Nursing Board Exam (NLE) 2021 Schedule, Requirements

In accordance with the Republic Act No.7164 otherwise known as the Philippine Nursing Act of 1991, all applicants for a license to practice nursing shall be required to pass a written examination given by the PRC Board of Nursing. To comply with this law, the Professional Regulation Commission through the Professional Regulatory Board for Nursing conducts the Nurses Licensure Examination (NLE) twice a year. To accommodate applicants for the May and November 2021 NLE, the PRC announced the schedule of the exams, the opening of the online processing, and the deadline for filing applications.

Nursing Board Exam Schedule for 2021

The Professional Regulation Commission announced that the second batch of NLE will be November 21-22, 2021. Applicants may start their application for the second batch of the exam from August 20, 2021 until October 20, 2021. The official NLE result is expected to be released fourteen (14) working days after the last day of the examinations.

NLE Online Application

The PRC requires applicants to secure an appointment before going to any PRC office to file their application. To set an appointment and pay the application fee, use the PRC’s Licensure Examination and Registration Information System (LERIS). You can access the LERIS via http://online.prc.gov.ph/. If you are facing difficulties in using the system, please refer to our online board exam application guide.

Qualifications

Under Section 13 of the Philippine Nursing Act of 1991, any applicant for the nursing board exam must meet the following qualifications at the time of filing his or her application:

• He or she must be a citizen of the Philippines;
• Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the issuance of a certificate of registration;
• Must be in good health and is of good moral character; and
• He or she is a holder of a bachelor’s degree in nursing from a college or university duly recognized by the proper government agency.

NLE Requirements

For first timer NLE examinees, they must submit the following documentary requirements at the PRC office on their respective appointment dates:

First Time Takers

• Birth certificate issued by the PSA/NSO (Original and Photocopy)
• For married female applicants, provide a copy of your marriage contract issued by the PSA
• Transcript of Records with scanned picture and Remarks “For Board Examination Purposes”
• Duly-notarized copies of the summary of Related Learning Experience (RLE) and OR & DR cases
  • Minor Scrubs – 3
  • Delivery Room Handled – 3
  • Assisted – 3
  • Cord Dressing – 3
  • If under CMO 30 – Certificate of Undertaking
  • Notarized Certificate of Undertaking (CMO #14 Series of 2009 )
• Payment fee of Php 900.00

Repeaters

For NLE repeaters, please provide the same documentary requirements above except for the copies of the summary of Related Learning Experience (RLE) and OR & DR cases. The exam application fees are as follows:

• Php 900.00 – complete
• Php 450.00 – conditioned / removal

Nursing Board Exam Coverage

The Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination is consists of five parts namely:

1. Nursing Practice 1 – Community Health Nursing
2. Nursing Practice II – Care of Healthy/At Risk Mother and Child
3. Nursing Practice III – Care of Clients with Physiologic and Psychosocial Alterations (Part A)
4. Nursing Practice IV –  Care of Clients with Physiologic and Psychosocial Alterations (Part B)
5. Nursing Practice V –  Care of Clients with Physiologic and Psychosocial Alterations (Part C)

The examination draws basic knowledge, skills, and attitude in the major subject areas i.e. Fundamentals of Nursing including professional adjustments, maternal and child nursing, community health and communicable disease nursing, nursing of adolescents, adults and aged, mental health and psychiatric nursing.

Passing Grade

To pass the examination and become a registered nurse, an examinee must obtain a general average rating of at least seventy-five percent (75%) with a rating of not below sixty percent (60%) in any subject. If he or she achieves a passing score or higher but gets a rating below sixty percent (60%) in any given subject, he/she must take the examination again, but only in the subject or subjects where he or she rated below sixty percent (60%).