NMAT Legalities.

According to REPUBLIC ACT No. 2382, The Medical Act of 1959,

Section 7. Admission requirements. The Medical College may admit any student to its first year class who has not been convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction of any offense involving moral turpitude, and who presents (a) a certificate showing completion of a standard high school course, (b) a record showing completion of a standard preparatory medical course as herein provided, (c) a certificate of registration as medical student, (d) a certificate of good moral character issued by two former professors in the pre-medicine course, and (e) birth certificate and marriage certificate, if any. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to inhibit any college of medicine from establishing, in addition to the preceding, other entrance requirements that may be deemed admissible.

For the purposes of this Act, the term "College of Medicine" shall mean to include faculty of medicine, institute of medicine, school of medicine or other similar institution offering a complete medical course leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine or its equivalent.

According to CHED Memorandum Order No. 6, series of 1996,

The requirements and procedures for admission to Philippine Medical Schools discussed below are applicable to both Filipino and foreign nationals aspiring to pursue medical education in any of the schools. Updates on the requirements are based on the “Revised Policies and Guidelines on Medical Education”:

Prerequisite 1: Bachelor’s Degree : An aspirant to the medical course must possess a bachelor’s degree with credits in the following

Subject Minimum Credits

Biology 15 units

Chemistry 10 units

Mathematics 9 units

Physics 5 units

Prerequisite 2: National Medical Admission Test (NMAT). Applicants to medical schools in the Philippines are required to take the NMAT. The test is developed and administered by the Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. (CEM) as authorized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) per Memorandum of Agreement (1985) between the former Board of Medical Education, now Technical Panel for Medical Education and CEM. The testing dates, local and abroad, are decided and announced by the CHED and CEM.

The NMAT scores obtained by a student at any given examination year are deemed sufficient and valid as basis for evaluating applicants for admission to a college of medicine. There is no cut-off score on the NMAT; however, each school may independently set its own cut-off score on the test.

Prerequisite 3: Certificate of Eligibility for Admission (CEA): The CEA application form may be obtained from the regional offices of the Commission on Higher Education. Foreign students may apply at the Commission on Higher Education located at the National Engineering Center Building, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

The requirements in securing the CEA are as follows:

I. Fully accomplished CEA application form

II. Transcript of Records

III. Copy of Diploma or Certificate of Graduation authenticated by the registrar of the school where he/she graduated (for graduates of government school)

IV. NMAT results (Original copy of Examinee report Form) issued by CEM

V. Birth Certificate

VI. Certificate of good moral character

Prerequisite 4: Applicant’s Acceptance in Medical School. The CEA does not automatically assure the applicant of a slot in any of the medical schools in the country. A student who has been issued a CEA is given full acceptance only upon meeting the other requirements of the admitting medical school, such as passing the interviews. (It may be advisable, therefore, to seek preliminary acceptance from the medical school chosen by the applicant before obtaining the CEA).

According to DECS Memorandum Order No. 52 series of 1985,

Section 2. The NMAT, an aptitude test, is considered as an instrument towards upgrading the selection of applicants for admission into the medical schools and is calculated to improve the quality of medical education in the country. The cut-off score for the successful applicants, based on the scores on the NMAT, shall be determined every year by the Board of Medical Education after consultation with the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges. The NMAT rating of each applicant, together with the other admission requirements as presently called for under existing rules, shall serve as the basis for the issuance of the prescribed certificate of eligibility for admission into the medical colleges.

Section 4. For the purposes of assuring and ensuring its validity, reliability, integrity and confidentiality of the test, the Center for Educational Measurement (CEM) has been authorized to administer the affairs and activities related to the operation of the NMAT.

Section 8. No applicant shall be issued the requisite Certificate of Eligibility for Admission (CEA), or admitted for enrollment as first year student in any medical college, beginning the school year 1986-1987, without the required NMAT qualification as called for under this order.