TL;DR: NLE results post on prc.gov.ph as an official release naming the total passers, total examinees, and passing rate, usually within 5-15 working days of the exam. Passing rates swing hard between cycles - PRC's own releases show 69.7% (May 2024), 85.0% (Nov 2024), 64.4% (May 2025), 89.95% (Nov 2025), and 44.2% (Feb 2026). Every figure here comes from an actual PRC results release, with the exam month and year stated, because passing rates are too easy to misquote from memory. To pass, an examinee needs a 75% general average with no subject below 60%, per RA 9173.
Searches for "NLE results" and "nursing board exam passing rate" spike every time a nursing licensure cycle wraps up, and for good reason - the pass/fail line determines whether a graduate can legally start practicing as a registered nurse in the Philippines. This guide covers how and when Nurses Licensure Examination (NLE) results are released, then walks through a passing-rate history built entirely from PRC's own release announcements - no estimated or remembered figures, every number below traces to a dated PRC source. If you're still preparing, our complete NLE guide covers exam subjects, format, and coverage in full. For the mechanics of checking any PRC result, see our how to check PRC board exam results guide; for review center options, see our best NLE review centers list and how to pass the NLE on your first try.
How Do I Check My NLE Result?
PRC posts NLE results as an official news release on prc.gov.ph, titled something like "[Month Year] Nurses Licensure Examination Results Released in [X] Working Days," with a linked PDF listing every passer and a separate document naming the top 10 scorers. The announcement states the total number of passers against total examinees and, in recent cycles, has been released between 5 and 15 working days after the exam's last testing day.
Once results are up, use the Verification of Rating service at online.prc.gov.ph to see your exact per-subject scores using your application number, full name, exam date, and birthdate - useful whether you passed or need to know which subject to focus on for a retake. Full step-by-step detail, including how to avoid fake results pages, is in our dedicated PRC results guide.
When Are NLE Results Usually Released?
Release timing has varied by cycle rather than following one fixed countdown. Based on PRC's own release announcements:
| NLE Cycle | Release Timeline (per PRC) |
|---|---|
| May 2024 | 4 working days |
| November 2024 | 14 working days |
| May 2025 | 5 working days |
| November 2025 | 15 working days |
| February 2026 | 5 working days |
There's no consistent pattern tying cohort size to release speed - the smaller February 2026 cohort (8,162 examinees) and the much larger November 2025 cohort (45,192 examinees) were both released within roughly the same window. Treat PRC's stated estimate for each specific cycle as the reliable number, not a prior cycle's timeline.
Disclaimer: passing rates and release timelines are cycle-specific and can shift with PRC policy changes. Always confirm the current cycle's status directly on prc.gov.ph rather than relying on a past cycle's numbers.
What Was the National NLE Passing Rate, Cycle by Cycle?
This is the section to bookmark and re-check each cycle, because passing rates move a lot and should never be assumed to carry over from a prior exam. Every figure below comes from PRC's own results announcement for that specific cycle.
| Exam Date | Passers | Total Examinees | Passing Rate | PRC Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 7,749 | 11,116 | 69.7% | PRC announcement |
| November 2024 | 29,349 | 34,534 | 85.0% | PRC announcement |
| May 2025 | 6,935 | 10,770 | 64.4% | PRC announcement |
| November 2025 | 40,692 | 45,192 | 89.95% | PRC announcement |
| February 2026 | 3,611 | 8,162 | 44.2% | PRC announcement |
As PRC put it in its February 2026 release: "The Professional Regulation Commission announces that 3,611 out of 8,162 passed the Nurses Licensure Examination given by the Board of Nursing in 21 Testing Centers all over the Philippines last February 2026." That direct wording - passers over total examinees, tied to a named testing period - is exactly how every cycle should be sourced and quoted, rather than repeating a rounded percentage from memory.
Two things stand out from this table. First, the swing is large: from a low of 44.2% (February 2026) to a high near 90% (November 2025) within roughly a year. Second, cohort size varies enormously - the November 2025 cohort of 45,192 examinees was more than five times the size of the February 2026 cohort of 8,162. A single cycle's rate is not a stable annual figure; treat each release as its own data point.
PRC also runs a separate Special Professional Licensure Examination for nurses working overseas, administered at testing centers abroad rather than in the Philippines. Recent overseas cycles included 1,156 of 1,806 passing in June 2024 and 390 of 1,029 passing in June 2025 - a different examinee population from the domestic NLE and not directly comparable to the table above.
Why Do NLE Passing Rates Vary So Much Between Cycles?
The honest answer is that PRC does not publish a breakdown of why each cohort's rate landed where it did, so any explanation beyond the raw numbers is informed speculation, not verified fact. What is verifiable is cohort composition: cycles differ in size, in how many examinees are first-time takers fresh out of school versus repeaters retaking failed subjects, and now, starting in 2026, in scheduling itself - PRC Resolution No. 2113 shifted the NLE from its long-running May/November pattern to February and August, with the exam now offered February 26-27 and August 29-30 in 2026. A schedule change can shift who applies for which cycle, which in turn can shift the pass rate, without any change in exam difficulty.
Rather than assuming one cycle's rate predicts the next, check the specific, dated PRC release for the cycle you care about - which is exactly why every rate in this guide is tied to a named month, year, and source link.
What Is the NLE Passing Score, Exactly?
Under Republic Act 9173 (the Philippine Nursing Act), an examinee needs a general weighted average of at least 75%, with no rating below 60% in any of the exam's Nursing Practice subject areas, spread across two exam days. Falling below 60 in even a single subject means failing that cycle overall, even with an average above 75 - PRC has no rounding exception for this rule.
Examinees who fail specific subjects but pass others under the exam's conditional provisions (where applicable) are typically required to retake only the failed subject areas in a future cycle rather than the entire exam - confirm your specific status through Verification of Rating rather than assuming based on a friend's experience.
What Does a School's Passing Rate Actually Tell You?
A nursing school's published passing rate is a real and useful signal, but it's a summary of one graduating batch's exam performance, not a full measure of program quality. A single cycle's rate can be swayed by a small graduating class size, an unusually strong or weak batch, or how many of that school's examinees were first-timers versus repeaters.
Before treating a passing rate as decisive, it helps to:
- Look at several cycles, not one. A school with 90% one cycle and 55% the next has more volatility than one that's consistently mid-70s.
- Compare rate against cohort size. A 100% passing rate from 4 examinees says less than an 80% rate from 200 examinees.
- Check it alongside clinical training factors - hospital affiliation, required Related Learning Experience (RLE) hours, and faculty credentials - since passing rate alone doesn't capture how well a program prepares nurses for actual practice.
For a ranked comparison of specific schools using verified PRC data, see our top nursing schools by NLE passing rate guide rather than relying on a single cycle's school-performance PDF in isolation.
How to Prepare for Your Own NLE Cycle
- Confirm your exact exam date and application deadline on the current PRC board exam schedule rather than assuming it matches a prior year's calendar.
- Choose a review center based on verified track record, not just marketing - see our best NLE review centers comparison.
- Build your review schedule around the 75%-average, no-subject-below-60 rule - a study plan that only chases the overall average can leave a weak subject unaddressed until it's too late.
- Read a first-hand strategy guide for pacing and subject prioritization in our how to pass the NLE on your first try post.
- Set a results-day plan, including how you'll verify your rating and, if you pass, how quickly you'll start initial registration for your PRC ID.
Ready to find the right nursing school or review center? Browse schools or compare NLE passing rates, tuition, and review center reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- PRC - February 2026 Nurses Licensure Examination Results Released in Five (5) Working Days
- PRC - November 2025 Nurses Licensure Examination Results Released in Fifteen (15) Working Days
- PRC - May 2025 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination Results Released in Five (5) Working Days
- PRC - November 2024 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination Results
- PRC - May 2024 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination Results
- PRC - June 2025 Philippine Nurses Special Professional Licensure Examination Results
- Nurseslabs - Philippine Nurse Licensure Exam (PNLE) Guide
- SchoolFinderPH - PRC Board Exam Schedule 2026
