NMAT registration is entirely online, opens and closes on a schedule CEM announces per cycle, and is unforgiving about two things: your payment window and your documents. Miss either and the application voids, whether or not you meant to.
This is the process as CEM publishes it. Dates move every cycle, so treat the schedule here as a pattern and get the actual dates from the NMAT website.
Before you start: are you eligible?
CEM lists five categories of eligible candidates:
- College graduates of any degree programme
- Graduating college students at the end of the current school year
- Second-year students in UP College of Medicine's INTARMED programme or UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery's LEAPMed programme
- Those who previously took the NMAT but did not reach the minimum cut-off score
- Candidates with valid NMAT eligibility who want to improve their scores
Foreign applicants should read the Consolidated Implementing Guidelines on the Entry and Stay of Foreign Students in the Philippines under Executive Order 285, series of 2000, alongside CHED Memorandum Order No. 18, series of 2016.
There is no limit on how many times you can take the NMAT. CEM states this directly. What is limited is registration frequency: one test day per testing cycle, with multiple registrations inside a cycle not permitted and duplicate payments forfeited.
If you are still working out what the exam is and who needs it, start with what NMAT stands for and who needs it.
The six things you need ready
Have all of these before you open the portal. The process cancels if you do not finish it.
1. A valid, working personal email address. CEM advises using a personal address rather than a school or office one that may become inaccessible later. Registration forms, payment instructions, mailing alerts and the actual test link all go here.
2. An unretouched digital photo. The specifications are strict, and photos are a common cause of delay:
- Taken within one year of submitting your application
- Clear enough that there is no doubt about your identity
- Face and shoulders only, like a passport photo
- Not a scanned photo of an existing ID
- No selfies and no improper poses
- Matching your appearance on test day, including facial hair
- 2 by 2 inches, coloured, white background
- Square aspect ratio, minimum 600 by 600 pixels
- 2 MB or smaller, JPG format
CEM warns that if you fail to fix a rejected photo, your Examinee Report Form will be printed with the low-quality photo or with no photo at all, and that editing the photo after the registration period closes incurs a service charge.
3. A PDF of your proof of eligibility. A Transcript of Records for graduates, or a Certificate to Graduate for graduating applicants. A certificate of enrolment, school registration form or true copy of grades is also accepted. It must be issued or authenticated by your school registrar or an authorised school representative. CEM notes that a form you downloaded from a school portal yourself does not qualify.
4. A physical valid school or government-issued ID. CEM publishes a long accepted list, including driver's licence, passport, PRC licence, SSS ID, GSIS UMID, voter's ID or certification, BIR ID, Philippine National ID or ePhilID, company or office ID, school ID, police clearance, PNP or airman licence, postal ID, barangay ID, NBI clearance, seaman's book, OWWA or iDOLE card, HDMF transaction card, PWD ID, solo parent ID, senior citizen's ID and the ACR I-Card for foreign candidates.
5. A Philippine mailing address. Results are mailed only to an address inside the Philippines, or to a Philippine Post Office box number.
6. The fee. See below.
Step by step
Check your connection first. CEM's own instruction, and a sensible one given that an interrupted payment can void the whole application. The NMAT website works better in Google Chrome than in other browsers.
Create your account and verify your email. Enter your name exactly as it appears on the ID you will present on test day. This is the single most consequential field in the whole process. CEM warns that the name you enter appears on all your NMAT forms, including the Masterlist of Test Results sent to every Philippine medical school, to CHED, to the Higher Education Regional Offices and to the APMC office. Inconsistent information can delay processing or put your result on hold.
Do not create a second account. The system detects duplicates and blocks registration when it finds them.
Register and choose a payment method. CEM notes you can select a payment partner only once, and that the payment process must not be interrupted. Refreshing the page, navigating back, abandoning the process or switching partners can void your application or leave it stuck as "floating" or "pending", which you cannot clear yourself until the NMAT Secretariat voids it manually.
Applicants registering from abroad can only pay by credit card.
Pay within your channel's window. This is where most applications die. Payments route through Dragonpay. CEM states that some online transactions require payment within 2 minutes or 60 minutes, while some over-the-counter transactions require payment within 48 hours. Your reserved test date is cancelled if you do not pay in time.
Payments made after the cut-off time, including the posting schedule for over-the-counter bank payments and payments falling on weekends and public holidays, render the transaction void. CEM is blunt about the consequence: applicants with voided transactions are not included in the official list of NMAT candidates even if payment has already been made.
Payments made outside the official channel, such as a direct deposit to CEM's account, are non-refundable and cannot be traced to your application. You would have to pay the full amount again.
Watch your inbox, including spam. Real-time payment methods confirm automatically by email. Over-the-counter bank deposits confirm within three business days.
Check for your NMAT Registration Form. It should reach your email within two to three business days of paying, and CEM elsewhere allows two to five depending on the method. If it does not arrive, use the Contact Us form on the NMAT website.
Note your Application Number. You need it to access resources and, on the day, the actual exam. It is on your NMAT Registration Form. Before the form arrives, you can derive it from the first 10 digits of the Transaction ID on your Dragonpay payment confirmation.
Email your documents. Send a scanned PDF of your Transcript of Records, Certificate to Graduate, certificate of enrolment or registration form, or true copy of grades to CEM's requirements address before registration closes. Use the subject format: application number, complete name, scheduled test date.
If your Transcript still shows your maiden name, include a scanned marriage certificate. If your Transcript has remarks about board exams or scholarships, CEM says it is still acceptable as long as the registrar issued it.
Edit anything wrong, during the registration period. The Edit Registration link under Online Options handles most changes for free while registration is open. After it closes, changes require a request through the Contact Us form and a service fee. Only the NMAT Secretariat can change a name or date of birth, at any point.
Fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration fee (Philippines) | PHP 500.00 |
| Test fee (Philippines) | PHP 1,400.00 |
| Total (Philippines) | PHP 1,900.00 |
| Registration fee (International) | USD 15.00 |
| Test fee (International) | USD 45.00 |
| Total (International) | USD 60.00, credit card only |
Dragonpay service fees are charged on top of these amounts.
CEM also publishes charges for after-the-fact requests: a duplicate Examinee Report Form, a shipping fee per shipment for Philippine addresses, a refund check request for overpayment, and a biographical change or photo request, which is free during the registration period.
One warning from CEM worth repeating: review centres and other agencies are not authorised to collect NMAT testing fees. If someone offers to handle your payment, do not let them.
Refunds, rescheduling and no-shows
Refunds. You may cancel your online registration within five working days from the date of registration. The registration fee is strictly non-refundable. You may be eligible for a ninety percent refund of the testing fee if the request comes inside that five-day window. Refunds take up to six weeks to process after the original test result is released, and your bank may deduct a processing fee.
Certain situations are automatically non-refundable: being absent on your scheduled test date, failing the exam, being disqualified during the exam, having your score invalidated for a policy violation, voluntarily waiving your test, failing to claim or use your scores, or paying outside CEM's official channels.
Rescheduling. Subject to approval and slot availability within the registration period. After the registration period, it requires the NMAT Appeal Form. Transferring your registration to a different testing period or cycle is not allowed at all.
No-shows. CEM's rule is unambiguous: failure to take or complete the test on the scheduled date, under any circumstances, totally forfeits your registration and test fees. If you are absent, your name is excluded from the Masterlist of Test Results.
Cancellation by CEM. If CEM cancels your test for reasons beyond its control, including civil unrest, extreme weather, natural calamities and force majeure, it gives as much notice as possible and offers either a full testing fee refund or a transfer to a future test date.
The schedule pattern
CEM states that test administrations are usually scheduled in three windows across the year: October to November, January to February, and April to May. All administrations follow Philippine Standard Time. CEM allots roughly 300 to 500 slots per test session.
Specific dates and the registration window for each cycle are announced on the NMAT website. We are not going to print next cycle's dates here, because they change and a wrong date is worse than no date.
On timing, CEM's own advice is useful: consider taking the NMAT in the earliest available cycle so you can see whether your score meets your target school's standard while there is still time to retake in a later cycle. Remember that under CMO 18, s. 2016, scores are valid if obtained within two years prior to admission to medical school, so work backwards from your intended entry year.
CEM also notes there are roughly two to four months between registration and the test itself, depending on when you take it. That is your realistic preparation window. Our roundup of NMAT review centres and the Cebu-based options cover structured preparation if you want it.
What happens between registering and testing
Once payment completes, your registration account unlocks the resources: the Candidate Online Assessment Guide, the Practice Set, the Demo Test and a video walkthrough. They are only accessible through your account and cannot be emailed.
The test invitation with the actual test link is emailed between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM Philippine time, two to three days before the first test date of the cycle. CEM puts the responsibility on you to check your registered email, including spam, and says follow-up requests to resend the registration form, application number or test link on the day of your scheduled test will not be accommodated.
On test day, CEM gives a one and a half hour access window to enter the platform for registration and identity verification. Log in at the earliest access time. Failure to log in on the test date for any reason forfeits the test.
For where and how the online test is taken, see our guide to NMAT testing centres, and run through what to bring and prepare for an entrance exam before the day.
Results
An electronic copy of your results becomes available twenty CEM business days after the last date of the test administration, through the Test Results link under Online Options. CEM notes the electronic copy is not valid for admission purposes on its own, and is meant to help you decide which schools to apply to and whether to retake.
The original Examinee Report Form is mailed to the address on your registration form after six weeks from the last date of the test administration. Delivery runs roughly four to seven days within NCR and seven to fourteen days in the provinces. Keep your email and mobile number current, and note that after two failed delivery attempts the envelope returns to CEM, with unclaimed returns disposed of six months after receipt.
Your score also appears on the Masterlist of Test Results sent to all Philippine medical schools, CHED, the Higher Education Regional Offices and the APMC office. That masterlist is the official record schools verify against.
CEM will not disclose scores over the phone or by email, and does not entertain rechecking of answer sheets.
Sources
- Center for Educational Measurement, Inc., NMAT Bulletin of Information (July 2025): https://www.cem-inc.org.ph/nmat/files/downloads/NMAT_BOI_OCBT_0725-R.pdf
- Center for Educational Measurement, Inc., NMAT Frequently Asked Questions (February 2025): https://www.cem-inc.org.ph/nmat/files/downloads/NMAT_FAQs_02122025.pdf
- Center for Educational Measurement, Inc., NMAT Eligibility and Registration Requirements: https://www.cem-inc.org.ph/nmat/eligibility-registration-requirements
- Center for Educational Measurement, Inc., NMAT home: https://www.cem-inc.org.ph/nmat/
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 18, s. 2016 (Doctor of Medicine programme), hosted by CEM: https://www.cem-inc.org.ph/nmat/files/upload/CHED_MO_No__18_Doctor_of_Medicine_Program.pdf
