NMAT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When can I take the NMAT?
You can take the NMAT if you're already a graduating student or have your bachelor's degree. The NMAT happens twice a year (March and October) and is always scheduled on a Sunday.

When can I register?
The registration period for the NMAT is usually 1-2 months before the examination date.

Where does the exam take place?
On March, the exam takes place in Manila, Cebu, and Davao only. On October, various test centers become available. Visit this link to view them.

How many times can I take the NMAT?
There's no limit as to how many times you can take it but the less, the better.

Is there a failing grade?
No, but the lowest NMAT score required that I found is 40. If you get lower than that, they might ask you to retake the exam.

What score should I aim for?
It depends on your target school, but I suggest you aim for a line of 9, despite your target school. The higher you get, the better your chance of getting accepted.

View the NMAT cut-offs here.

I don't have a TOR yet. What should I do?
If you're a graduating student, you should have your Certified True Copy of Grades available. You're also required to have a form signed by your dean, confirming that you are a graduating student.

What do I need to bring to the exam? What can't I bring?
Read this post.

How long does the exam take?
You're given 3 hours in the morning for Part I, and 2 hrs and 30 minutes for Part II. It all happens in one day.

When will the results be released?
I got my results online exactly one month after the exam date. I took the exam on October 21 and got my results on November 21. They started sending the physical copy around December 18.

What does my score mean?
If you got 80, for example, it means you performed better than 80% of the examinees.
Let's say you took a 360-point exam, along with 199 other examinees. Your final score is 300, but your fellow examinees got more than that. Then you'll have the lowest percentile rank, 1% (but for the NMAT, I think 30% is the lowest you can get).
But let's say your final score is 100 and your fellow examinees got less than 100. Your percentile rank would now be 99, despite the failing score.
It's like a score that represents how better or smarter you are than the others.

Is it true that it's better to take the exam during October?
Not necessarily. There are usually more examinees during October and the more examinees, the higher your chance of getting a high score if you studied better than them.