NCAE Results Release — When and How to Get Your Results 2026
Find out when DepEd releases NCAE results, how to get your result card through your school, what stanine scores mean, and what to do with your results for...
The National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) is administered every October to Grade 9 students across the Philippines. Once the exam is complete, the Department of Education (DepEd) processes answer sheets at the national level before distributing results back to schools.
Historically, NCAE results are released 2 to 3 months after the examination date, which means most students receive their results between January and February of the following year. For the 2026 NCAE administered in October 2026, results are expected to arrive at schools in early to mid-2026, typically by February.
DepEd does not announce a specific release date in advance. Instead, division offices notify schools when result cards are ready for distribution. Check with your school's guidance office regularly starting in January — they will know as soon as results arrive.
To stay informed about the official exam schedule, visit the NCAE schedule page for the latest DepEd announcements.
NCAE Breakdown
- Point 1: Results are typically released 2–3 months after the October exam, arriving at schools in January to February
- Point 2: DepEd processes all answer sheets centrally before sending result cards to schools
- Point 1: Your result card displays stanine scores for each NCAE subtest, your raw score, and your national percentile rank
- Point 2: Stanine scores range from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest), with 5 being average
- Point 1: Your NCAE results guide your Senior High School strand choice
- Point 2: High scores in specific areas indicate aptitude for Academic, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, or Arts and Design tracks
- Details: If you lose your result card, request a certified copy from your school's guidance office or the Dep
Your NCAE result card presents your performance across all subtests using three types of scores. Understanding each one helps you make the most of your results when choosing a Senior High School strand.
Raw Score
Your raw score is simply the number of questions you answered correctly in each subtest. It is the starting point for calculating your other scores but is less meaningful on its own without context about how other students performed.
National Percentile Rank
Your national percentile rank shows where you stand compared to all Grade 9 students who took the NCAE nationwide. A percentile rank of 75, for example, means you scored higher than 75% of all test-takers. This score is particularly useful for understanding your competitive standing at the national level.
Stanine Score
The stanine (standard nine) is a single-digit score from 1 to 9 that places you in a broad performance band:
- Stanine 1–3: Below average
- Stanine 4–6: Average range
- Stanine 7–9: Above average
Stanine 5 is the national average. Schools and guidance counselors use stanine scores to quickly identify a student's aptitude in each subject area. A stanine of 7 or higher in Science and Mathematics, for instance, suggests strong aptitude for the STEM strand.
To understand what a passing score on the NCAE means, and how cut-off points relate to strand recommendations, review the full scoring guide.
There is no individual online portal for NCAE results. DepEd does not release NCAE scores through a website, SMS, or any online lookup system. All result cards are sent directly from the DepEd division office to your school. Your school's guidance counselor or registrar will then call students individually or by class to collect their result cards.
This means you cannot check your NCAE results online — you must claim your result card in person from your school. If you have graduated or transferred schools before results arrive, contact your previous school's guidance office to arrange a pickup or forwarding of your result card.
NCAE Checklist
NCAE Pros and Cons
- +Published score scales and passing thresholds create transparent, predictable targets for preparation
- +Scaled scoring systems allow fair comparison of performance across different test dates with varying difficulty
- +Detailed score reports identify section-specific performance, enabling targeted remediation for retake candidates
- +Score validity periods provide candidates flexibility in application timing after passing
- +Multiple scoring components mean strong performance in some areas can compensate for weaker performance in others
- −Scaled scores can be confusing — the same raw score translates to different scaled scores across test dates
- −Passing cutoffs set by credentialing bodies may not align with what candidates expect based on content mastery
- −Score report delivery times vary — delays in receiving results can delay application or registration deadlines
- −Performance on a single test date may not accurately reflect a candidate's actual knowledge level
- −Score reports often lack granularity below the section level, making it difficult to pinpoint specific topic weaknesses
NCAE Results Questions and Answers
About the Author
Educational Psychologist & Academic Test Preparation Expert
Columbia University Teachers CollegeDr. Lisa Patel holds a Doctorate in Education from Columbia University Teachers College and has spent 17 years researching standardized test design and academic assessment. She has developed preparation programs for SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, UCAT, and numerous professional licensing exams, helping students of all backgrounds achieve their target scores.