Philippine Physician Licensure Examination

The Philippine Physician Licensure Examination, also called Philippine Medical Boards is the professional licensure examination for physicians in the Philippines. It is exclusively administered twice a year by the Professional Regulation Commission.

Admission requirements

A board examinee must meet the following academic qualification:

• Holder of a professional degree in Medicine from a recognized medical school in the Philippines.

He or she should also meet certain non-academic requisites:

• A Filipino citizen.
• At least twenty-one (21) years of age.
• A resident of the Philippines.
• Satisfactory evidence of good moral character (usually a certificate from the dean of medical school or an immediate superior at work).
• No charges involving moral turpitude have been filed against the candidate or are pending in any court in the Philippines.

Boards review programs

Candidates who meet all the admission requirements usually enroll in special review classes after graduating from medical school. These programs are held from May to July in medical schools, colleges, universities, and review centers.

Program schedule, content, and delivery differs from one review program to another. Lecturers in these programs are called medical board reviewers. They are usually full-time professors and part-time professorial lecturers in medical schools and universities.

The review center with the highest number of enrollees is Topnotch Medical Board Prep. Other review centers in the country include Cracking D' Boards, and Brains Medical Boards Review Center. It is only Cracking D' Boards that holds review classes both in Cebu and Manila. Meanwhile, Topnotch Medical Board Prep has the highest passing rate.

The University of the Philippines, De La Salle University College of Medicine, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Fatima. College of Medicine and University of Santo Tomas each offer review classes for their respective graduates.

Coverage

The examination covers the following topics:

• First Day
  • Biochemistry (8:00 AM–10:00 AM)
  • Anatomy and Histology (11:00 AM–2:00 PM)
  • Microbiology (2:00 PM–4:00 PM)

• Second Day
  • Physiology(8:00 AM–10:00 AM)
  • Legal Medicine, Ethics, and Medical Jurisprudence (11:00 AM–2:00 PM)
  • Pathology (2:00 PM–4:00 PM)

• Third Day
  • Pharmacology and Therapeutics (8:00 AM–10:00 AM)
  • Surgery, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, and Rhinology (11:00 AM–2:00 PM)
  • Medicine (2:00 PM–4:00 PM)

• Fourth Day
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology (8:00 AM–10:00 AM)
  • Pediatrics and Nutrition (11:00 AM–2:00 PM)
  • Preventive Medicine (2:00 PM–4:00 PM)

Grading System

The twelve subjects are separately graded, with each subject contributing 8.3% to the overall grade. The passing average is 75%, with no grade falling below 50% in any subject.

The passing average is obtained using the Mean Passing Level of the entire batch of examinees, which is done using the Nedelsky Method, wherein an examinee's raw scores are transmuted based on the current Mean Passing Level.