PMMA Entrance Exam 2023 Schedule and Guide

Looking for a course in college where you are assured of 100% employment right after graduation? Why don’t you join the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA)? Aside from the employment opportunities right after college, you will be provided board and lodging, free tuition fees, and assured training onboard international vessels. Interested? Please read on and know the requirements, entrance exam schedule, and application procedure for the most prestigious maritime institution in the country today.

About the PMMA

The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) is the premier state-sponsored maritime school in the Philippines. Being a state institution, it is supported by government funds with the help of several companies from the shipping industry. It offers two (2) major programs, namely: B.S. in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and B.S. in Marine Engineering (BSMarE), as well as short-term training and re-training of marine officers and ratings seamen. Located at a former American radar base in San Narciso, Zambales, the PMMA is the breeding ground of the finest Filipino merchant marine officers preferred by major shipping companies worldwide. Moreover, graduates of PMMA are also eligible to join the Philippine Navy or the Philippine Coast Guard as commissioned officers.

PMMAEE 2023 Schedule and Application

According to PMMA, the entrance exam for aspiring cadets will be on October 28, 2023. The deadline for applying to the 2023 PMMAEE is October 7, 2023. To apply online, please follow the instructions below:

1. Create an Account

To access the PMMA’s official application portal, use either a computer or a smartphone with a good internet connection and your preferred browser. Simply type in the URL https://pims.pmma.edu.ph/. Click the sign-up button if you still do not have an account yet.

Please complete the application form by filling out all the required spaces accurately. Kindly provide a valid email address that you have access to, and refrain from using dummy emails. Click the Signup button to go to the next step.

2. Verify your Email

Please check the email you provided in the Signup sheet for an email verification from PMMA Admissions, and click on “Verify Email.” If you cannot find it in your inbox, consider checking your email’s Spam folder. The email would look like this:

Click the Verify Email link. (Blue font)

3. Login to your Account

Once you have verified your account, you may now log in to your account. Go back to the login page and enter your email and password. Once logged in, click on the “Announcements” tab. Click Apply to proceed to the online application and document uploading.

4. Submit the Documents

Upload the following documents as required by the PMMA:

1. Photocopy of your Birth Certificate issued by the PSA (Baptismal and Hospital Birth Certificate not honored)
2. 1 copy of recent 2×2 colored pictures with a name tag, front view on a white background;
3. If you are currently in grade 12:
   • Certification from the school principal that you are currently enrolled as Grade 12.
   • Photocopy of Grade 11 report card.
4. If you are a grade 12 graduate and now in first-year college:
   • Photocopy of your Senior High School diploma.
   • Photocopy of Grade 12 report card.
5. If you are currently enrolled in college:
   • Photocopy of your Registration Form.
   • A certified true copy of grades.
6. Applicants who are college graduates:
   • Photocopy of your college diploma.
   • Photocopy of Transcript of Records.

5. Finish your Application

Double-check for any errors and finish all the fields and information asked in the online application.

6. Print your Test Permit

To check your test permit, go to the Downloadables tab and download your test permit. Print it and attached your 2×2 picture. You need this test permit on the examination day.

PMMAEE 2023 Venues

The PMMA Entrance exam is conducted by the Admissions Office on the last Saturday of September every year. The said examination will be administered at selected testing centers nationwide. Please refer to the table below for the complete list of exam venues.

PMMA Requirements and Qualifications

To be able to take the entrance examination and eventually join the PMMA as a cadet, an applicant must possess the following requirements and qualifications:

• The applicant must be a natural-born Filipino citizen;
• At least 17 years old and not a day older than 23 years old upon enrollment on August 01 of the school year in which he/she seeks admission to the Academy;
• Must be physically and mentally fit;
• He or she must be single and never been married and no child to support;
• Not accused or convicted of any crime against the law and the state;
• At least high school graduate (K to 12, any Strand);*
• At least 160 centimeters (5’3″) for male and 155 centimeters (5’1″) for female;
• BMI of less than 25;
• At least of good academic performance;
• Has not been enrolled in PMMA.

* An applicant must be a Senior High School Graduate (any Strand) or a High School graduate (prior to the implementation of K-12) with a College background before admission to PMMA in August 2024. Hence, High School graduates with Vocational and/or TESDA courses shall be disqualified.

Disqualifications

Any false declaration on the application form shall be subject to disqualification regardless if he or she passes the examination. Likewise, any applicant who possesses the medical and dental conditions enumerated below is also disqualified:

• Any visual impairment like color blindness, near/far-sightedness, and other visual conditions;
• Physical deformities like bow-leggedness and other birth defects;
• Other medical conditions like the perforated eardrum, chronic sinusitis, bleeding tendencies, hemorrhoids, hernia (if not treated), varicocele, extensive skin disorders, and the likes;
• With a history of heart disease hypertension, asthma, active PTB, kidney and liver diseases, epileptic seizure disorders, major operations, communicable diseases (such as AIDS, Hepatitis, VD, etc.);
• Full dentures, upper and lower;
• Cleft lip and palate, Malocclusion, Deformities of the face, Open bite, Tongue-tied;
• Missing of four anterior or front teeth or missing of four posterior/molar teeth;
• Tattoos and other brotherhood marks;
• For female applicants: Goiter, History of pregnancy, the presence of breast mass, painful menstruation.

Any applicant who passed the PMMAEE will have to undergo the following to qualify for admission:

• Psychological Evaluation;
• Height and weight measurement;
• Color Perception Test (ISHIHARA) and Snellens;
• Dental (Pre-Med / Pre-Dental)
• Physical Examination
• Laboratory Examination

TOPNOTCHER Philippines encourages applicants to go to their local hospital or clinic for these examinations, especially the color perception tests. This way, you will know if you are qualified before filing your application. Doing so will save you time and effort once you found out you are not qualified for the failure of these exams means disqualification.

Benefits of Being a Midshipman in the PMMA

Being a cadet of the PMMA makes you a government scholar. This is where you will experience a semi-military lifestyle of a leadership environment. In addition to the free tuition and board/lodging, a midshipman is entitled to the following benefits:

• A chance to join the pioneer institution in maritime education in the country;
• A chance to travel the world for free while still studying;
• An assured shipboard training onboard international ocean-going vessels;
• Automatic commissionship in the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard as Ensign (2Lt);
• 100% employability, immediate hiring by more than thirty (30) partner international and manning companies; and
• Promising careers in the seafaring industry as master mariners; chief engineers; shipping executives, naval or coast guard officers, educators, and trainers in maritime-related enterprises/institutions.

What are you waiting for? Here is the chance to become one of the successful seafarers at little or no cost! Submit your application now and be a part of the long BLUE LINE as a member of PMMA Class of 2028!