The National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) is a career assessment that the Department of Education (DepEd) gives to Grade 9 learners. It helps them and their families choose a Senior High School (SHS) track and plan for future study and work. This guide covers the NCAE as described in DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016, the policy guidelines on national assessment for the K to 12 program, which started the career assessment in School Year 2016-2017. It also covers DepEd Memorandum No. 185, s. 2018, which set the schedule for School Year 2018-2019.
On this page 7 sections
Why DepEd gives the NCAE
The career assessment guides career guidance in schools and supports the skills and competencies needed in the world of work. Its two objectives are:
- To guide each learner in future education and career choices.
- To profile learners’ aptitude for the SHS tracks:
- Academic: Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM); Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); and Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS)
- Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL)
- Sports
- Arts and Design
What the test covers
The NCAE has three domains:
- General Scholastic Aptitude (GSA): the average of the standard scores in Scientific Ability, Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Mathematical Ability, and Logical Reasoning Ability.
- Occupational Interest Inventory (OII): a checklist of occupational interests. It produces a profile chart of the learner’s inclinations and preferences across clusters of occupations.
- Aptitude for SHS Tracks: measures a learner’s potential to succeed in the Academic (HUMSS, STEM, ABM), TVL, Sports, and Arts and Design tracks.
The test design applies to both regular learners and learners with special needs.
Who takes it and when
- Examinees: all Grade 9 learners enrolled in public schools and in private schools with a government permit or recognition. Learners with special needs may take it if the test accommodations in DO 55, s. 2016 are met.
- Mode: census, meaning every eligible Grade 9 learner takes it.
- Regular schedule: every year on the last Wednesday and Thursday of August, under DO 55, s. 2016.
- Testing centers: all schools serve as testing centers.
- Rooms: up to 30 examinees per room, seated alphabetically regardless of gender. Each examinee must have a Learner Reference Number (LRN).
Two-day test scheme
| Day | Booklet | Test domains |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booklet 1 | General Scholastic Aptitude, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, Sports |
| 2 | Booklet 2 | Academic, Occupational Interest, Arts and Design |
Detailed procedures and the forms used before, during, and after the test are in the Examiner’s Handbook. The Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA) distributes and discusses the handbook at a national conference or consultative workshop for field testing personnel.
How results are used for SHS entry
The results support career advocacy, career guidance, and homeroom guidance. They also serve as an entry assessment for specific SHS tracks and strands in public and private schools.
- STEM: a Grade 10 final grade of 85 or higher in both Math and Science, and a percentile rank of 86 or higher in the STEM subtest.
- Sports and Arts and Design: two screenings. The first is a percentile rank of 51 or higher in the matching NCAE subtest. The second is given by the accepting school: a skills-related fitness test for Sports, or a performance and skills assessment for Arts and Design.
- HUMSS, ABM, and TVL: no required cut-off for grades or subtest scores.
Criteria for entry to SHS tracks and strands
| Track or strand | Grade 10 scholastic grades | NCAE results | Alternative entry requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEM | Final grade of at least 85 in both Math and Science | Percentile rank of 86 or higher in the STEM subtest | Write-up of the scientific inquiry process, draft experiment, and similar summative assessments |
| ABM | None | None | Simple business concept or idea, marketing ideas, and similar summative assessments |
| HUMSS | None | None | Essay on current social issues, short story or articles, book or movie reviews, and similar summative assessments |
| General Academic Strand | None | None | Essay on a project of interest, project plan, and similar summative assessments |
| Sports | None | Percentile rank of 51 or higher in the matching subtest | Skills-related fitness tests given by the accepting school |
| Arts and Design | None | Percentile rank of 51 or higher in the matching subtest | Performance and skills assessment given by the accepting school |
| TVL | None | None | Livelihood project idea or ideas, and similar summative assessments |
Accepting schools give the alternative entry requirements as needed. They may also use other assessments, as long as these fit the track or strand.
How results are interpreted and reported
The DO describes the results as recommendatory. The learner’s career choice, based on aptitude and occupational interest, prevails. The guidance counselor or guidance teacher helps with that choice, guided by labor market trends. Results are reported in standard scores and percentile ranks.
Answer sheets go from the Schools Division Offices to BEA for electronic processing. Results are released no more than three months after the exam:
- Learners get a Certificate of Rating (COR). It shows their General Scholastic Aptitude, their occupational interests (first and second preferences), and the track they want vis-a-vis their aptitude for the SHS tracks.
- Schools, Schools Division Offices, and regions get an Institutional Performance Profile (IPP), a summary of results by domain.
- Policy makers, program managers, and learning resource developers get a report of national results by specific variable.
- Parents and guardians attend an orientation or forum led by the guidance counselor. It explains the results and the in-demand and hard-to-fill occupations by industry in their region, to help them choose an SHS track or course.
- Other groups can request results by scope (municipal or congressional, and school year) and variable (such as gender or type of school). These include the academe, community leaders, local government units, NGOs, civil society organizations, legislators, industries, donors, researchers, and other government agencies.
The procedures for releasing results and using national exam results are in Section 14 of DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016.
NCAE for School Year 2018-2019 (DepEd Memorandum No. 185, s. 2018)
DepEd Memorandum No. 185, s. 2018, dated November 29, 2018 and signed by Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, set the NCAE for School Year 2018-2019:
- BEA, with schools division and secondary school personnel, gave the NCAE on December 12 to 13, 2018 to all Grade 9 students in public and private schools nationwide. This followed DO 55, s. 2016 and DO 25, s. 2018 (School Calendar for School Year 2018-2019).
- Schools divisions that received test materials after December 11, 2018 could give the test at the most convenient time set by the schools division superintendent.
- The authorized forwarder delivered test materials at least a week before the test and retrieved them a day after. National Capital Region schools divisions received theirs two days before the test.
- For questions, the memo named the Bureau of Education Assessment-Education Assessment Division, DepEd Central Office, 2nd Floor Bonifacio Building, DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, at (02) 631-2589 or bea.ead@deped.gov.ph.
Frequently asked questions
Who takes the NCAE?
All Grade 9 learners in public schools and in private schools with a government permit or recognition. Learners with special needs may also take it if the required test accommodations are met.
What does the NCAE measure?
It has three domains: General Scholastic Aptitude, the Occupational Interest Inventory, and Aptitude for the Senior High School tracks (Academic, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, Sports, and Arts and Design).
What NCAE score is needed to enter the STEM strand?
Under DO 55, s. 2016, STEM applicants need a percentile rank of 86 or higher in the STEM subtest. They also need a Grade 10 final grade of at least 85 in both Math and Science.
Is there a cut-off for HUMSS, ABM, or TVL?
No. DO 55, s. 2016 sets no cut-off for grades or subtest scores for HUMSS, ABM, or the TVL track.
When was the NCAE for School Year 2018-2019 given?
DepEd Memorandum No. 185, s. 2018 scheduled it on December 12 to 13, 2018. Divisions that received materials after December 11, 2018 could set a later date through the schools division superintendent.
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