Explainer: Licensure exam retakers can now become topnotchers
CONSOLACION, Cebu – For years, retakers of licensure exams had one thing off the table: becoming a topnotcher. But new guidelines from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) have changed that, giving them the chance to achieve a topnotch feat.
Under PRC Resolution No. 1814, series of 2024, retakers in licensure examinations are now qualified to be recognized as topnotchers or to be part of the Top 10 list.
READ: Not ‘name withheld’ anymore: Retaker Dr. Erwin Parchaso emerges as Top 1
“A repeater in the board licensure examination who places in the top ranks shall be eligible for listing as a top-ranked examinee, provided that the examination is complete and not a removal,” the resolution reads.
A repeater or a retaker refers to an examinee who has previously taken the same licensure examination but did not pass or withdrew from taking it.
READ: Explainer: What does ‘name withheld’ mean in PRC topnotcher results
This differs from a “removal” examinee, who only takes specific subjects to complete a previous examination.
Under the new rule, only those who retake the ‘complete’ licensure examination are eligible for topnotcher recognition.
The policy overrules PRC Resolution No. 2010-547, which limited topnotcher eligibility to first-time takers and barred repeaters from being included in the top ranks.
READ: PRC finally names 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination topnotcher
The updated policy aims to recognize excellence regardless of the number of attempts, giving repeaters equal opportunity to earn top ranks.
The change opens opportunities for thousands of repeaters across different professions who previously had no chance of being recognized among the highest-ranking examinees.
A second or even a third chance to the top awaits repeaters after all.
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