under DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016.
DM 108, s. 2025 covered Grade 10 learners in SY 2025–2026, and BEA Advisory No. 018, s. 2026 covers all Grade 9 and Grade 10 learners in SY 2026–2027.
The GSA domain has seven reasoning subtests, and the CORE domain has CORE-A (RIASEC) and CORE-B (Thurstone Model).
Under DO 55, s. 2016, results are recommendatory, DepEd prescribes no cut-off score, and the learner's own career choice prevails.
BEA does not publish item counts, subtest time limits, or the computer-based score scale.
1.1 CB-NCAE Overview, Governance, and Purpose
Quick Summary: The Computer-Based National Career Assessment Examination (CB-NCAE) is the Department of Education's career assessment for junior high school learners. DepEd administers it through the Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA), with help from schools division offices (SDOs) and secondary school personnel, under DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016. It has two domains: General Scholastic Aptitude (GSA), with seven reasoning subtests, and the Career and Occupational Roles Explorer (CORE), an interest inventory. There is no passing score. The results are recommendations that learners, parents, and guidance counsellors use when choosing a Senior High School (SHS) track and electives.
Who Runs the CB-NCAE and Under What Rules
The CB-NCAE is a national assessment, not a private or school-made test. Three issuances govern it, and each one answers a different question.
| Issuance | Date and scope | What it settles |
|---|---|---|
| DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016, Policy Guidelines on the National Assessment of Student Learning for the K to 12 Basic Education Program | Standing policy | Makes career assessment part of the national assessment system and sets general rules on test accommodations (Section 9), results reporting, and how results may be used |
| DepEd Memorandum No. 108, s. 2025, Administration of the Computer-Based National Career Assessment Examination for School Year 2025-2026 | Signed 11 December 2025 | The first computer-based administration: Grade 10 learners, a testing window from December 2025 to January 2026, the GSA and CORE domains, a mock test, device sharing, and accommodations |
| BEA Advisory No. 018, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Technical Assessment and Preparation on the Administration of the CB-NCAE for School Year 2026-2027 | School Year (SY) 2026–2027 | Extends the assessment to all Grade 9 and Grade 10 learners and starts with a platform readiness check called the Technical Assessment |
BEA also issues shorter advisories when schedules change, and SDOs relay them to schools through division memoranda. That is why the dates you see differ from division to division. DM 108 itself says that the testing dates inside the national window are set by each SDO in coordination with its regional office.
Note
The BEA is a bureau of the DepEd Central Office in Pasig City. Its Education Assessment Division handles the CB-NCAE and is the contact named in the memoranda: bea.ead@deped.gov.ph or (02) 8631-2589.
How the NCAE Became the CB-NCAE
The National Career Assessment Examination began as a paper-and-pencil test. Under DO 55, s. 2016, it was given to Grade 9 learners in two booklets over two days. It reported a General Scholastic Aptitude score built from scientific ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, mathematical ability, and logical reasoning ability. It also had an Occupational Interest Inventory and aptitude scales for the old SHS tracks: Academic, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, Sports, and Arts and Design.
The computer-based version restructures both domains. Paragraph 2 of DM 108, s. 2025 describes the current design:
| Domain | Components | Keyed right answers? |
|---|---|---|
| General Scholastic Aptitude (GSA) | Abstract Reasoning; Logical Reasoning; Mechanical Reasoning; Numerical Reasoning; Spatial Reasoning; Verbal Reasoning (English and Filipino); Perceptual Accuracy and Response Efficiency (PARE) | Yes. These are reasoning items. |
| Career and Occupational Roles Explorer (CORE) | CORE-A (RIASEC); CORE-B (Thurstone Model) | No. DM 108 calls CORE an inventory of occupational interests that assesses inclinations and preferences. |
If an old reviewer lists "Scientific Ability", "Technical-Vocational Aptitude", or an "Occupational Interest Inventory", it describes the paper NCAE, not the CB-NCAE.
Who Takes It, and When
- SY 2025–2026 (DM 108, s. 2025): all Grade 10 learners enrolled in public schools and in private schools with a government permit or recognition. The national window ran from December 2025 to January 2026 during regular classes, and BEA's additional guidelines of 24 November 2025 set the run as 9 December 2025 to 30 January 2026. Every Grade 10 learner was to take a mock test from 1 December 2025, at least a week before the actual test. A later central-office memorandum (DM-OULS-2026-003) extended the window to 2–28 February 2026 for learners who had not started or finished.
- SY 2026–2027 (BEA Advisory No. 018, s. 2026): all Grade 9 and Grade 10 learners in public schools and in private schools with government recognition. Division memoranda relaying BEA's schedule set the Technical Assessment for Grade 10 from 7 to 30 September 2026 and for Grade 9 from 4 to 29 January 2027.
The SY 2026–2027 cycle has already changed twice:
- BEA Advisory No. 019, s. 2026 (1 September 2026) extended the Grade 10 Technical Assessment to 14 October 2026 because classes had been suspended by bad weather and flooding.
- BEA Advisory No. 022, s. 2026 suspended the Technical Assessment from 24 September to 11 October 2026, after system issues appeared during field testing, and reopened it for 12–30 October 2026.
The same advisory stressed that the Technical Assessment checks the new platform's functionality, usability, and readiness and is not yet the CB-NCAE Test Proper. The Test Proper will be scheduled in a separate advisory. BEA is also preparing an alternative mode of administration for schools that cannot meet the computer-based requirements.
Important
Schedules move. Your Division Testing Coordinator and your school testing coordinator are the source of your actual test dates. Do not rely on a date printed in any reviewer, including this one.
What the Results Are For
DM 108 states the purpose directly. The NCAE is designed to provide career guidance to individual learners for their future educational and career choices, and to serve as a basis for profiling learners' aptitude.
DO 55, s. 2016 adds the rules that make it a guidance tool rather than a gate:
- The results are recommendatory, and DepEd prescribes no cut-off score.
- The learner's career choice, based on aptitude and occupational interest, prevails. The guidance counsellor or guidance teacher facilitates it, guided by trends in the labour market.
- Each learner receives an individual Certificate of Rating (COR) showing the scores obtained in the domains and the level of preference in the occupational fields.
- Results are released not more than three months after the examination. Guidance counsellors then hold an orientation for parents on the results and on in-demand and hard-to-fill occupations in the region.
Nobody "passes" or "fails" the CB-NCAE. Under DepEd rules, a low score in one subtest closes no door. It is information to discuss.
What DepEd Does Not Publish
Learners often ask how many questions there are and how long each part takes. BEA has not published:
- the number of items in each subtest;
- the time limit for each subtest;
- any weighting between subtests; or
- the score scale printed on the computer-based COR.
The memoranda publish only the fixed session windows (section 1.2). This guide therefore teaches the item types commonly used to measure each named subtest. It does not reproduce the official item bank, and no reviewer can honestly promise "actual CB-NCAE questions".
Tip
Practice pays off for the GSA, because reasoning speed and accuracy improve with drills. For CORE, the best preparation is to understand what the RIASEC and Thurstone categories mean and then answer honestly (Chapter 9).
Cost
DM 108 sets no fee for learners. The test is given during regular classes, and DepEd pays for orientation and testing-centre preparation through its Program Support Funds. A learner should not be asked to pay to sit the CB-NCAE.
Which office administers the CB-NCAE for the Department of Education?
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)
Department of Education Bureau of Education Assessment (DepEd BEA)
Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
How does the CB-NCAE differ from an achievement test such as the National Achievement Test (NAT)?
The CB-NCAE sets a passing mark for Grade 10 completion, while the NAT has no cut-off.
The CB-NCAE measures mastery of grade-level subjects, while the NAT measures only spatial ability.
The CB-NCAE profiles aptitude and interests for career guidance; its results are recommendations.
The CB-NCAE is a paid private certification, while the NAT is funded by schools division offices.
Under DM 108, s. 2025, which learners were to take the CB-NCAE in School Year 2025–2026?
Only Grade 10 learners enrolled in public science high schools and regional science high schools
All Grade 10 learners in public schools and in private schools with a government permit or recognition
All Grade 9 and Grade 10 learners in public schools and in private schools with a government permit or recognition
Only Grade 12 learners who are applying to state universities and colleges for admission
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.