Performance of schools in the November 2025 board examinations

By Dr. Rex Casiple

In this month of November 2025, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) released the results of board examinations in engineering, medical-related, and business professions.

In the Chemical Engineers Computer-Based Licensure Examination, 719 out of 910, or 79.01%, passed. The University of the Philippines Visayas ranked No. 3 among schools with 10 or more examinees and at least an 80% passing percentage. Western Visayas produced 52 passers out of 67 takers, or a 77.61% passing percentage. Fifty (50) first-timers out of 55, or 90.91%, passed. However, this is lower than the May 2025 Chemical Engineers Licensure Examination, in which 92.45% of the first-timers in Western Visayas passed.

On the other hand, 2,152 out of 3,736 examinees, or 57.63%, passed the Licensure Examination for Midwives given by the PRC Board of Midwifery in 16 testing centers nationwide. The State University of Northern Negros (SUNN) in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, ranked No. 7 among schools with 30 or more examinees and at least an 80% passing percentage. Western Visayas produced 114 passers out of 162 takers, or a 70.37% passing percentage. Eighty-eight (88) out of 111 first-timers, or 79.28%, passed.

Meanwhile, 3,670 examinees out of 4,555, or 80.57%, passed the Pharmacist Licensure Examination given by the PRC Board of Pharmacy in 14 testing centers nationwide. Central Philippine University (CPU) ranked No. 8 in the said examination among schools with 100 or more examinees and at least an 80% passing percentage. Central Philippine University is a Commission on Higher Education (CHED) autonomous school. Western Visayas produced 253 passers out of 346 takers, or a 73.12% passing percentage. Two hundred twenty-four (224) out of 268 first-timers, or 83.58%, passed.

Lastly, 2,238 of the 3,078 examinees, or 72.71%, passed the Customs Brokers Licensure Examination given by the PRC Board of Customs Brokers in four testing centers nationwide. Roniza Mae Lawan Raymundo of John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation–Bacolod (JBLCF–Bacolod) ranked No. 8 in the said examination. Furthermore, all six (6) examinees of JBLCF–Bacolod passed. John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation–Bacolod is a CHED autonomous school. Other high-performing schools in Western Visayas with more than 20 examinees and at least an 80% passing percentage are John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University–Molo (86.96%) and Aklan State University–New Washington Campus (80%). John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University–Molo is a CHED autonomous school. Western Visayas produced 60 passers out of 73 takers, or an 82.19% passing percentage. Fifty-four (54) out of 63 first-timers, or 81.75%, passed.

Finally, as a whole, the above results showed that the first-timer examinees from Western Visayas performed well in the four (4) licensure examinations, with around 82 out of 100 takers passing. The Chemical Engineers Licensure Examination first-timers performed well both in Western Visayas and at the national level, with at least 88 out of 100 passing. This shows the presence of quality graduates among schools offering the Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering program. Furthermore, in the three other professional licensure examinations, at least 72 out of 100 first-timers at the national level passed, and at least 74 out of 100 first-timers in Western Visayas passed. State universities and CHED autonomous schools performed well in the said board examinations. These results show the presence of quality graduates among schools offering the Bachelor of Science in Customs Administration, Bachelor of Science in Midwifery, and Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy programs.

Therefore, based on the results of these board examinations, it is safe to conclude the effectiveness of the programs’ curricula and the proper implementation of their respective policies, standards, and guidelines by the Commission on Higher Education.