1.1 PLE Format, 2026 Schedule & the Statutory Passing Rule

Why the format matters

The Physicians Licensure Examination (PLE) is the board examination that the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine gives under the supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). Passing it, then taking the oath and registering, is what allows a Doctor of Medicine graduate to practice medicine in the Philippines. The exam covers the entire medical curriculum in one sitting, so your first job is to know exactly what is tested, when, and how the result is decided.

The legal basis is Republic Act No. 2382, the Medical Act of 1959, as amended by RA 4224 (1965) and RA 5946 (1969). The PRC now performs the functions that the Act originally gave to the Commissioner of Civil Service, under PD 223 (1973) and the PRC Modernization Act of 2000 (RA 8981).

The 12 subjects and the 2026 testing order

Section 21 of the Medical Act (as amended by RA 4224) lists 12 subjects. The Board of Medicine Resolution No. 19 (s. 2025) Tables of Specifications (TOS) build each subject on 100 items, which makes 1,200 items in total. Starting with the March 2026 PLE, Resolution No. 05 (s. 2026) fixed the order below. The October 2026 program uses the same order.

Examinees report before 6:30 AM on the first day. General instructions and form filling run from 7:00 to 7:45 AM.

2026 sittings

• March 2026: Monday and Tuesday, March 23 and 24, then Monday and Tuesday, March 30 and 31, in 13 testing centers.
• October 2026: Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, then Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11. Koronadal was added as a testing center, and results were targeted for October 16, 2026.

The Act requires two examinations a year, six months apart (Section 18 as amended by RA 4224).

Preliminary, final and complete examinations

RA 4224 still recognizes three ways to take the subjects:

• Preliminary examination: the four basic sciences (Anatomy and Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Parasitology). A subject passed here is exempt at the final examination. A subject failed here cannot be retaken until the candidate has finished the medical course and internship.
• Final examination: the remaining eight subjects.
• Complete examination: all 12 subjects in one sitting. Almost every candidate takes this route.

The PRC requirements list still has a "Prelims only" filing track for students enrolled in CHED-recognized medical schools.

The passing rule (RA 2382 Sec. 21 as amended by RA 4224)

The amended text is short: a candidate passes if he or she obtains "a general average of seventy-five per cent without a grade lower than fifty per cent in any subject." That gives two conditions, and both must be met in the same sitting:

1. General average of at least 75%.
2. No subject rating below 50%.

The Act assigns no weights to individual subjects, so treat the general average as the simple mean of the 12 subject ratings:

$$\text{General Average} = \frac{S_1 + S_2 + \cdots + S_{12}}{12}$$

Worked example. An examinee's ratings total 905 points across the 12 subjects, which gives a general average of 905 ÷ 12 = 75.42%. The lowest rating is 52% in Biochemistry. Both conditions are met, so the examinee passes. Had Biochemistry been 49% with the same 75.42% average, the examinee would fail, because one subject fell below 50%.

The third-failure rule

The same amended section adds that a candidate who "fails for the third time in the complete or final examinations" must take a refresher course of at least one year in a recognized medical school or college before being allowed to take later examinations. The PRC filing list puts this into practice by requiring a certificate of completion of the refresher course, plus two current good-moral-character certificates, from third-time failers.

Results and recent performance

The Board submits the tabulated results. PRC publishes the names of successful examinees in alphabetical order, without their ratings. Each examinee can check his or her own rating through PRC's verification service.

The March 2026 results were released on April 8, 2026, four working days after the last exam day. Five results were withheld pending determination of liabilities, and one more was withheld for verification.

How to use this guide

The chapters follow the exam-day order. Within each subject, the sections follow the Resolution No. 19 TOS content areas, so you can check off each area as you master it. Treat every subject as pass-critical: the 50% floor applies to all 12, and a strong average cannot rescue one collapsed subject.