PRC Board of Medicine Philippines: Physician Licensure Exam

In the Philippines, physicians are licensed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) through its Board of Medicine. The legal foundation is the Medical Act of 1959, Republic Act No. 2382, which covers medical education standards, the physician licensure examination and the regulation of medical practice. Every new doctor, whether trained in the Philippines or abroad, passes through the Physician Licensure Examination (PLE) before receiving a licence.

For the full country guide, see Working as a Doctor in the Philippines.

Key facts

What the Board of Medicine does

The Board of Medicine works within the PRC and applies the Medical Act. Its main jobs are:

• Licensure examination: preparing and administering the PLE and releasing results.
• Registration: registering successful examinees as physicians.
• Regulation of practice: supervising the practice of medicine under the Medical Act.
• Foreign professionals: applying rules for foreign nationals who want to take the PLE and for foreign doctors seeking residency or fellowship training.

Applications are filed with PRC, and questions go to the concerned PRC regional office.

Physician Licensure Examination (PLE)

PRC announced a new order of subjects starting with the March 2026 PLE. The exam runs over four days, with three subjects per day:

The first two days focus on the basic sciences and legal medicine; days three and four on the clinical subjects. The subject weights and passing standard are set by the Medical Act and Board rules. We don't quote a passing grade here; check the current exam program PDF from PRC for your session.

Requirements for graduates of foreign schools

PRC's lists of requirements for foreign medical graduates include:

• diploma;
• transcript of records;
• a certificate of equivalency from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED);
• a one-year post-graduate internship certificate, with CHED equivalency for the internship;
• foreign-issued documents duly authenticated (apostille).

Requirements vary by applicant situation and are updated by PRC. Use the current list from your regional office.

Foreign nationals

Under the Medical Act, foreign citizens may qualify for the board examination if they submit competent proof of their credentials. PRC's public advisory states that proof of reciprocity between the Philippines and the applicant's country is required for taking the licensure exam and cannot be dispensed with.

Foreign medical professionals who only want to do residency or fellowship training take a separate Qualifying Assessment. Eligible professionals from ASEAN member states may be exempted under Mutual Recognition Agreements, subject to documents and fees.

Step-by-step

1. Complete your medical degree and internship. Graduates of foreign schools need CHED equivalency for both.
2. Collect documents from the current PRC list, with apostilles for foreign papers.
3. Foreign nationals: secure proof of reciprocity first.
4. File your PLE application with PRC for the next session.
5. Prepare by day. Plan revision around the four-day block structure.
6. Take the exam, then register as a physician after passing.

Twelve subjects in four days is a stamina test. The MediFlow app supports short daily practice blocks across subjects.

Typical mistakes

• Studying in the old subject order. The order changed from March 2026.
• Missing the CHED equivalency for the foreign degree or internship.
• Unapostilled foreign documents.
• Assuming reciprocity can be waived. PRC says it cannot.
• Confusing the Qualifying Assessment with the PLE. The assessment is for training only.

Fees

PRC publishes application and licence fees in its advisories and on its online application system. Amounts change, so check the current PRC advisory.

Contact and official links

• PRC: prc.gov.ph
• March 2026 PLE subject order: prc.gov.ph advisory
• Medical Act of 1959: RA 2382 (PDF)
• PRC regional offices: prc.gov.ph/regional-offices-contact-information

Our next read: Working as a Doctor in the Philippines.