1.1 PRC Chemist Licensure Examination: Format, Schedule, Grading, and Passing Standards

1.1 PRC Chemist Licensure Examination: Format, Schedule, Grading, and Passing Standards

Quick Answer: The Chemist Licensure Examination is a two-day, 16-hour board examination given by the Professional Regulatory Board of Chemistry under the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). The October 2026 program schedules Inorganic Chemistry (25%) and Analytical Chemistry (25%) on Day 1, then Physical Chemistry (20%), Organic Chemistry (15%), and Biochemistry (15%) on Day 2. Under Section 22 of Republic Act No. 10657, you pass with a general average of at least 70% and no subject rating below 50%. An examinee who fails but passes any two subjects automatically qualifies as a chemical technician. PRC now gives the exam as a computer-based licensure examination (CBLE).

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Who Sets the Exam and What It Covers

The Chemistry Profession Act (Republic Act No. 10657, approved March 27, 2015) regulates the profession. It repealed RA 754, the 1952 Chemistry Law of the Philippines. Four sections of the Act shape the examination:

The Board's Resolution No. 12, Series of 2018 issued the current Tables of Specifications (TOS). It took effect for the October 2018 examination and later schedules. The resolution sets the relative weights (Analytical 25%, Inorganic 25%, Physical 20%, Organic 15%, Biochemistry 15%). It notes that the TOS lists topic weights, item counts, and competencies, and that the Board may adjust the weights.

The law itself is not a sixth exam subject. The TOS does test laboratory safety and quality assurance inside Analytical Chemistry. Section 1.2 covers the law because you need it to register, practise, and understand the chemical-technician pathway.

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The October 2026 Program

PRC approved the program for the October 13–14, 2026 examination on July 31, 2026. Its timetable is the best guide to how the exam runs:

Testing time totals 16 hours: 8 hours on Day 1 and 8 hours on Day 2. On Day 2 there is a one-hour break before Organic Chemistry. Biochemistry starts as soon as Organic Chemistry ends.

For the 2026 cycle PRC accepted applications from July 14 to September 14, 2026. The 2026 Chemists testing centres were NCR, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Palawan, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, and Tuguegarao. PRC's schedule targeted release of results on October 19, 2026, inside the 10-day limit in Section 22.

Computer-based delivery. PRC's 2026 schedule lists the exam as "Chemists (CBLE)". PRC described the October 2024 exam as computer-based and paper-and-pencil, and the October 2025 exam as a computer-based licensure examination. The program still lists pencils, envelopes, and a calculator among the items to bring, so follow the program and your Notice of Admission.

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How the TOS Allocates Topics

Each subject in the 2018 TOS is divided into lettered topic areas. Each area has a weight and a matching item allocation. In the published annex, the allocations in every subject add up to 100. Use them to budget study time:

PRC's exam program does not state how many items each paper has, so treat these allocations as a study-planning blueprint rather than a promise about the paper you will see.

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Grading and Passing

Section 22(a) of RA 10657 requires an examinee for chemist to obtain a general average of at least 70% and no rating below 50% in any subject. The program attaches a weight to each subject, and the general average is computed with those weights:

$\text{GA} = 0.25\,S_{\text{Inorg}} + 0.25\,S_{\text{Anal}} + 0.20\,S_{\text{Phys}} + 0.15\,S_{\text{Org}} + 0.15\,S_{\text{Biochem}}$

Worked Scenarios

Two lessons follow. First, the 50% floor applies to every subject, so a strong overall average cannot rescue a collapsed subject. Second, the 25% subjects move the average most: one point in Inorganic or Analytical Chemistry is worth 0.25 GA points, while one point in Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry is worth 0.15.

The Chemical-Technician Fallback

Section 22(a) adds a proviso: if the examinee passes any two (2) subjects, the examinee automatically qualifies as a chemical technician. The Act does not define "passes" for a single subject. Many reviewers read it as a rating of at least 70% in that subject, but confirm the rule PRC applies to your rating before relying on it. The Board has issued resolutions approving chemical technicians for registration without examination, and registration still requires the oath (Sec. 25) and PRC fees.

Chemical technicians can also qualify by examination. Section 18 requires at least 30 units of undergraduate chemistry from a CHED- or TESDA-recognized institution. The units must include lecture and laboratory courses in General, Analytical, and Organic Chemistry. Section 19 limits that exam to the practical aspects of laboratory work in Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, with equal weights. In 2026 it was held on October 12, with Analytical Chemistry (50%) in the morning and Organic Chemistry (50%) in the afternoon. A chemical technician must obtain an overall average of at least 70% with no rating below 50% (Sec. 22(b)).

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Eligibility and Application

Section 16 requires an applicant for chemist to:

1. Be a citizen and resident of the Philippines, or a foreign citizen whose country has reciprocity with the Philippines in the practice of chemistry.
2. Be of good moral character and of sound mind.
3. Hold a BS Chemistry or an allied degree under CHED supervision, with at least 60 university units in chemistry including all the professional chemistry courses. The Board evaluates allied degrees, and graduates of reputable foreign universities may apply subject to Board evaluation.
4. Not have been convicted of a crime or offense involving moral turpitude.

PRC's list of requirements for Chemists asks for:

• PSA birth certificate (and PSA marriage contract for married female applicants)
• Transcript of Records with scanned picture and the remark "For Board Examination Purposes"
• Valid NBI clearance (first-timers and repeaters)
• One certificate of good moral character from a barangay, church, school, or employer
• Title page and approval sheet of the thesis (the thesis should appear in the TOR)
• Payment of Php 900

You file through PRC's online Licensure Examination and Registration Information System (LERIS) and then appear for your appointment.

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Exam-Day Rules from the 2026 Program

• Arrival: Report to your assigned school or building before 6:30 a.m. on the first day to verify your room and seat. Late examinees are not admitted (Commission Resolution No. 117, s. 2008).
• Attire: Male examinees wear a white collared polo shirt and decent pants or slacks. Female examinees wear a white collared blouse or shirt and a decent skirt or slacks. The shirt or blouse must carry no seal, logo, or mark.
• Bring: Notice of Admission; one metered-stamped window mailing envelope; two or more No. 2 pencils; ballpens with black ink only; one long brown envelope; one long transparent plastic envelope for valuables; one non-programmable calculator; packed snacks and medicines in transparent containers with enough drinking water.
• Prohibited: books, notes, review materials, and other printed materials containing coded data, information, or formulas; programmable calculators or calculators with embedded functions; smart watches, phones, earplugs, transmitters, and other electronic devices; bags of any kind.
• Search: Bodily search and inspection of belongings follow Annex A of PRC Memorandum Order No. 57, s. 2020. Prohibited items are confiscated, and mere possession creates a presumption of intent to cheat.

Because printed reference material is banned, do not plan on bringing your own periodic table or formula sheet. Practise with the atomic masses and constants you will need, and use whatever data the exam itself supplies.

Calculator Rules

The program refers to Commission Resolution No. 1809, s. 2024, which updated the list of non-programmable calculators first prescribed in Memorandum Circular No. 21, s. 2009. Key points:

• Only one calculator is allowed in the room. It is inspected and must be reset before the exam starts, and borrowing or swapping is not allowed.
• The Casio FX-991ES and FX-991ES Plus are disallowed under Memorandum Circular No. 01, s. 2018, and the Casio FX-570ES Plus is excluded by Resolution No. 1809.
• Examples on the Annex A list include the Casio FX-82ES Plus, FX-350ES Plus, FX-570MS, FX-100MS, FX-82EX, and FX-350EX; the Canon F-718SGA and F-789SGA (transparent casing); the Sharp EL-531XH, EL-509X, and EL-W531TH-WH (transparent casing); the Citizen SR-260N, SR-270N, and SR-281N; the HP Smartcalc 300S and HP 10S; and the Texas Instruments TI-30XS and TI-36X Pro.

Buy your calculator early and practise with that exact model. Statistical regression, logarithms, and scientific notation are routine in this exam.

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Recent Results

PRC announced that 842 of 1,150 examinees (73.22%) passed the October 2025 Chemists CBLE, and 592 of 1,088 passed the October 2024 exam. Passing rates vary from year to year, so plan to be well clear of the 70% line in your practice tests.