NMAT (Philippines)

The Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. (CEM) develops and administers the NMAT. CEM has been commissioned to do this since 1985 by the then Board of Medical Education under DECS Order No. 52, series 1985. A single national administration means applicants to different medical schools generally sit the same instrument, though each school sets its own cutoff and weighting.

Eight subtests: Verbal, Inductive Reasoning, Quantitative, Perceptual Acuity, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Social Science. The reasoning and perceptual parts test speed and accuracy rather than recall, while the science and social science parts draw on undergraduate coursework. Because scores are reported per subtest, plan study time across all eight rather than only the sciences.

Registration goes through CEM's NMAT Online Registration System. CEM's published step list tells you to read the NMAT Bulletin of Information first, then the agreement texts and data privacy policy, confirm eligibility and registration requirements, follow the digital photo specifications, review the payment and refund policy and the Dragonpay processor list, and only then create your account.

Yes, at least for South Korea. CEM has announced a face-to-face NMAT administration there on January 30, 2027, with registration from October 13, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Interested candidates are told to contact Dr. Kee Kim, NMAT Coordinator, for requirements and to register through the dedicated South Korea registration link.

CEM's official FAQ addresses exactly this question, so check the answer there before creating a second application. Creating a duplicate account is a common cause of registration problems. If the guidance is unclear for your situation, contact CEM directly rather than guessing, since your earlier record may already be linked to an existing account.

CEM's FAQ covers this case, along with the separate situation where the page shows a "Registration Limit" message when you try to create a new application. Both are administrative issues rather than eligibility rulings, so raise them with CEM before the registration period closes instead of waiting for slots to reappear.

CEM explicitly advises contacting Dragonpay immediately if the payment confirmation receipt is missing, and its FAQ addresses the case of a payment made on time that still shows as voided. Keep your reference number and proof of payment ready. Resolve it early; an unconfirmed payment can leave your application incomplete even though you paid.

CEM's public NMAT pages do not publish a score validity period or a retake cap, so treat any specific number you hear as unverified. Confirm the current rule in the NMAT Bulletin of Information and with the medical schools you are applying to, since they set how they read and how long they accept your results.

CEM lists "Know the Schedule of Release for Test Results" as one of the steps in its Bulletin of Information material. Check that schedule for the cycle you registered in rather than relying on dates from a previous year, since release timing is tied to the specific administration and can change between cycles.

Study all eight subtests on a rotating schedule, with timed drills for perceptual acuity and inductive reasoning, which improve mainly through practice under clock pressure. The usual failure modes are neglecting the non-science subtests, running out of time on quantitative items, and leaving registration details such as photos or payment confirmation until the last days.