Effects of K-12 Curriculum and COVID-19 on Board Examinations

By Dr. Rex Casiple

The year 2024 was a year to watch for the performance of graduates in board examinations given by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in various higher education programs. Many of the takers in the 2024 board examinations were graduates of higher education institutions under the K-12 program of the government. Most of the first-time examinees were graduates of colleges and universities under the K-12 curriculum, in which the two-year Senior High School level was added.

Likewise, they were products of various online and/or hybrid classes conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of the classes attended by 2023 and 2024 higher education graduates were conducted either online or in hybrid mode, where there was no face-to-face interaction between teachers and students. The following are the board examination performances of 2023 and 2024 graduates in selected professions.

In the February 2024 Mechanical Engineering Board Examination, a total of 4,458 out of 6,753 examinees nationwide (66.02%) passed. TUP-Visayas ranked fifth in the said examination. The Western Visayas Region produced 321 passers out of 480 takers, with a 66.88% passing rate. The first-time takers’ passing rate was 75.43%. On the other hand, a total of 65 out of 108 examinees (60.19%) passed the Certified Plant Mechanics (CPM) Licensure Examination. The first-time takers’ passing rate was 62.96%. In Western Visayas, the first-time takers’ passing rate was 50%.

In the April 2024 Registered Electrical Engineers Licensure Examination, a total of 4,436 out of 7,005 examinees nationwide (63.64%) passed. ISAT University ranked third in the said examination. The region produced 229 passers out of 379 takers, with a 60.42% passing rate. The first-time takers’ passing rate was 69.37%. On the other hand, a total of 629 out of 1,220 examinees (51.56%) passed the Registered Master Electrician Licensure Examination. The region produced 42 passers out of 74 takers, with a 56.76% passing rate.

In the April 2024 Electronics Engineers Licensure Examination, a total of 1,330 out of 3,130 examinees (42.49%) passed. The region produced 131 passers out of 233 takers, with a 56.2% passing rate. The first-time takers’ passing rate was 64.33%. On the other hand, a total of 1,819 out of 2,538 examinees (71.67%) passed the Electronics Technicians Licensure Examination. TUP-Visayas ranked first, while ISAT University ranked third. The Western Visayas Region produced 174 passers out of 208 takers, with an 83.65% passing rate. The first-time takers’ passing rate was 85.28%.

In the April 2024 Civil Engineers Licensure Examination, a total of 6,680 out of 16,990 examinees (39.32%) passed. The Western Visayas Region produced 466 passers out of 1,129 takers, with a 41.28% passing rate. The first-time takers’ passing rate was 50.95%.

A total of 7,749 out of 11,116 examinees (69.72%) passed the May 2024 Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE). There were 4,875 first-time takers, with a passing rate of 89.15%. Central Philippine Adventist College (CPAC) ranked second in the said examination. The region produced 368 passers out of 491 takers, with a 74.95% passing rate. The first-time takers’ passing rate was 90.61%.

A total of 20,890 out of 44,764 examinees (46.67%) passed the March 2024 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers – Elementary. West Visayas State University and Carlos Hilado Memorial State University ranked second, while ISAT University ranked first. The passing rate of first-time takers was 76.6%. The Western Visayas Region performed well in this examination, with a 72.38% passing rate.

(To be continued)