What is the NMAT?
The National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) is the entrance exam required for admission to Philippine medical schools. It is developed and administered by the Center for Educational Measurement (CEM). Results are reported as a percentile rank, which compares your performance with other examinees, and each medical school sets its own cut-off.
The exam format
| Total | 240 multiple-choice items in two parts of 120 |
|---|---|
| Part 1: mental ability | Verbal, Inductive Reasoning, Quantitative and Perceptual Acuity, in 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Part 2: academic proficiency | Biology, Physics, Social Science (psychology, sociology and anthropology) and Chemistry, in 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Break | 10 minutes between the two parts |
| Scoring | Percentile rank. A minimum of the 40th percentile is commonly cited for medical school admission; check the schools you are applying to. |
What the exam covers
- Verbal: word analogies and reading comprehension on social, scientific, medical, philosophical and literary topics.
- Inductive Reasoning: number, letter and figure series, and grouping items where you find the rule shared by all but one.
- Quantitative: fundamental operations, problem solving and data interpretation.
- Perceptual Acuity: hidden figures, mirror images and identical information, all done against the clock.
- Part 2 sciences: concepts common to introductory college courses in biology, chemistry, physics and the social sciences, with items that ask you to apply and analyse, not only recall.
The real Perceptual Acuity and figure series items are visual. Our practice versions use text-based identical-information, mirror-image and pattern items that train the same attention to detail.
Free official resources, and what we add
CEM publishes the NMAT Bulletin of Information and a test description with sample item types. It does not publish a full question bank. We add 104 original practice questions across all eight subtests, timed mock exams, and an explanation for every answer showing the rule, formula or concept behind it.
How to prepare
- Read the current CEM Bulletin of Information for the test format, schedule and rules.
- For Part 1, practise speed: you have about 1 minute 7 seconds per item, so learn to spot series rules and analogy relationships quickly.
- For Part 2, review the basics of introductory biology, chemistry, physics and social science, with about 45 seconds per item.
- Drill the core formulas: percentages, rates, averages, gas laws, molarity, Ohm's law and Newton's second law.
- Take timed mocks and review every explanation, focusing on your weakest subtest.
Practice questions with answers
Tap a question to see the correct answer and explanation.
OBSTINATE : FLEXIBLE :: TIMID : ?
- bold
- quiet
- fearful
- shy
Answer: A, bold. Obstinate and flexible are opposites. The opposite of timid is bold. 'Shy', 'fearful' and 'quiet' are near-synonyms of timid, the usual trap. Source: CEM, NMAT Bulletin of Information (July 2025), Verbal subtest (word analogies).
What number comes next? 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, ?
- 16
- 20
- 18
- 17
Answer: D, 17. The differences increase by 1: +1, +2, +3, +4, so the next difference is +5. 12 + 5 = 17. Source: CEM, NMAT Bulletin of Information (July 2025), Inductive Reasoning subtest (number series).
A drug is given at 5 mg per kilogram of body weight. What dose should a 64-kg patient receive?
- 320 mg
- 69 mg
- 300 mg
- 12.8 mg
Answer: A, 320 mg. Dose = 5 mg/kg × 64 kg = 320 mg. 12.8 divides instead of multiplying, and 69 adds the numbers. Source: CEM, NMAT Bulletin of Information (July 2025), Quantitative subtest (problem solving).