INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
Predictors of Performance in the Philippine Nurses Licensure  
Examination of the University of Saint Anthony from 2018 To 2021  
Ara L. Barlizo, RM, RN, MAN*., Ronald C. Abaño, RN, MAN., Marjorie R. Andalis, RM, RN, MAN,  
LPT., Windy M. Luzon, RM, RN, MAN., Robert B. Laut, RN, MAN  
College of Health Care Education, University of Saint Anthony, Iriga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines  
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.91100257  
Received: 21 November 2025; Accepted: 28 November 2025; Published: 06 December 2025  
ABSTRACT  
The study's primary focus is to identify the predictors of performance in the Philippine Nurses Licensure  
Examination (PNLE) among University of Saint Anthony (USANT) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)  
graduates from 2018 to 2021 and propose interventions to enhance performance for prospective candidates. It  
addresses issues such as Professional Regulation Commission records for first-timers, repeaters, overall  
performance, academic performance in Anatomy and Physiology, English, Nursing Care Management (NCM)  
theory, and Related Learning Experience (RLE), and the correlation between academic performance and  
performance in the PNLE.  
The quantitative study used a descriptive-correlation research method, analyzing 109 examinees over three  
testing years. The primary data-gathering tool utilized was documentary analysis. Statistical treatment through  
Pearson's correlation coefficient was employed to test the significance.  
Results showed that USANT BSN graduates' overall performance from 2018-2021 was very satisfactory in the  
PNLE periods of June 2018, June 2019, and November 2021, but unsatisfactory in the board examination periods  
of November 2018, November 2019, and July 2021. The average academic performance of BSN graduates in  
Anatomy and Physiology, English, NCM theory, and RLE was 2.5, indicating satisfactory performance. The  
grades in Anatomy and Physiology, English, NCM theory, and RLE are predictors of passing the PNLE.  
Measures should be taken to incorporate curricular requirements, faculty expertise, and outcome evaluations to  
enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes for passing the Nurse Licensure Examination and practicing as an entry-  
level nurse. The Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination Intervention guide aims to produce quality BSN  
graduates and improve PNLE performance among upcoming examinees.  
Keywords: Predictors, Performance, Nurses, Examination  
INTRODUCTION  
A student enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program needs to hurdle teacher-made  
examinations and practical skills tests that measure the cognitive and psychomotor components required of a  
future nurse. The ultimate test to be able to practice as a nurse is the national examination for nurses, also known  
as the Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination (PNLE). It is one's ticket to the professional practice as a  
Registered Nurse in the Philippines.  
As a legal mandate, the Board of Nursing under the Professional Regulatory Commission conducts the PNLE  
necessary for the improvement, proper, and full enforcement of the nursing practice. Higher Education  
Institutions (HEIs) have a definitive objective of their alumni's superior performance, even if they do not achieve  
a 100 percent passing rate on the board assessment. The quality of HEIs' curricular programs can be gauged by  
how well they do on licensing examinations. Thus, it prompts fundamental arrangements and interventions for  
what the school can give and the responsibility of the examinees to be licensure test prepared.  
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Licensure is a vital component to guarantee quality in the nursing workforce. Republic Act No. 9173, also known  
as the "Philippine Nursing Act of 2002," is comprehensive legislation having the main objective to safeguard  
and advance the nursing profession by instituting measures that shall result in relevant nursing education,  
humane working conditions, better career prospects, and dignified existence for nurses.  
The PNLE is a 500-item multiple-choice standardized test held twice a year to assess first-level nursing  
competencies in the months of June or July and November. Section 15 of RA 9173 states that passing the board  
examination requires an examinee to obtain a general average of at least seventy-five percent (75%) with a rating  
of not below sixty percent (60%) in any subject. In addition, Republic Act No. 8981, otherwise known as the  
PRC Modernization Act of 2000, directs the PRC to establish and maintain a high standard of admission to the  
practice of all professionals and, at all times, ensure and safeguard the integrity of all licensure examinations, in  
which Section 7 advocates monitoring of the performance of schools in licensure examinations.  
Filipino nurses are hailed to be one of the best, in-demand, globally competitive races in the Nursing profession.  
With the foundation of their academic years, Filipino nurses are molded into the finest in the healthcare industry.  
Based on the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) standards, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)  
program graduates are expected to achieve specific knowledge, skills, values, application, and degree of  
independence. The Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 15, series of 2017,  
encompasses the policies, standards, and guidelines to ensure the quality of nursing graduates through a “shift  
from the competency-based standards to outcome-based education which focuses on what nursing students  
should know, comprehend, and be able to do as well as how to adjust to life after school.”  
Any educational system's goal is to shape students' minds so they may be effective members of society and be  
well-prepared for life. To do this, students should have a solid foundation and acquire a top-notch education. The  
results of graduates on their board exams are used to evaluate the quality of nursing education. The nurse  
licensing test is the gauge for the 11 core competencies of a Filipino nurse specified by the Philippines  
Professional Regulations Commission- Board of Nursing (PRC-BON) and ensures that the nursing graduate is  
prepared to enter the field of professional nursing. A low score on the Nurse Licensure Exam (PNLE) indicates  
a low level of education.  
The University of Saint Anthony (USANT), an HEI, is firmly committed to its vision of providing quality, yet  
affordable education. With a mission of producing technically proficient graduates, the College of Health Care  
Education (CHCE) of USANT takes its total commitment to fostering a spirit of excellence and delivering quality  
nursing service. In the year 1966, the late Dr. Santiago G. Ortega Sr., founder of the University of Saint Anthony  
Academy, Dr. Andres C. Gonzales, along with prominent educators and benefactors, spearheaded the  
establishment of the first College of Nursing in Iriga City; a response to the health needs of the Bicol region,  
specifically the Rinconada district. In its three years, the College of Nursing has offered the General Program  
in Nursing (GN) until its transition to BSN after it was then granted government recognition and the permit to  
operate a baccalaureate program in 1974. Since then, it has produced a notable number of nursing licensure  
passers and placers from its first batch of graduates, with eight candidates up to the present year.  
Established in adherence to local and national standards, the CHCEs’ BSN program entailed theoretical and  
Related Learning Experience (RLE). Armed with a strong and efficient faculty line-up and reliable and quality  
affiliating institutions guided by the CHED guidelines, it produced remarkable graduates who have excelled  
professionally in the healthcare settings, academe, and other fields of specialization in both the local and  
international settings. As per the records published by the PRC on the performance of USANT in the PNLE for  
the years 2018 to 2021, the university got an overall performance passing percentage of 60.71% in the November  
2021 licensure exam, 60% from July 2021, 52.94%, and 20% from June and November 2019 PNLE, and a  
national passing percentage of 45.16% and 22.22% from the 2018 nursing board examinations respectively.  
As a faculty of the USANT CHCE, the researchers felt the vitality of the study in realizing the BSN student's  
goal of becoming a future registered nurse, further improving the nursing program by identifying critical points  
in the student’s academic standing as well as in their PNLE performance that might be a key variable affecting  
the university’s overall performance in the licensure test, and attaining the university's mission of producing  
more RNs, ensure notable passing rates, and be recognized as one of the top-performing schools in the PNLE.  
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Thus, by analyzing the USANT PNLE trend and identifying its predictors of performance, data-driven  
information can be used to develop programs, initiatives, and strategies to improve and ensure success in the  
nursing licensure examinations. It is analogous to maintaining quality human resources to maintain quality  
education. Nursing care will be subpar if the graduates are substandard. Therefore, this study may serve as a  
wake-up call to educational institutions to deliver improved nursing education towards a better healthcare  
system.  
Statement of the Problem  
This study focused mainly on the predictors of the performance of the BSN graduates of the University of Saint  
Anthony in the Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination for a period of three years, 2018-2021.  
Specifically, the study sought answers to the following questions:  
1. What is the performance of USANT nursing graduates from 2018-2021 based on PRC Records, based on the  
following:  
a. First-time Takers  
b. Repeaters  
c. Overall School Performance  
2. What is the academic performance of USANT nursing graduates from 2018-2021 in the following courses:  
a. Anatomy and Physiology  
b. English  
c. NCM Theory  
d. RLE  
3. Is there a significant correlation between the courses and the overall performance of USANT nursing graduates  
in the PNLE, such as:  
a. Anatomy and Physiology  
b. English  
c. NCM Theory  
d. RLE  
4. What intervention can be proposed to enhance the PNLE performance based on the findings of the study?  
Theoretical Framework  
Accentuating the felt need for this research, several theories are gathered that are connected to the study. The  
theoretical framework of this study is derived from the theories of Patricia Benner on the Novice Expert model  
and the Attribution Theory by Bernard Weiner.  
One of the most useful conceptual frameworks for nurses' professional development is the Novice to Expert  
Model, which was developed in 1982. According to Patricia Benner's model, nursing knowledge, skill, clinical  
competence, and comprehension of patient care are all developed through learned knowledge in a manner where  
they are required to apply and utilize their theoretical training and experiential learning from the novice stage  
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through the competent, proficient, and expert stages. The theory also emphasizes that teachers help students  
move from one stage of development to the next by providing quality instruction and direction.  
Dr. Patricia Benner introduced the concept that expert nurses develop skills and understanding of patient care  
over time through a sound educational base of the "know-how" of clinical experience.  
In the study, it acknowledges the role of proficient clinical instructors as educators with a strong foundation in  
the BSN program and clinical prowess in shaping students with the critical knowledge, skills, and attitude from  
their first-year to fourth-year level in consonance with the policies, guidelines, and standards to assure quality  
in the Philippine nursing curriculum at the CMO No. 15 series of 2017 implements. Imparting what the students  
need to equip themselves with to be future registered nurses starts the moment they first enter the classroom. As  
the student advances to another academic level, the necessary qualities expected of him are also developed.  
Progressing to each stage of the academic level does not mean complacency. The nursing curriculum's successful  
implementation can be ensured by the faculty and school administrators' constant guidance, reinforcement, and  
support. As a result, HEIs might be able to use Benner's Novice to Expert Model to develop useful teaching and  
learning strategies for their students through individualized instruction and practices to guarantee an outcome-  
based nursing discipline that is applicable at every nursing level and exemplifies quality and excellence.  
The second theory influential to the present study is the Attribution Theory. Attribution is the action of regarding  
something as being caused by a person or thing. In the 1970s, Bernard Weiner proposed a theory that looked at  
how people interpret success and failure. He attributes successes and failures to four things: Ability, Effort, Task  
difficulty, and Luck.  
Weiner focused his attribution theory on achievement. Attributions are classified along three causal dimensions:  
locus of control, stability, and controllability. The focus of the control dimension has two poles: internal versus  
external locus of control. The stability dimension captures whether the causes change over time or not.  
Controllability contrasts cause one can control, such as skill/efficacy, with causes one cannot control, such as  
aptitude, mood, others’ actions, and luck.  
When applying attribution theory in a learning environment, the instructor needs to assist learners in accepting  
their effort as the main predictor of achievement. Examining the instructor's influence on a learner's locus of  
control can assist learners in strengthening an internal locus of control by utilizing learner-centered instructional  
strategies when presenting new content. By utilizing these strategies, the instructor becomes a facilitator of  
knowledge, and learners can acquire new experiences and interact with the content, rather than through verbal  
instruction.  
In the present study, factors are also focused on. The researchers point out that how an examinee performs in the  
licensure assessment can be influenced by a variety of variables existing or experienced, and is relatively  
essential in the determination of their success and or achievement in the PNLE.  
Conceptual Framework  
The study's conceptual framework described its logical illustration, presenting the Input, Process, and Output  
(IPO) Model using the system's approach.  
Input. The inputs of the study were the following: The PNLE performance of USANT from 2018-2021 based  
on PRC records about the First-timers, Repeaters, and Overall, School Performance, the academic grades in a.  
Anatomy and Physiology, b. English subjects, c. Nursing Care Management (NCM) courses theory, and d.  
Related Learning Experience (RLE), and the significant correlation between academic performance in the  
various courses and the PNLE performance of the examinees.  
Process. This section consisted of the progressions needed in this study. The permits to conduct the study were  
secured from the concerned authorities. Pertinent documents for analysis were requested from the archives of  
the PRC, the University Registrar’s Office, and the CHCE Dean’s Office. Next were the organization,  
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examination, and interpretation of the data collected. The significant correlation between the overall performance  
of USANT nursing graduates in the PNLE and the Grades in Anatomy and Physiology, English, NCM theory,  
and RLE was statistically treated by the use of Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient. The paramount step was the  
formulation of the recommended interventions to produce quality BSN graduates and enhance their performance  
in the PNLE.  
Output. The output of the study is the PNLE INTERVENTION GUIDE which consists of the interventions  
crafted to shape a competent future Registered Nurse and boost the performance of licensure examinees,  
strategized to assure an exemplary performance in the PNLE in support of the individual, organization (HEIs),  
and the CHED’s goal to produce capable and quality BSN graduates who are board exam-ready and successful  
future professionals. The output is crafted based on the findings gathered during this study.  
Feedback. The feedback represents the procedures and strategies used to guarantee the ongoing advancement  
of the study. This information will be given to the appropriate authorities, who will utilize it in their ongoing  
efforts to raise the exam takers' performance on the Nurse Licensure Examination.  
Assumptions  
This study is postulated on the following assumptions:  
1. The performance of the examinees in the 2018-2021 Nursing licensure examination is above the national  
passing percentage.  
2. The academic performance of the BSN graduates-examinees is very satisfactory;  
3. Interventions geared to enhance the performance of the USANT College of Health Care Education  
Department in the Nursing Licensure Examination can be proposed.  
Null Hypothesis  
Ho: There is no significant correlation between the Grades in Anatomy and Physiology, English subjects,  
Nursing Care Management (NCM) courses theory, and RLE to the results of the Board Examination in Nursing.  
Scope and Delimitation  
This research covered the investigation of the predictors of the performance of the BSN graduates of USANT,  
Iriga City, in the Nursing Licensure Examination for three examination periods through documentary analysis.  
The subjects of the study were chosen through a total population sampling of the 109 PNLE test-takers from  
2018 to 2021. Specifically, they were the 31 and 18 examinees from June and November 2018 PNLE, the 17 and  
10 board exam takers from June and November 2019, and lastly, the 5 examinees from July and 28 examinees  
from November 2021 nursing board exam, irrespective of the year when they finished their baccalaureate degree.  
Documentary analysis of the official records requested from respective offices of; the Professional Regulation  
Commission for the official list of the examinees, their ratings, and certifications of schools’ overall performance  
in the 2018-2021 PNLE, the Registrar’s Office of USANT for the academic grades in Anatomy and Physiology,  
NCM courses theory, English courses, and RLE, and the CHCE Dean’s Office for other documents that are  
relevant to the study.  
The study was conducted from January 2022 to April 2022.  
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES  
To choose the best strategy for carrying out the current analysis, the researchers considered several related works  
of literature from books, news articles, and journals that have been published, as well as various research and  
studies from local and international sources that are correlated to the variables to be investigated and explored.  
These sources greatly aided in conceptualizing the study.  
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A strong argument for the importance of the nursing workforce internationally is made in the World Health  
Organization's (WHO) 2020 State of the World's Nursing Report. With around 59% of all health professions  
falling under the nursing category, it is the largest occupational category in the healthcare industry. To draw a  
diverse student body, measures include investing in nursing staff, making clinical placement locations available,  
and making programs accessible. Nursing should become a profession based on research, technology,  
collaboration, and health equity. To ensure that graduates have the highest level of graduate capabilities in health  
technology, the curriculum must be in line with rising global concerns and national health objectives. The  
structures that educate, train, employ, and allow nurses to fully utilize their knowledge must continue to support  
them.  
Giving more emphasis on this, Feliciano (2019) described what a capable nurse is. A competent individual has  
the power to alter one's surroundings for the better. One can respond in an acceptable way behaviorally by using  
previously learned information. It has been determined that competence refers to the knowledge, abilities, and  
aptitude of a professional nurse. Competence, however, goes beyond mere knowledge and includes the  
acknowledgment of understanding how to mobilize, integrate, and transmit resources, information, and  
professional competencies, as well as the ability to act responsibly. Due to their adherence to organizational  
procedures, regard for patients' rights, and task performance by legal and moral standards, nurses demonstrate a  
high degree of expertise in legal and ethical practice. To prevent hurting or injuring their patients, nurses should  
operate within the scope of their advocacy responsibilities.  
Furthermore, in the United States, nursing involves a combination of training, education, and experience. One  
must complete an accredited educational program, pass a licensing test, and satisfy the state of residence's  
licensing criteria before one can practice as a registered nurse. The educational paths to becoming a nurse are  
numerous and frequently perplexing to prospective students and other professionals who work alongside nurses  
in the healthcare industry, even though there is a single licensure exam. External forces have altered educational  
methods and hiring practices, such as the Institute of Medicine's 2010 proposal that 80% of nurses be trained at  
the bachelor's level (Morris, 2019).  
Supporting the concept of what a nurse should be, Mathur (2020) stressed the importance of board examinations  
for Indian students. The state's education minister started a comprehensive effort that included a standardized  
Pre-Board test, a review of student achievement, and the scheduling of remedial sessions for areas that required  
further study. The test was given to 2777 secondary schools to raise the board exam pass rate. This campaign  
assisted in focusing everyone in the school system—from the education minister down to the students—on a  
single objective: raising the pass rate for board examinations.  
Moreover, according to Briggs (2022), although there is still a lot of interest in the nursing field, thousands of  
aspiring nurses fail their licensing exams each year, depriving the labor market of potentially talented workers.  
Nursing candidates can retake the exam, but statistics suggest that few do so, and their odds of passing decrease  
each time. The Florida Nurses Association's executive director, Willa Fuller, advises aspiring nurses to enroll in  
authorized schools to guarantee that they will graduate with the abilities required to obtain employment. She  
said, "Nursing is difficult. You must be ready since every day is a matter of life or death, and you must trust that  
your school will give you the proper instruction.  
Quinn et al. (2018) also discussed that the successful completion of the National Licensure Examination for  
Registered Nurses is essential for both new graduate nurses and schools of nursing. Nursing faculty should  
consider multifaceted approaches to help students find success on the examination. Test-anxious nursing students  
may engage in academic procrastination, so nurse educators should assess their test anxiety and use cognitive-  
behavioral approaches and test-taking workshops. Clear expectations and deadlines, time management  
workshops, and assignment reminders may help students who procrastinate. This study's results identify the need  
for nurse educators to begin to address test anxiety and academic procrastination in prelicensure students.  
On the vitality of board examinations, the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) rejected Labor Secretary  
Silvestre Bello III's plan to do away with licensing tests in a news report by Ornedo and GMA News (2021).  
Because nurses are trusted with people's lives, it is imperative to guarantee that they are sufficiently qualified  
and that, in the absence of board examinations, their level and quality would decline. Furthermore, Reyes noted  
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the availability of "fly-by-night" institutions and said that board examinations act as a check and balance for the  
quality of education.  
Concerning this, the Professional Regulations Commission administers the Nurse Licensure Examination to  
assess nursing graduates who will be granted a license to practice nursing. To ascertain the respondents' academic  
and extracurricular backgrounds and any potential relationships to how well they performed on the Nurse  
Licensure Examination. Sixty-seven nursing graduates from CMO 14's initial cohort were studied by Pulgarinas.  
(2022). 2009 was utilized as the sample year. Nursing Care Management (NCM), the Nurse Aptitude Test (NAT),  
English Proficiency, and the Nursing Enhancement Program (NEP) were all included in the academic profile.  
The OLSAT, the Schedule of Examinations, and the Emotional Quotient were all part of the non-academic  
profile. The frequency and percentage, mean, Pearson r, Chi-Square, and linear regression analysis were among  
the statistical techniques used in the study. Only the OLSAT in the non-academic profile exhibited a significant  
association with the licensing examination performance, according to the results, whereas all individual factors  
in the academic profile are strongly connected to the examination performance.  
Further, all applicants for registration as professional nurses must pass the Philippine Nurses Licensure  
Examination (PNLE). Villarde-Galingana et al. (2022) sought to ascertain and assess the performance of nursing  
graduates from the Isabela State University Echague Campus College of Nursing from 2015 to 2019 on the board  
exams. The bulk of the 53 respondents were female and between the ages of 19 and 25, which occurred more  
frequently than other age groups. Most nursing graduates scored between 78 and 80 percent on the average  
general rating (AVR). The frequency count and percentage were employed to collect data coherently, and  
Purposive Sampling was utilized to choose the required respondents. 53 respondents registered themselves in  
their favorite Review Centers before taking the NLE because Nursing Practice 5 was the test category that  
nursing graduates from 2015 to 2019 considered challenging. The findings of this study are anticipated to aid  
the institution in enhancing its nursing program and in identifying methods for raising student and school  
performance on board exams, as well as the ratings of the following test-takers.  
According to Parao (2020), test preparation was shown to be the most important element influencing students'  
test success, followed by the difficulty of the subjects in each area exam, thorough coverage, the complexity and  
trickiness of the exam, and how external issues were presented to the students. Additionally acknowledged as a  
crucial internal component in exam achievement was the stock of information acquired. To gradually prepare  
students for board examinations, strategies that can inspire directed study while encouraging independence are  
required. Complex topics and areas where they were least prepared require involvement from the relevant  
departments. First-year students enrolling in board exam-based subjects need to undergo rigorous screening.  
New graduates should be encouraged to sit for the board test as soon as possible since they always have a greater  
probability of passing it. A program to assist recent graduates was in existence, but a more comprehensive  
program could call for more rigorous screening of students. It will be quite helpful to outsource reviewers and  
update sample examinations, allowing former examiners to connect with the instructors and students while  
taking the course.  
To give a thorough examination of the academic performance and board test results of nursing graduates and to  
look into the causes, actions, and supportive elements that may have helped them, Galon et al. (2023) conducted  
a study. The sample size was based on secondary data that included 7 graduates or alumni who failed the board  
test over 4 years. The study found that academic performance has a significant impact on graduates' and alumni's  
success in licensing exams and that it may be worthwhile to investigate the student factor, school factor, review  
center factor, and student factor to have a full evaluation of the graduates’ and alumni's performance. Certain  
shortcomings, worries, and issues might be identified early by the mentor or coach through the  
coaching/mentoring program, allowing them to start an early intervention to assist in raising the likelihood of  
passing. Taking into consideration these elements, the University of Cebu Lapu Lapu and Mandaue  
administration could utilize the study's conclusions as a guide to enable the students who failed the board test to  
have a higher probability of passing in subsequent retakes.  
Nonetheless, Oducado et al. (2019) conducted another investigation where it was emphasized that the Nurse  
Licensure Examination (PNLE) passing percentage is regarded as a significant indicator of the caliber of the  
nursing program. The goal of this study was to ascertain how institutional terminal competence assessment  
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(TCA) and other elements affected nursing graduates' PNLE performance. Utilizing data sets of nursing  
graduates from West Visayas State University from 2015 to 2017 (N=354), this study employed a descriptive-  
correlational research approach. .05 alpha level, Pearson's r was employed in the inferential analysis. The  
outcomes showed a substantial relationship between TCA and PNLE performance. Other elements, including  
the general average of high school grades, the general weighted average of college grades, test results for college  
admission, nursing aptitude Tests, and Pre-board Examinations, were significantly correlated with PNLE rating.  
In addition to the criteria mentioned in the research, nursing schools may profit by creating and implementing  
an institutional standardized competence assessment that is given after the nursing program to help determine  
whether students will succeed in the PNLE.  
Yet supporting this idea, the study of Butcon et al. (2021), on the demographic details of the nursing interns from  
the University of Hail and their opinions on the factors affecting the test were described using descriptive  
statistics. The elements that were strongly predictive of the nursing interns' achievement on the Saudi Nursing  
Licensure Examination (SNLE) were found using neural network research. To improve the chances of nursing  
interns passing the SNLE, test preparation activities such as study sessions and exam simulations must be pushed  
and improved. Compared to other factors, including age, gender, marital status, and academic program, the Grade  
Point Average and increased study hours had the greatest impacts on SNLE achievement. This study provides  
nursing educators and administrators with a springboard for developing specific measures to improve the GPA  
and time management of the nurse interns.  
Firth (2023) also stated in an editorial that "the vast majority of nurse educators support the use of first-time  
licensure pass rates as an important outcome measure reflective of program quality. Other ways to evaluate a  
school's performance include looking at graduation rates, attrition rates, and the employment rate of its students.  
Approval by the state's board of nursing or accreditation by an accrediting organization is also regarded as a  
measure of quality. "Accreditation truly looks at the whole program, including having competent faculty, a  
suitable curriculum, and testing. When you have the accreditation seal, it does signify that you've satisfied more  
stringent requirements than merely having a program that has been recognized by the Board of Nursing.  
In addition, an inquiry has been opened into the reasons why more than half of the individuals who recently took  
the Quebec nursing licensing exam failed it. Some nursing students claim that the exam didn't accurately reflect  
their academic work. The COVID-19 epidemic, according to Quebec's professional nursing organization, was  
accountable for the poor results, and it was widely acknowledged that the exam had not been updated in a few  
years. The professional order stated in a news release that it will provide "additional measures" to assist students  
on their journey to becoming admitted into the profession. The students who failed the exam and the school  
received comments, according to Luc Mathieu, head of the nursing order, so that students may have a broad  
notion of what needs more attention (Amador, 2022).  
As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, Lai et al. (2023) investigated the association between changes in nursing  
internships and the results of the national registered nurse (RN) licensing test for fresh nursing graduates in  
Taiwan. In this study, secondary data were retrospectively reviewed, and data were analyzed using adjusted  
binary logistic regression. The test was taken by a convenience sample of 78 recent graduates, and 87.2% of  
them passed. The most important indicator of exam performance was age, followed by total alternative  
(nontraditional in-person) internship hours and grand mean academic score. Nursing schools should think about  
putting supportive measures in place as soon as possible to assist students in passing the RN test on their first  
try. It is necessary to do a thorough analysis of the ideal duration and long-term effects of alternative nursing  
internships.  
To shed light on this context, Yu (2020) notes that a range of factors often affects pass rates. It is significant to  
highlight that the majority of candidates for the 2019 PNLE are drawn from one of the final groups of BS Nursing  
students who followed the previous, shorter academic curriculum (as opposed to the current, lengthier K–12  
one). Since they are among the final BS Nursing graduates in the nation who would have been eligible to take  
the 2019 PNLE with only 4 rather than 6 years of secondary education, some groups speculate that 2019 PNLE  
candidates may have felt extra pressure to do well in this year's examinations. The PRC, medical facilities, and  
employment agencies should be on the lookout for a potential decline in PNLE takers in 2020.  
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Further, Kaminski-Ozturk et al. (2022) investigated the association between time-to-test and repeat testing as  
well as potential corollaries between repeat test-taker status and future practice discipline. Nearly a quarter of a  
million registered nurses (RN) and practical nurses (PNs) who passed the NCLEX between 2013 and 2017 had  
their data compiled. To determine if repeat testing was necessary and how likely discipline would occur,  
multivariable generalized estimating equation models were utilized. Repeat test-taker status was shown to be  
weakly connected with practice discipline for RNs (p =.047) but not for PNs (p =.13) when propensity score  
matching was used. After adjusting for age, sex, color, and ethnicity, RN candidates who put off taking the exam  
for 60 days had a 5% higher chance of having to take additional tests. A 90-day delay for PN candidates was  
linked to a 9% increase in the risk that they would have to retake the NCLEX (p.001). The need for quick NCLEX  
testing and the potentially harmful impacts of delays, even by a few months, is being emphasized in outreach to  
nursing programs.  
In a retrospective study by Flowers et al. (2022), the researchers investigated the associations between 110  
academic predictors and first-time NCLEX-RN success in a sample of 92 Bachelor of Science in Nursing  
minorities and culturally diverse generic/traditional students at a sizable minority-serving, urban, public  
university. The Test of Essential Academic Skills (reading, science, and overall), the cumulative GPA, and the  
results of different standardized tests, such as the Kaplan, HESI, and ATI, were used as predictors. The  
discriminant analysis revealed that the greatest predictors of passing the NCLEX-RN were a science GPA of at  
least 3.50 and an ATI B of at least 60. Scores of 50 or above on the Kaplan exam were excellent indications of  
NCLEX-RN success based on statistically significant differences between pass and fail results.  
Moreover, a scoping evaluation of research publications released between 2000 and 2020 was carried out by  
Montegrico and Oducado (2021), 208 articles and pieces of gray literature qualified for first screening under the  
guidelines of the Preferred Reporting for Integrative Studies and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Review. The  
evaluation covered 29 studies, and from 2014 to 2018, the average PNLE first-time pass percentage was 75%.  
Between 2010 and 2016, the total passing rate increased from 39.2% to 45%. Intellectual capacity, learning  
styles, and psychosocial behaviors influence individual PNLE outcomes, whereas the May/June PNLE showed  
substantial heterogeneity in PNLE results. Examinees who took the PNLE for the first time in November had  
higher probabilities of passing. Significant academic determinants of PNLE success include academic  
performance in high school and nursing school, college entrance tests, nursing aptitude tests, accomplishment  
exams, pre-board examinations, clinical nursing courses, English courses, and Microbiology and Parasitology.  
The results of PNLE are related to institutional factors such as school size, ownership type, year of formation,  
accreditation status, and faculty-student ratio. The outcomes of PNLE are influenced by several human,  
academic, and institutional variables. Understanding the multidimensionality of variables that may affect PNLE  
performance requires the identification of these elements. Understanding these characteristics may help nursing  
schools, as well as individual nursing students and graduates, devise methods to improve their chances of passing  
the PNLE and raise the percentage of first-time passers.  
To identify correlations and determinants of the licensure examination, Kiblasan and Ligligen (2020) examined  
the academic and licensure examination results of Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates from a state college.  
208 graduates who took their licensing exams from 2013 to 2017 were easily selected for the descriptive-  
retrospective design. For the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and Simple Regression Analysis,  
the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 22.0 was utilized. Graduates' academic and nursing licensing  
performances were found to be subpar and to have the opposite skewness and kurtosis of the ideal. 2 of the 5  
nursing courses, out of a total of 21, had a considerable predictive value and made strong, distinct contributions  
to the nurse licensing examination. It is crucial to constantly consider predictors as a foundation for changing  
institutional policies for the implementation of curricula.  
In addition, a retrospective study approach was utilized by Montegrico (2019) to characterize the five-year trend  
in the Philippine Nurses Examination (PNLE). The relationship between the PNLE outcome (pass/fail) and the  
examinee type (first-time vs. repeat examinees) and the date (month) of the test (May/June vs. November) was  
also established. After gathering PNLE data that was made publicly accessible, secondary data analysis was  
carried out. To describe whether the probabilities of passing vary depending on the type of examinee and the  
month of taking the PNLE, odds ratios were computed. The first-time pass rates showed an increasing tendency  
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(70.6% to 77.3%), but the repeat pass rates displayed a falling trend (31.6% to 28.2%), with the total pass rates  
showing a decreasing trend over the last five years. The chances of passing the PNLE are 7.01 times higher for  
first-time examinees than for repeat examinees, and the chances are 1.32 times higher in November than they  
are in May/June. Despite rising first-time success rates, many nursing graduates continue to fail the PNLE,  
particularly those who retake it. The findings of this study can be utilized to enhance nursing programs by  
creating strategies to help first-time examinees who are at risk of failing the PNLE before they take it and  
programs to help graduates who will repeat the PNLE.  
Examining the variables influencing freshly graduated nurses' performance on the national nursing licensure  
examination, 113 recently graduated Saint Louis College students from Thailand's 2018 academic year made up  
the sample. Questionnaires, group discussions, and in-depth interviews were used to gather data. Regression was  
used to evaluate quantitative data, while content analysis was used to assess qualitative data. According to the  
findings, 65 (57.52%) newly graduated nurses passed the initial round of the national nursing licensure test  
across all subject areas. According to qualitative data, peer pressure and a sense of duty to one's family serve as  
the student’s primary sources of test preparation motivation, whereas carelessness was the main cause of exam  
failure. Help from friends, effective time management, and personal qualities all contributed to passing the  
national nursing licensure test; however, study areas, including libraries, dorms, and activity rooms, were not  
helpful (Oatme et al., 2021).  
The quasi-experimental research by Yusef-Zadeh et al. (2019) examined the impact of study preparation on  
lowering test anxiety and enhancing performance in the academic year 2016–2017 at Urmia University of  
Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. The performance of students is significantly impacted by test anxiety before and  
during tests. Test anxiety and exam performance were considerably impacted by the intervention. According to  
the report, health sciences universities should offer programs to help students manage their anxiety. Exam stress  
may be reduced by using study strategies and active teaching strategies from lecturers. Faculty members and  
department heads should encourage students' participation in class activities and course completion by teaching  
them how to prepare for exams during the semester.  
One of the main objectives of universities and nursing schools throughout the world is to comprehend the  
variables that predict the academic success of nursing students. The purpose of this study was to identify the  
factors that predict academic achievement in undergraduate nursing students. A search was done from 2006 to  
2016 utilizing a variety of databases and journals. The methodological caliber of the papers that made the  
shortlist was evaluated by two independent reviewers. The review's findings showed that older students, female  
gender, English language proficiency, majority ethnic status, pre-admission requirements, high admission GPA,  
high supplemental application score, high pre-admission science GPA, choosing nursing as the first choice of  
study, participating in organized music programs, homework completion, lecture attendance, kinesthetic learning  
approach, performance in psychology modules, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness all significantly  
increased the likelihood of admission. Additionally evaluated were the school's performance and the evaluations  
of the following board candidates (Mthimunye & Daniels, 2019).  
When applying corrective procedures for high-quality education that address the inadequacies found, Pacis  
(2021) established success variables connected to the schools' performance in the licensing examination and the  
weaknesses of graduates in a board exam. According to the researchers, successful performance on the nursing  
licensing test depends on the effective execution of the CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 46, series of  
2012, which requires higher education institutions (HEIs) to improve Quality Assurance (QA). It is also advised  
that the knowledge, skills, and attitude required to pass the nurse licensing exam and work as a beginning nurse  
practitioner be determined by using the appropriate outcome-based evaluation, curricular standards, and faculty  
expertise in a professional course.  
Additionally, the baccalaureate nursing program at an accredited southeastern institution is discussed in this  
article, along with a portfolio of interventions that were employed to enhance student results. The national license  
exam's increased difficulty level, the rise in student enrollment, and the absence of a structured  
remediation/mentoring procedure were all noted by faculty as three distinct student-focused challenges that were  
impeding student learning. The Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (BC), the Office  
of Academic Assessment (OAA), and the School of Nursing joined forces to form the Learning Improvement  
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Team (LIT). Improvements in student learning outcomes, dashboard communication for curriculum decisions  
based on data, faculty workshops, and interdisciplinary university partnerships are a few strategies. The necessity  
of consistent faculty workload standards and role expectations was recognized as a lesson to be learned, along  
with the importance of institutional collaboration and support. This fruitful collaboration had a favorable effect  
on the nursing faculty, altered the departmental culture, and enhanced student results (McMillan et al., 2020).  
The nursing faculty department's strategy to support nursing students who are identified as being at risk for  
failing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) on the first attempt, as  
discussed by McKelvey et al. (2018) in Creative Nursing Journal. This strategy also significantly raises the  
nursing program's overall first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. The NCLEX-RN Coaching Partnership served as a  
model for how nursing instructors might help students' achievement by developing warm connections with them.  
The first-time NCLEX-RN pass percentage for the whole program considerably rose from 78% to 90% as seven  
of the eight selected students passed the test on the first try.  
Using a descriptive-correlational study methodology, Oducado (2019) examined the effects of institutional  
terminal competence assessment (TCA) and other variables on the Philippine Nurses' Licensure Examination  
(PNLE) performance of West Visayas State University nursing graduates from 2015 to 2017. According to the  
researchers, nursing schools may be able to detect the performance of nursing graduates in the PNLE by using  
the students' pre-admission qualifications, academic performance at nursing school, and terminal exam results.  
Moreover, it could support the creation of admission and retention guidelines for the nursing program. To  
determine whether students will succeed in the PNLE, nursing schools may find it advantageous to create and  
administer an institutional standardized competence evaluation. But since non-academic contributors to PNLE  
performance were not found, more research is necessary.  
In support of the foregoing data, the academic performance, the nursing licensing examination, and core  
competency performance of nursing graduates from the University of Perpetual Help System Laguna (UPHSL)  
from 2013 to 2016 were measured and assessed in a descriptive-correlational study by Lamasan et al. (2018).  
The experts advise students to put in a lot of effort and double up on their studies to get excellent results in  
professional areas, since they influence the Nursing Licensure Examination. To track their students' development  
and help when needed, clinical teachers are urged to develop a student-teacher counseling program. It ought to  
be current and in line with the most recent curricula. Their performance in the PNLE and their chosen profession  
are influenced by providing high-quality education and holistically preparing the students through curriculum  
implementation and training programs.  
However, to assess medical education effectively, tests must evaluate communicative, psychomotor, and  
cognitive abilities as well as professionalism traits. This study investigated how medical students' perceptions of  
assessment and feedback on their learning linked to how well they do on exams. A mixed-methods research  
design was used, and students were given a questionnaire to fill out on how they felt about assessments. Data on  
student achievement and the opinions of academic coordinators were correlated with survey results. Students  
sought out more prompt, higher-quality, and more individualized feedback because of realizing how crucial  
feedback is to enable progress. Academic advisors determined that some of the students' ideas were more feasible  
than others. Although they underlined the necessity for educators to promote the relevance of assessment,  
students had a good attitude toward assessment (Preston et al., 2019).  
The choice of students for higher education has a big impact on society, institutions, and people. Only for nursing,  
one of the major higher education specialties, do thousands of applicants apply. Higher education schools  
evaluate applicants for nursing positions for their capacity to learn because the nursing profession is  
characterized by cognitive requirements. The assessment of learning abilities in the selection of undergraduate  
nursing students was the subject of this scoping review. 24 studies published between 2006 and 2016 were  
considered after searches of five databases. Standardized assessments in the subjects of language and  
communication, reasoning, mathematics, and natural sciences were most frequently used to evaluate learning  
abilities. It was discovered that the overall results of onsite selection techniques best predicted future academic  
performance. The findings suggest that higher education institutions may profit from a thorough evaluation of  
students’ learning abilities (Vierula et al., 2019).  
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It is typical in nursing education for theory to inform practice. Studies have shown that there are still gaps  
between theory and practice for nursing students. This study sought to ascertain the connection between nursing  
students' Related Learning Experiences (RLE) and theoretical classroom instruction. This study used a  
descriptive correlational research design and an existing data set of nursing graduates from a Philippine Nursing  
University for a five-year cohort (N=653). The data were analyzed using simple linear regression and Pearson's  
correlation. The RLE performance of nursing students was found to be significantly correlated with theoretical  
classroom training, according to the results. 64% of the variation in RLE was explained by theoretical classroom  
teaching. This study emphasizes the significance of sound theoretical training in forecasting nursing students'  
performance in the RLE. The success of the practical component of the nursing curriculum greatly depends on  
the didactic component's performance. To assist in closing the knowledge gap between theory and practice,  
nursing education institutions must continuously work to encourage the application of what students learn in the  
classroom to real-world care settings (Amboy et al., 2019).  
Withal, Madridano (2021) discussed that HEIs in the country are given the academic freedom to create their  
nursing curriculum as long as it leads to the same outcomes expected from every level of nursing education.  
Looking at the overall Philippine Nurse Licensure Exam (PNLE) Pass Rates will show the effectiveness of the  
curriculum in the country as a whole. A more ingenious strategy would be to compare the number of passers of  
the PNLE and the number of nursing graduates, sorted by the year they graduated. The Nurse Licensure  
Examination has proven to help determine the effectiveness of the curriculum in producing nurses equipped with  
the competencies required to provide safe and effective nursing care. Since the goal of the BSN program is to  
develop a professional nurse who can assume an entry-level position, the effectiveness of the nurse in taking  
their role in the healthcare setting should also be measured to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum.  
Additionally, Almazan (2019) did a thorough literature assessment on the academic achievement of nursing  
students and their relationship to passing nursing licensing exams. All studies (n=15) were carried out in the  
USA. The data were synthesized, and two main themes emerged: various sorts of test-taking assessment skills,  
methodologies, and nursing academic courses and their grades. The success of the nursing licensing examination  
is strongly correlated with nursing academic courses, their grades, and other sorts of test-taking assessment skills  
procedures. Additional studies may yield more recommendations for how nursing programs can design policies  
for academic advancement and other test-taking evaluation methodologies. This evaluation focuses on the  
students' PNLE success criteria and increases already successful PNLE preparatory measures.  
As a part of the program of the nursing curriculum, the impact of English language competency on the academic  
performance of nursing students in professional nursing courses and the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination  
(PNLE) was investigated in a retrospective descriptive correlational study by Oducado et al. (2020). The findings  
revealed a strong relationship between academic achievement, the Verbal Ability subscale, three English courses,  
and PNLE ratings. Nursing schools must make sure that methods for enhancing students' English language  
competence are effective since it play a significant role in determining academic performance and licensing  
success for nursing students.  
Furthermore, the academic performance of students taking Human Anatomy and Physiology II with a hands-on  
laboratory and those taking the same course with an online laboratory was compared in the study of Massey et  
al. (2021). At the start and conclusion of the academic year, the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society  
standardized exam was given as a pre-test/post-test evaluation. The pre-test scores of the students and their total  
course grades in HumanAnatomy and Physiology (part I) did not differ significantly across the groups, according  
to the results. Although students in the online lab group did receive considerably higher course marks for Human  
Anatomy and Physiology (part II), there was no difference in their performance on the lecture tests, lab exams,  
or post-test evaluations. The study's findings indicated that students who took a pre-licensure requirement course  
using an online laboratory had command of fundamental scientific ideas that were on par with or superior to  
those of students who took the same course with a traditional hands-on laboratory. For pre-licensure courses,  
online laboratory experiences may be a suitable, available, and affordable teaching method.  
Results from the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE) are typically used as a benchmark for  
evaluating the quality of undergraduate nursing programs offered by higher education institutions (HEIs) in the  
Philippines. In a study by Bautista et al. (2019), descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used  
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to analyze the relationships between HEI features and PNLE passing rate to describe PNLE trends from 2010 to  
2016. According to the findings, the PNLE passing rate was related to location, size, kind, year of inception, and  
student-faculty ratio. To enhance PNLE performance, HEIs should think about reducing their student-faculty  
ratio, and pertinent government bodies should take action to enhance PNLE performance at the majority of HEIs  
in the Philippines.  
Besides, Pulgarinas (2022) stressed further that a significant measure of the caliber of the nursing program is the  
passing percentage on the national licensing examination for nurses. In this study, the descriptive-correlational  
approach was used to collect data, and weighted mean, standard deviation, inferential statistics (Pearson R), and  
multiple linear regression were used to evaluate the data. The study's sample size included 87 candidates who  
passed the Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination (PNLE) throughout four years (2018–2021). Only the  
subjects CHN and NP1 had a weak association, whereas the bulk of the variables showed a moderate correlation.  
The null hypothesis is rejected since most of the data fell below the alpha value of 0.05, which was used to test  
for a meaningful association.  
The PNLE may make use of students' achievement in nursing school as predictors. This might help nursing  
schools create rules for nursing program acceptance and retention. To improve the performance of nursing  
graduates, the curriculum has to be changed, or a more rigorous review enhancement program needs to be  
implemented, because most board test scores fall into the poor category. This could help the professors and  
reviewers decide which ideas need to be stressed. The results of this study may be used to provide a more  
comprehensive understanding of PNLE performance. To have a better understanding, this study would,  
nevertheless, advise conducting a thorough investigation of the vulnerabilities of the students who failed the  
licensure exams.  
According to Czekanski et al. (2018), first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates had decreased during 4 years from  
85.71% to 64.86%; therefore, a postgraduate coaching intervention was created to help graduates create a  
personalized strategy as they studied for their exam. The tutor and retention coordinator of the program oversaw  
the intervention, which included cognitive behavioral approaches, subject reviews, and test-taking tactics. Two  
years into the intervention's effective implementation, first-time pass rates increased to 87.66% in 2016 and  
94.29% in 2017. Students must start preparing for their NCLEX-RN test early in their nursing degree and must  
continue preparing beyond the program.  
As further described by Vito (2022) in his news article at La Salle News, La Salle University’s Bachelor of  
Science in Nursing (BSN) program achieved a 91.59% first-time pass rate on its national licensure exam for the  
most recent testing cycle, exceeding the Pennsylvania and national averages. Preparation for the NCLEX-RN  
examination is threaded throughout La Salle’s undergraduate nursing program and continues after graduation.  
Students have access to classroom settings that focus on active-learning strategies, as well as clinical experiences  
and simulations designed to help them develop clinical judgment skills. The program is focused on preparing  
students for the complexity of today’s healthcare environment, and students have access to classroom settings  
that focus on active-learning strategies, as well as clinical experiences and simulations designed to help them  
develop clinical judgment skills.  
Still, Al Mekkawi et al. (2020) determine the efficacy of the remedial program by comparing students'  
performance on two thorough Exit Exams administered before and after the program, using a descriptive time-  
series evaluation design. The study found that after the delivery of the interventions from the remediation  
program, students' overall performance increased. In conclusion, using interactive teaching techniques and  
formative evaluations enhances student nurses' academic performance and learning.  
Synthesis of the State-of-the-Art  
The various related literature and studies reviewed provided the researchers with information critical to the  
present study. The correlates, determinants, factors, and recommendations for the performance in the licensure  
examination identified and provided are essential to give an insight into the key points to highlight and weak  
areas to give attention to. The literature and studies mentioned deliver valuable realizations on expounding this  
research topic.  
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Almazan, Kiblasan and Ligligen, Lamasan, and Flowers determined the role of the academic performance of  
nursing graduates as a predictor of performance in the PNLE. In this study, the researchers ought to know if the  
scholastic standing of the graduates in Anatomy and Physiology, English, NCM theory, and RLE can be  
determinants of the performance in the PNLE.  
Meanwhile, the studies of Oducado et al, McKelvey et al., Madridano, and Mathur discussed the importance of  
the outcomes of the Nursing Licensure examination in the quality of nursing education and student achievement.  
Collaboration between the educators and examinees is stressed to yield better performance on the boards. In this  
study, the researchers, as instructors as well in the College of Healthcare Education, acknowledge the important  
role of an instructor to produce better graduates, who are board-exam-ready. And that the success of our graduates  
in the licensure exam is a success of the College of Healthcare Education of USANT.  
The World Health Organization, Feliciano, and the Philippine Nurses Association also discussed the qualities of  
competent, professional nurses as well as their significance as a workforce in the healthcare sector. The  
importance of knowledge, skills, and attitude in becoming a successful professional nurse has been stressed. A  
license exam has been advocated for to guarantee that beginning nurses are competent and of high caliber,  
creating a secure environment within the healthcare delivery system. In the same manner that this study suggests,  
a student nurse has to be prepared and self-assured when taking the boards and, more significantly, entry-level  
nurses use what they have learned and have been taught during their academic careers and clinical experiences.  
Research Gap  
In the above reviews of related literature and studies, it was found that in various published and unpublished  
articles examined locally or internationally, a great deal has been done about predicting nursing license  
performance. Studies related to NCLEX, PNLE, SNLE, and LET have been mentioned in some of the relevant  
literature. Indeed, a study by Jove 2010 on the performance of nursing graduates for licensing tests has been  
carried out within the framework of the USANT HCED. In addition, the researchers would like to acknowledge  
the relevant literature and studies for highlighting the similarities and differences. However, no research has been  
done to examine the academic performance of USANT BSN graduates in the nursing program's outcome-based  
education under the CMO No. 15 series of 2017 or their performance in the PNLE among first-timers and  
repeaters, considering both testing periods before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will attempt  
to fill the gaps identified between and among the studies reviewed.  
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY  
Research Design  
The present study utilized the descriptive-correlational research method employing documentary analysis. It  
involves describing, recording, and interpreting the data, and establishing relationships among variables.  
Analysis of the pertinent document's content was used to determine the information needed, its validity, and  
authenticity contained therein upon identification of the subjects and variables vital to the study.  
According to Kemp et al. (2018), the descriptive method is the cornerstone of sensory analysis through producing  
objective, statistically reliable, and analyzable data. It is a research design used to explore different phenomena  
and situations. It is unique because there is no manipulation of the variable: surveys, observation, and case studies  
measure the findings.  
The researcher examined the performance in the 2018-2021 Nursing licensure exam of the USANT graduates,  
specifically among a) First-timers, b) Repeaters, and the c) Schools’ Overall academic performance. Since there  
are categories defined by which the subjects are studied, the present study is considered descriptive research.  
Moreover, the correlational research method is also used. It aims to find unknown or suspected relationships  
between variables; A powerful form of study, as it paints a clearer picture of an issue or phenomenon discovered  
in exploratory or descriptive analysis. Correlated were the performance of the examinees in the PNLE from  
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2018-2021 and the following variables: 1) Grades in Anatomy and Physiology subject, 2) Grades in English, 3)  
Grades in NCM theory courses, and Grades in RLE.  
The facts and current circumstances concerning the characteristics of the subjects were organized, classified,  
measured, and analyzed. Finally, the data were presented in tabular form, graphs, and figures to provide a more  
precise presentation of the data gathered.  
Setting of the Study  
The research setting took place in the University of Saint Anthony College of Healthcare Education, which is  
present under the supervision and leadership of Dean Ronald C. Abaño, RN. MAN. PhD©  
To address the health needs of the Bicol region, specifically the Rinconada district, the late Dr. Santiago G.  
Ortega Sr., Dr. Andres C. Gonzales, the forefather of the University of Saint Anthony Academy, and other notable  
educators and benefactors established USANT College of Nursing in Iriga City in 1966. In its three years, the  
College of Nursing has offered the General Program in Nursing (GN) until its transition to BSN after it was then  
granted government recognition and the permit to operate a baccalaureate program in 1974. The Santiago G.  
Ortega (SGO) Memorial's right wing, on the third level, houses CHCE. As of today, with 2 academic program  
offerings in NCII Caregiving and Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the academic institution has gone above and  
beyond the vision of its creator, in constructing steps toward the hopes and goals of the Filipino youth.4  
Additionally, the researcher decided to undertake a study at the USANT CHCE to look into the predictors of the  
performance of the test takers in the Nursing Licensure Examination from 2018 to 2021.  
Subjects of the Study  
The 109 University of Saint Anthony Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates who took the Nursing Licensure  
Examination between 2018 and 2021 served as the study's subjects. The University Registrar, Office of the Dean  
of the College of Healthcare Education, provided the official results of the school's performance, and the list of  
PNLE examinees from the Philippine Regulations Commission provided the data used to determine the total  
number of respondents, as shown in Table I.  
Table I. Subjects of the Study  
In the recently concluded November 2021 PNLE, there were 28 examinees, 9 of whom were first-timers, and 19  
were repeaters. For the July 2021 PNLE, the examinees were 5, and all of them were repeaters. The 2020 PNLE  
was postponed by the PRC due to the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure the safety of the  
examinees and its employees. In November 2019, USANT had 10 examinees; 1 was a first-timer, while 9 were  
repeaters. In July 2019, USANT fielded 17 examinees, 8 were first-timers, and 9 were repeaters. Further, there  
were 18 examinations for the November 2018 exam, where 5 were first-timers, and 13 were repeaters. And lastly,  
for the July 2018 examination, a total of 31 examinees took the examination, with 11 being first-timers and 20  
repeaters. To sum it up, there were 109 examinees from USANT for the PNLE from 2018 to 2021.  
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Data Gathering Tools  
The primary tools employed to gather the data of the subjects essential in this study are documentary analysis,  
unstructured interviews, and official web-based sources searches. Data were collected from the office of the  
University Registrar, the Dean's office of the College of Healthcare Education, and the regional office of the  
Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) in Rawis, Legazpi City, sent from the PRC main office in Manila  
as requested by the researcher.  
Documentary Analysis. Document analysis is a form of qualitative research that uses a systematic procedure to  
analyze documentary evidence and answer specific research questions. It can be conducted as a stand-alone  
study or as a component of a larger qualitative or mixed methods study, where it is often used to triangulate  
findings gathered from another data source. When used in triangulation, documents can corroborate or refute,  
elucidate, or expand on findings across other data sources, which helps to guard against bias.  
The researcher analyzed the data of BSN graduates-examinees of the Nursing Boards through the records and  
documents secured from the University Registrar's files of the academic grades of the examinees in Anatomy  
and Physiology, English, Nursing Care Management courses Theory, and Related Learning Experience, the  
CHCE’s pertinent documentation relatively essential to the present study, and the PRC accounts of the PNLE  
test-takers of the University of Saint Anthony and its overall school performance on the particular examination  
periods of 2018 to 2021. The official records of the PRC of the examinees on the respective testing years were  
taken at the regional office, as facilitated by the Archives and Records Division of the PRC main office.  
Documents used in obtaining answers to the other problems of the study are copies of CHED Memorandum  
Order No. 15 s. 2017 BSN curriculum; records of BSN curricula graduates; and PNLE results of the nursing  
graduates in June and November 2018, June and November 2019, and July and November 2021. The academic  
performances were evaluated according to the grades of the test-takers in the core courses of English, a major  
course of Anatomy and Physiology, and professional nursing courses in Nursing Care and Management (NCM)  
theory and Related Learning Experience. The aggregated grades in the different professional nursing subjects  
were computed, and the average weighted mean of the grades was utilized. Grading scales were from 75-77,  
which is equivalent to 3.00, and 98-100, which is equivalent to 1.00.  
The collected data were sorted and recorded by batch or period of examination, carefully analyzing the  
examinees who were first-time test takers and repeaters, scholastic records, and the performance and passing  
percentage of the University of Saint Anthony per PNLE period. The data gathered from the school records were  
scrutinized to validate and ensure authenticity and reliability, primarily on the inputs about the examination  
results and ratings. In this manner, analysis of the collected data on the examinee’s academic performance, as  
shown on the grades achieved in the different subjects and the PRC PNLE results trend investigation through  
graphs and tabular presentations, provided a clear vision of the outcomes of the board exams. To preserve the  
study's truthfulness and unbiased nature, the breakdown of documents from legitimate sources was employed.  
Informal Interview. During the data-gathering process, an informal interview was conducted with the university  
registrar and the department head of the College of Healthcare Education. The Dean of CHCE has provided  
inputs about the departments’ record of their performance on the board exam, though it was not as precise as  
what was required in this study, which the PRC has specifically outlined in their provided data. The staff in  
charge in the Registrar’s office has been very accommodating in providing the researcher with the school records  
of the examinees-graduates for the testing period of 2018-2021. Some of the examinees were also interviewed  
about their test preparation and test-taking strategies and their journey to becoming registered nurses.  
Internet-Based Data Collection. This method was generated by the researcher based on web searches of the  
PRC published results on the USANT PNLE from 2018 to 2021, email correspondence with the PRC regarding  
requests for the official USANT PNLE records, and additional related searches on various published journals,  
research, books, news, and feature articles during the review of related literature and studies.  
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION  
In this section of the study, tables, and graphs were utilized by the researcher to demonstrate the data gathered  
through personal examination of relevant documents in the University of Saint Anthony Registrar’s office of the  
vital information regarding the focal subjects, of Anatomy and Physiology, English, Nursing Care Management  
(NCM) courses Theory, and Related Learning Experience (RLE) grades. In addition, the information gleaned  
from the documents requested by the researcher and made available by the Professional Regulatory Commission  
Archives sheds light on the performance of those who took the nursing board exam between 2018 and 2021.  
The researcher chose the complete list of examinees for the specified testing periods as the subjects of the study,  
with their records serving as the primary source of data to guarantee a valid and accurate result. Fortunately, all  
of the examinees' academic records were still intact and filed at the Registrar's office, supporting the subjects'  
PNLE performance results from the PRC.  
Usant Pnle Performance  
Hereunder is a detailed narrative discussion of the performance of the examinees for the 2018 to 2021 Nursing  
Board examination as investigated in this research.  
Performance of USANT Graduates from 2018 to 2021 Based on PRC Records  
First-time Examinees. The Commission on Higher Education, as well as PACUCOA, makes use of the results  
of first-time test takers' licensure performance in ascertaining the performance of schools in board examinations.  
Table II shows the PNLE results of the USANT BSN graduates among its first-time takers from June 2018 to  
November 2021. With a total of 34 examinees, their performance in each testing period is discussed below:  
In June 2018, there were 11 first-time test takers. Nine of them passed with a score of 81.82 percent, while two  
of them failed with a score of 18.18 percent. In addition, of the six available testing periods, this one attracted  
the most examinees, given that among the school years utilized for investigation, 2018 has the greatest number  
of graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  
Table II. First-time Examinees  
In June 2018, there were 11 first-time test takers. Nine of them passed with a score of 81.82 percent, while two  
of them failed with a score of 18.18 percent. In addition, of the six available testing periods, this one attracted  
the most examinees, given that among the school years utilized for investigation, 2018 has the greatest number  
of graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing  
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In November 2018, five people took the PNLE for the first time. Two of them aced the test, gathering 40% while  
three bombed the test with a level of 60%. It should also be noted that, out of the six testing periods, November's  
PNLE had a higher percentage of flankers than passers.  
Eight candidates took on the June 2019 PNLE. As displayed in the information, a striking 7 examinees  
effectively aced the test with a level of 87.5%, and just a single examinee failed, earning a level of 12.5%.  
The November 2019 PNLE recorded just 1 examinee among the first-time takers and effectively carried out the  
assessment, which provides its performance with a passing level of 100 percent. Among the 9 graduates of the  
Bachelor of Science in Nursing on the year 2019, this examinee did not go along with the large group of  
examinees who took the June 2019 PNLE. This implies that the examinee's decision to take the boards earlier  
was influenced by several factors, or that it was his choice to take the November 2019 exam to better prepare  
for the exam.  
In July 2021, there was no record of examinees of first-timers. This testing period is also the culmination of the  
licensure exam after its deferment because of the limitations forced on the invasion of the Coronavirus pandemic.  
It can likewise be noticed that the test was done in July, which is usually done in the month of June. Due to the  
lower number of test takers and the adjustments made by the Professional Regulation Commission when  
conducting professional licensure exams, the restrictions and fear of the COVID-19 pandemic may have had a  
significant impact on test takers' readiness and confidence for the July 2021 board exam.  
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ziber's (2022) study looked at the uncertainty, anxiety, and self-  
efficacy of nursing graduates who were faced with an indefinite postponement of their mandatory licensing test.  
Individual quantitative and qualitative findings were combined and cross-referenced for each participant. The  
results show that there is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, and there is little confidence in one's ability to pass the  
licensing exam. Moreover, the outcomes show a positive relationship between vulnerability and tension.  
There were nine first-time exam takers for the November 2021 nursing board exam, with a passing rate of 100%.  
This testing period additionally created 4 board topnotchers possessing the eighteenth spot, 2 topnotchers in the  
nineteenth spot, and another topnotcher in the 27th spot. This could indicate that the examinees made use of the  
longer period for comprehensive preparation and review. Further, some examinees were already employed in  
various healthcare settings. In addition, the preceding data indicate that first-time PNLE participants have  
performed well. Successively, among the five testing time frames where there are first-time takers, 4 got a  
passing rate of over half. This further suggests that you have a better chance of succeeding in the exam if you  
take it as soon as possible. In an article by Will (2021), 3 first-time passing rates are a reasonable indicator of  
the quality of preparation examinees are getting and the quality of education the programs the university provides  
its students with.  
As a supplement to the foregoing table, this study presents a color-coded series of bar charts that aim to present  
the data on the performance of the examinees on a given testing period graphically, together with the  
corresponding figures. The figure is divided into categories of passers and those who failed the PNLE. The Green  
bar represents the percentage of passers, which also signifies the color of the USANT College of Healthcare  
Education, while the maroon bar represents the percentage of those who failed the exam.  
Fig. 3 presents the USANT PNLE Performance of First-Time Test Takers in the 3-year testing periods. The  
diagram outwardly portrays that for the most part, the 1st-time examinees performed well during the separate  
assessments by a passing level of generally at least 80% except for the November 2018 test where they got an  
elapsing level of 40% as shown in four testing periods of June 2018 and 2019, and November 2019 and 2021  
where a noteworthy performance among 1st-time takers was recorded also with a 100% passing rate.  
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Figure 1. USANT PNLE Performance of First-Time Test Takers  
Repeaters. Table III displays the performance of the USANT BSN graduates as Repeaters in the Nursing Board  
Test from June 2018 to November 2021. From the given testing time frame, there were 75 re-takers of the PNLE.  
During the analysis of the data gathered, the researcher noticed that some of the examinees took 3 to 4x before  
passing the board exam. The PNLE of June 2018 got the highest record for the number of repeaters from the  
testing time frame being examined. According to the data, out of the 20 retakers, 15 failed the exam, representing  
a 75% failure rate, while 5 passed with a 25% success rate. Among the 13 repeaters of the board exam for the  
testing period of November 2018, only 2 examinees aced the exam with a passing percentage of 15.38% while  
11 failed the test, garnering a percentage of 84.62%.  
Table III. USANT PNLE Performance of Repeaters  
The June 2019 PNLE recorded 9 examinees who were repeaters. Out of the total number of examinees, 2  
outstandingly performed on the board test with a passing percentage of 22.22 percent, while the remaining 7  
examinees received a failing score of 77.78 percent.  
It can be inferred from a thorough analysis of the data in the table above for the first four testing periods—June  
and November 2018, June and November 2019, which were pre-pandemic—that the repeaters performed poorly  
on the board exam, with their passing rate not even accounting for half of the total number of repeaters for each  
testing period. This back-to-back derivation of the information has been very disturbing and needs further  
examination of the variables that influence their performance in the PNLE.  
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The retaker’s psychological responses in taking the exam were in the form of low self-esteem, the emergence of  
a stressful response to feeling helpless, and not being confident because of repeated tests. The level of anxiety  
experienced by each individual when facing a test was different. The anxiety of the exam will affect the  
performance of participants (Sari & Putri, 2019).  
After the postponement of the professional licensure assessments because of the impact of the COVID-19  
pandemic, the July 2021 PNLE marks the return of the PNLE after just about 2 years of deferment. This testing  
period had a total of 5 examinees from the repeaters in particular. The consequence of the people who effectively  
breezed through the test dwarfed the individuals who failed; there were 3 successful passers with a passing level  
of 60%, while the remaining 2 failed the test with a failure rate of 40%.  
November 2021 PNLE ranks 2nd with the highest number of repeaters of the exam among the six testing periods.  
Out of the 19 people who took the test, 8 passed with a score of 42.11 percent, while 11 failed with a score of  
57.89 percent.  
After being postponed due to pandemic restrictions, the professional licensure exam was reinstated at the PNLE  
in July and November 2021. According to the aforementioned data, among the time frames of examinations  
studied, these were the periods where the repeaters performed better than in the previous testing periods pre-  
pandemic. It very well may be additionally suggested that even with the vulnerability of the health crisis, there  
were still an enormous number of repeaters who passed the boards. Moreover, the high number of passers of  
repeaters despite the scare of the COVID-19 situation may have given the examinees the time to study more and  
review in a blended setting since socialization has been retrained.  
Repeaters' test score improvement over attempts might be due to different reasons. One possible explanation is  
that repeat candidates truly improve on the construct being measured after their first attempt. Examinees might  
recognize their deficient content topics due to difficulty responding to certain items, which promotes further  
study with a more clearly focused target. Repeaters might experience less anxiety on the second attempt, which  
could help them gain a better score. In addition, an improvement in general test-taking skills or an increase in  
familiarity with computer-based testing environments could contribute to obtaining a higher score (Zhou & Cao,  
2020).  
The USANT PNLE performance of repeaters over the three-year testing periods is depicted in Figure 2.  
According to the diagram, the examinees' performance on the majority of board exams in the given testing years  
has been troubling. The percentage of people who failed the licensure exam was dominated by the maroon bar,  
which represents the data; this is supported by failure rates ranging from a minimum of 40% to a maximum of  
89%. The green bars, which show the passing percentage of successful examinees, showed a lower score, with  
a minimum passing percentage of 11% and a maximum of 60%, respectively.  
Figure 2. USANT PNLE Performance of Repeaters  
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Overall Performance. Table IV addresses the General presentation of the USANT BSN graduates in the  
Philippine Nursing Licensure  
Table IV. USANT PNLE Overall Performance of Examinees  
Assessment from the testing years of 2018 to 2021. There was a total of 109 examinees evaluated, all of whom  
were First Timers or Repeaters. When compared to the other testing periods, the June 2018 PNLE received the  
most examinees out of the 31 total. Regarding the presentation of USANT BSN graduates, 17 failed the test with  
a failure rate of 54.82% which dwarfed the 14 test takers who aced the test with a passing level of 45.16%. The  
data in Tables 2 and 3 also back this up, indicating that the majority of test-takers who failed the exam are  
repeaters. In addition, the number of repeaters who will take the exam and their exam results may have a  
significant impact on the examinees' performance in the PNLE. The Nursing Licensure Exam in November 2018  
had 14 test takers. 4 breezed through the test with a triumphant pace of 22.22% while 14 failed the assessment  
with a disappointment level of 77.78%. It can be deduced that a large number of flunkers overpowered the  
passers for this period, in which most of the examinees are repeaters.  
In June 2019, PNLE showcased a triumphant overall performance among its examinees. With a total number of  
17 test takers, 9 passed the exam with a score of 52.94 percent, while 8 failed the exam with a score of 47.06  
percent. It is important to note that most of the passers came from the population of first-timers in the exam  
rather than the repeaters. November 2019 PNLE received the lowest score out of the three testing years on its  
overall performance in the exam, with a 20% from its two successful examinees out of a total of ten; eight of  
them failed the test, with 80%. As upheld by Table 4, a large portion of the individuals who failed the test came  
from repeaters.  
The first pandemic examination, the July 2021 PNLE, had the fewest examinees out of all the testing periods  
investigated. Three of its five repeat examinees passed with a passing percentage of 60%, while two failed with  
a failing percentage of 40%. This could imply that the repeaters waited a long time, giving them the confidence  
to take the exam despite a health emergency.  
Second, in rank with the greatest number of examinees, the November 2021 PNLE had a complete number of  
28 USANT BSN graduates who took the test. 17 students passed the exam with a score of 60.71 percent, while  
11 students failed it with a score of 39.29 percent. The result of the overall performance of the examinees during  
this period has been exceptional. The novices swept the test with 9 of them passing, while among the repeaters,  
8 prevailed as well. Additionally, this PNLE period produced four board placers. It could imply that the test  
takers' extensive preparation for the exam has paid off.  
The USANT BSN graduates' overall performance from 2018 to 2021 was satisfactory in the PNLE periods of  
June 2018, June 2019, and November 2021, but unsatisfactory in the board examination periods of November  
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2018, November 2019, and July 2021. First-time takers achieved 81.82%, 40%, 87.5%, 100%, and 100%,  
respectively, above the national passing percentage of 43.82%, 39.99%, 52.20%, 55.20%, and 51.46%. Repeaters  
achieved 25%, 15.38%, 22.22%, 11.11%, 60%, and 42.11%, below the national passing percentages of 43.82%,  
39.99%, 52.20%, 55.20%, 64.65%, and 51.46%, respectively. The overall performance of 45.16% was slightly  
above the national passing percentage of 43.82% from June 2018, 22.22% below the national passing percentage  
of 39.99% from November 2018, 52.94% slightly higher than June 2019 national passing percentage of 52.20%,  
20% which is below the national passing percentage of November 2019 of 55.0%, 60% below the national  
passing percentage of 64.65% from July 2021, and 60.71% above the national passing percentage of 51.46%  
from November 2021.  
To assess the five-year trend in the Philippine Nurses Examination (PNLE) and its association with examinee  
type and test date, Montegrico (2019)6 carried out a retrospective analysis. The study discovered that First-time  
test takers had 7.01 times the likelihood of passing the PNLE compared to repeat test takers, and November had  
1.32 times the likelihood. By creating solutions for first-time examinees who are at risk of failing the PNLE and  
programs for repeat examinees, the findings may be used to enhance nursing programs.  
The overall performance of USANT BSN graduates who took the Nursing Licensure Examination from 2018 to  
2021 is depicted in Figure 3.  
Figure 3. USANT PNLE Overall Performance from 2018 to 2021  
Genuinely, among the 6 assessment time frames, the November 2021 PNLE got the most noteworthy passing  
rate compared with the rest, while the lowest passing score of 20% was represented during the November 2019  
PNLE. From November 2021 PNLE, the lowest failure score was 39%, and the highest failure rate of 80%  
among those who failed the exam in 2019. Taking everything into account, the information on the November  
2019 PNLE gave the highest failure rate and the lowest passing rate separately. Besides, among the 6 testing  
periods, the after-effect of the general presentation is no different for the first-timers and repeaters where there  
are 3 trying periods explicitly June 2019, July 20221, and November 2021 in which the passing rate offsets the  
failure rate while there were additionally 3 testing periods specifically June 2018, November 2018, and  
November 2019 where the failure rate overwhelms the passing scores. In addition, these data may suggest that  
the length of the exam, its proximity to the year of graduation, or the student's completion of school is related to  
a higher chance of passing the nursing boards, while failure rates can be attributed to the student choosing to  
take the exam during the second testing period of the year.  
Overall Academic Performance of the PNLE Test-Takers From 2018-2021  
Academic success in nursing programs requires learning new theoretical concepts and gaining useful clinical  
skills. Given that they must deliver high-quality care to patients, families, and the community, nursing students'  
success is extremely crucial. The succeeding discussions demonstrate the academic performance of the PNLE  
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test-takers from 2018 to 2021 during their undergraduate courses along the following variables: Anatomy and  
Physiology, English Subjects, Nursing Care Management courses THEORY, and Related Learning Experience  
(RLE) Grades, as displayed in Table V. The Grades of the subjects tabulated and analyzed were taken from the  
archives of the University Registrar.  
Anatomy and Physiology. Anatomy and Physiology belong to one of the major courses being offered in the  
Nursing curriculum, which studies the internal mechanisms of the human body and concentrates on anatomical  
and medical terminology. According to the presented data in the table, the highest grade obtained in Anatomy  
and Physiology was 3.00, which is equivalent to a grade of 75–76, with a percentage of 34.86%. This was  
followed by 18.35% of 20 students who received a 2.5 grade, which is equivalent to a grade of 80–82%, the least  
percentage of 15.6% from 17 students who received grades of 2.75 (77–79%), and 2.25 (80–82%). This implies  
that the majority of the students belong to the passing range of grades, and only a several students belonged to  
those who excel in the course. Moreover, it may indicate that for nursing students’ anatomy and physiology are  
not simple subjects; one must work hard to learn their concepts.  
Table V. Overall Academic Performance of the PNLE Test-Takers From 2018-2021  
Legend: Grade Equivalent= 1.00 -98-100%, 1.25 -95-97%, 1.5 -92-94%, 1.75 -89-91%, 2.00 -86-88%, 2.25 -  
83-85%, 2.50 - 80-82%, 2.75 – 77-79%, 3.00-75-76%  
In modern higher education institutions, withdrawal and failure rates in foundational science courses, such as  
anatomy and physiology, are high. Success in anatomy and physiology can be influenced by a variety of  
variables, including age, emotional intelligence, teaching style, financial situation, and support systems.  
Performance in first-year anatomy and physiology courses is significantly influenced by the transition from high  
school to university. Successful students adopt and have strong emotional intelligence, introversion, adaptability,  
and stress management skills. The use of active learning pedagogies is another essential component of  
undergraduate A&P student success. Instead of cutting down on class time and overburdening the curriculum,  
institutions should concentrate on improving undergraduate A&P courses (Vitali et al., 2020).  
English Courses. The goal of English studies is to equip students with writing and grammatical abilities.  
According to the chart above, the 43 students with 2.5 (80–82%) and a percentage of 39.45% received the most  
grades. 33.03% of the 36 students are in the 2.75 grade, which is equivalent to 77-79%, followed by 13.76% of  
the 15 students in the 2.25 grade, which is equivalent to 83-85%, 10.09% of the 11 students in the 2.00 grade,  
which is equivalent to 86-88%, and last in rank is 1.83% of the students in the 3.00 grade, which is equivalent  
to 75-76%, and 1.75, which is equivalent to 89-91%. This suggests that the majority of the students are in the  
80th percentile and do well in their English classes.  
The study of Alharbi & Yakout (2018) examined the academic achievement and English language ability of  
students who speak English as a second language and nursing bachelor's degree candidates. A correlational  
approach was adopted, and questionnaires on sociodemographic traits, factors affecting language competency,  
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open-ended questions, and the English Language Acculturation Scale (ELAS) were completed by 136  
individuals. According to the findings, 43% of participants had trouble comprehending the second language in  
clinical settings, 68% had trouble learning it, and 47% felt ashamed while speaking in English. Academic  
achievement was influenced by internal motivation, the difficulty of the material, and entry GPA. The English  
language skills of pupils should be improved and tracked by faculty administrators during a student's enrollment.  
In addition, the study of Oducado et al., (2020) looked at how well students could communicate in English  
academically and on the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE). In a Philippine university, a  
retrospective descriptive correlational study involving 141 nursing students was carried out. The results revealed  
a strong relationship between academic achievement, the Verbal Ability subscale of the Nursing Aptitude Test,  
and the curriculum's English courses. Significant connections between the PNLE evaluations and verbal ability  
were also seen. The ability to communicate in English is essential for nursing students to succeed academically  
and in obtaining their licenses; thus, universities should incorporate measures to improve their English skills into  
their undergraduate nursing programs.  
Nursing Care Management (NCM) Theory. NCM consists of 21 courses that make up the professional courses  
of the BSN program and are available to students at all levels, from NCM 100 for level 1 students through NCM  
121 for those in their fourth year. This course focuses on nursing fundamentals, health assessment, care for  
healthy, vulnerable, and ill clients, nursing research, leadership, and disaster management. It incorporates ideas  
that are excellent for achieving the level of outcomes anticipated by BSN students.  
In the table above, the academic standing of BSN graduates who took the PNLE in NCM theory between 2018  
and 2021 is summarized. A frequency of 56 and a percentage of 51.38% indicate that the majority of students  
received a 2.50 grade (80–82%). With a percentage of 27.52%, a grade of 2.75 (77-79%) from the 30 students  
comes in second, followed by 12.84% among the 14 students with a grade of 2.25 (83-85%), 12.84% among the  
14 students, and 7.34% among the 8 students with a grade of 2.00 (86-88%). One student received a grade of 3.0  
(75-76%), or 0.92%, for their performance. This implies that most of the students performed fairly well in their  
NCM theory, with grades falling from 75-82%. With a variety of NCM courses to study, there is a need to identify  
more as to which of those courses the students thrive in better in their academic standing.  
Related Learning Experience (RLE). The student nurses get the chance to put what they have learned in the  
classroom into practice through related learning experiences. RLEs, a simulation course, are teaching-learning  
opportunities intended to help students build the skills they need to use procedures in a range of health contexts,  
consisting of practice in the skills laboratory, community, and clinical settings.  
Table 10 provides a summary of the RLE performance of BSN graduates during their nursing education. The  
grades vary from 2.75 to 2.00, as seen. The grade of 2.50 (80-82%) from 58 students comes in first place with a  
percentage of 53.21%, followed by 2.25 (83-85%) from 36 students with a percentage of 33.03%, a grade of  
2.00 (86-88%) from 8 students with a percentage of 7.34%, and a grade of 2.75 (77-79%) from the 7 students  
with a percentage of 6.42%.  
Moreover, to summarize the data collected among the grades on the following variables: Anatomy & Physiology,  
English, NCM Theory, and RLE; the researcher came up with a conclusion that with a given grade range from  
75-95%, the highest mean score is 82.24% from the RLE grades of the graduates, followed by a mean of 81.01%  
from English, and 80.65% from NCM theory courses, respectively. The lowest mean score was 79.55% in the  
Anatomy and Physiology course.  
The statistics shown in the tables above provided significant support for the conclusion that among the four  
variables, the BSN graduates did well in their RLE, and poorly in Anatomy and Physiology. An advantage of a  
strong RLE performance is using theoretical knowledge, having first-hand experience with nursing techniques,  
and using critical thinking in healthcare settings. Having a good foundation in theoretical knowledge enables  
students to apply all the learning in healthcare settings and clinical simulations. This could also imply that  
Anatomy and Physiology, as a science course being introduced at the First-Year level of the Nursing program,  
has a significant impact on the students' foundational knowledge in understanding the fundamentals of nursing  
care, disease processes, and the like.  
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Anatomy is widely regarded as the basic science of medicine, but it has also been considered to be a difficult  
and demanding subject in medical education. To develop a solid foundation for future clinical encounters and  
professional practice, medical students must acquire core anatomical knowledge. In the past, anatomy had been  
viewed as a boring and difficult subject that was taught by surface learning principles and rote memorization  
(Singh et al., 2019)  
As a result, a comprehensive teaching-learning approach must be used to help the students perform better. In  
addition, given the statistics on Anatomy and Physiology to enhance student performance on the subjects and  
overall results in the PNLE.  
Academic achievement in theoretical classroom instruction has a good impact on the clinical or practical portion  
of nursing education, according to a 2019 study by Oducado et al. (2019). The results of this investigation  
contribute to elucidating the widely accepted definition of theory-changing behavior. Theoretical and RLE  
components both still play a crucial role in the bachelor's nursing program in the general academic performance;  
it is essential to improve instruction in English, NCM theory, and RLE.  
RLE gives students the chance to put their classroom information into practice, helping them to discover  
relationships, understand context, foresee issues, and interpret situations. Competency-based nursing, which  
requires students to have a solid theoretical understanding of medical and nursing concepts as well as patient  
care before being sent to practical settings, supports this strategy.  
Significant Correlation between the Overall performance of the examinees on the PNLE and Academic  
Grades  
Academic performance is the representation of the overall scholastic standing of students used for evaluation. It  
is considered an important parameter in the promotion of students to the next level.  
The significant relationship between the overall performance of the examinees in the Nursing Licensure  
Examination against the Academic Grades in Anatomy and Physiology, English, and Nursing Care Management  
(NCM) Theory Courses, and RLE grades is shown in Table VI. The hypothesis was considered using the Pearson  
r test at a 0.05 Level of Significance. Detailed justifications and in-depth analyses are given for each association  
to help readers better understand the impact of the four academic performance indicators on the total PNLE  
performance of BSN graduates-examinees from 2018 to 2021.  
Grades in Anatomy and Physiology. The data are shown in Table VI for the significant relationship between  
the overall performance of the examinees against the Grades in Anatomy, and the decision that the academic  
grades of the examinees on Anatomy and Physiology are an indicator of their performance on the testing periods  
referenced previously.performance on the testing periods referenced previously.  
The elements necessary for effective performance on knowledge-based PNLEs are consistent with accepted  
notions from the cognitive sciences. As evidenced by their earlier academic achievement, learners build on pre-  
existing knowledge foundations and are likely to learn more quickly with testing and spaced learning over time.  
For clinical practice and effective PNLE performance, one must cultivate routine and ongoing learning habits  
(Jeyaraju, 2023).  
It has been discovered that the BSN graduates' Anatomy and Physiology grades were not significantly correlated  
to PNLE performance in the testing time frames of November 2018 with a computed value of r of 0.27 is lower  
than its tabular value of 0.46 at df of 16, November 2019 with a computed value of r at 0.16 is lower than its  
tabular value of 0.63 with df of 7, and July 2021 with a computed value of r at 0.75 which is lower than its  
tabular value of 0.88 at df of 3.  
To give a better insight into the correlation of the academic grades on the PNLE performance of June 2018  
examinees, an analysis of the PRC records would be beneficial. In the table, it shows that the grades in Anatomy  
and Physiology were significant on the following testing periods: June 2018 PNLE, the first-time test takers, 9  
passers out of 11 got an 81.82% passing percentage while on the case of the highest recorded number of repeaters  
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among the 3 years testing period, the 20 repeaters, and 5 passed while 15 failed the exam garnering 25% failure  
rate.  
Table VI. Significant Correlation of the Overall Performance of the Examinees of PNLE to Academic Grades.  
Next is June 2019 PNLE, with an 87.5% passing rate among 8 1st-timers, 7 of them passed the boards while 17  
repeaters with a failing rate of 22.22%, 2 passed the exam, while 7 flunked it. Lastly, Anatomy and Physiology  
grades have been significant in the November 2021 PNLE, with a 100% passing score among the 9 1st-time  
examinees and a 42.11% score among the repeaters where 8 were successful takers while 11 failed.  
This suggests that a student’s performance in the PNLE cannot be predicted by their cumulative grades in the  
subject and it can be inferred that the test questions on the PNLE examinations on June 2018, June 2019, and  
November 2021 where Anatomy and Physiology grades have been significant may contain concepts on the body,  
its parts, and how it functions thus proficiency and knowledge on the subject matter is critical. Subsequently, the  
test questions comprised in November 2018, November 2019, and July 2021, may not include many concepts  
on the Anatomy and Physiology subjects.  
Grades in English Subjects. As introduced in Table 5, it has been figured out that the Grades in the English  
subjects have been huge in two testing periods: June 2019 with a computed value of r at 0.79 is higher than its  
tabular value of 0.48 with a df of 15 and November 2021 with a computed value of r at 0.57 which is also higher  
than its tabular value of 0.38 at df of 26, even though it did not have a significant impact on the remaining testing  
periods for June 2018 with a computed value of 0.25 that is lower than its tabular value of 0.35 at df of 29 and  
November 2018 with a computed r value of 0.28 which is less than its tabular value of 0.47 at df of 16, November  
2019 with a computed value of r of 0.32 which is lower than its tabular value of 0.63 with a df of 8, and July  
2021 with a computed value of r of 0.64 which is also lesser than its tabular value of 0.88 with a df of 3  
respectively.  
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To finally conclude the analysis, the grades in English were significant only in two testing periods June 2019  
and November 2021. June 2019 PNLE got an 87.5% passing rate among 8 1st-timers, 7 of them passed the  
boards while 17 repeaters with a failing rate of 22.22%, 2 passed the exam and 7 flunked it. November 2021  
PNLE had a 100% passing score among the 9 1st-time examinees and a 42.11% score among the repeaters; 8  
were successful takers while 11 failed.  
This infers that a significant factor in answering the test questions for the June 2019 and November 2021 PNLE  
is the BSN graduates' English subject knowledge, written and verbal communication, and language skills. Even  
though the questions on the Nursing Licensure Assessment in June and November 2018, November 2019, and  
July 2021 did not focus on the student's English language proficiency, Likewise, quantifying all the information  
gave respect to the subject's relationship to the performance of the BSN graduates in the board test, how the  
student performed in the English subjects won't be a marker if he can breeze through or bomb the test.  
Grades in Nursing Care Management (NCM) Theory courses. According to the preceding data, grades in  
NCM Theory courses have been a significant statistical predictor of their performance on the nursing board  
exam, particularly during the PNLE testing periods of June 2018 with a computed value of r 0.55 which is higher  
than its tabular value of 0.35 at df of 29, June 2019 with a computed value of r of 0.86 which is also higher than  
its tabular value 0f 0.48 at df of 15, and November 2021 with a computed value of 0.68 which is greater than its  
tabular value of 0.38 at df of 26. However, it has been discovered that grades in the NCM theory courses do not  
correlate with the following examination times of November 2018 with a computed value of r of 0.32 which is  
lesser than its tabular value of 0.47 with a df of 16, November 2019 with a computed value of r of 0.43 which is  
also lesser than its tabular value of 0.63 with a df of 8, and July 2021 with a computed value of r of 0.85 which  
is 0.03 lesser than its tabular value of 0.88 with a df of 3.  
The BSN graduate’s grades in NCM are significant on their PNLE performance in the following testing times:  
June 2018, the first-time test takers, 9 passers out of 11 got an 81.82% passing percentage while in the case of  
the highest recorded number of repeaters among the 3 years testing period, the 20 repeaters, and 5 passed while  
15 failed the exam garnering 25% failure rate. Next is June 2019 PNLE, with an 87.5% passing rate among 8  
1st-timers, 7 of them passed the boards, while 17 repeaters with a failing rate of 22.22%, 2 passed the exam,  
while 7 flunked it. Lastly, Anatomy and Physiology grades have been significant in the November 2021 PNLE,  
with a 100% passing score among the 9 1st-time examinees and a 42.11% score among the repeaters, where 8  
were successful takers while 11 failed.  
It demonstrates that a student's exam success or failure can be determined by their cumulative grade in NCM  
Theory courses. A PNLE examinee will be able to comprehend and respond to the PNLE questions provided  
during those test periods if he is proficient in the subject matter, as demonstrated by your grades. Additionally,  
this can further imply that an examinee who may have excelled in his NCM theory course can predict his success  
rate in the nursing board exam. If a student may have high grades in an NCM theory course or they might have  
low grades or doesn’t perform well in this subject, it doesn't imply that it can demonstrate that the person in  
question might pass or fail the Nursing board exam.  
Grades in Related Learning Experience (RLE). The results show that the RLE grades of the USANT BSN  
graduates, it was determined that it is significantly correlated to the examination periods of June 2018 and 2019,  
and November 2021. The computed value of June 2018 Pearson (r) of 0.44 is higher than its tabular value (r) of  
0.35 with a df of 29. In June 2018, 9 out of 11 test takers who were first-timers passed, resulting in an 81.82%  
passing rate, whereas out of 20 test takers who had taken the exam previously, the largest number ever recorded  
throughout the three-year testing period, only 5 passed, resulting in a 25% failure rate. Similarly, a higher  
computed Pearson (r) value of 0.56 outweighs the tabular value (r) of 0.48 in June 2019 PNLE. The June 2019  
PNLE follows, with a passing percentage of 87.5% among 8 first-timers, 7 of whom passed the boards, and a  
failure rate of 22.22% among 17 repeaters, 2 of whom passed the test and 7 of whom failed it. Finally, the RLE  
grades are also significant in the November 2021 Nursing Board Exam, as shown by a computed (r) value of  
0.62, which is greater than its tabular value of 0.38, respectively. Last but not least, Anatomy and Physiology  
scores in the November 2021 PNLE were notable, with a 100% passing score among the 9 first-time examinees  
and a 42.11% score among the repeaters, of whom 8 were successful takers, and 11 failed.  
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It can be inferred that the RLE grades of the BSN graduates can predict the outcome of their performance in the  
examination. This further implies that the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude of the examinees learned through  
skills laboratory enhancements, and clinical and community exposures have a substantial effect on passing the  
boards. Hence, if you excel in RLE, you can pass the boards, while if you perform poorly in RLE, you might fail  
on it. Thus, students need to have a personal experience in nursing care and management to practice, improve,  
and develop the necessary KSAs to be able to relate, analyze, and apply to real case scenarios in different  
healthcare settings.  
The performance of the examinees in the PNLE held in November 2018, November 2019, and July 2021 was  
not correlated to their grades in RLE. November 2018 has a computed value of 0.24, which is lower than its  
tabular value of 0.47 with a df of 16. While on the November 2019 PNLE, a computed value of 0.37 is lower as  
well in comparison to the tabular value of 0.63 at the df 8. Lastly, the computed Pearson (r) value of 0.76 is also  
lower than the tabular (r) value of 0.88 with a df of 3. It can be inferred that the RLE grades of the BSN graduates  
do not have a bearing on their performance on the boards. Furthermore, this means that the ability of the  
examinees to pass or their chance to fail the exam will not be predicted by their standing in their Related Learning  
Experience.  
Using a correlational and regression analysis, Llego et al. (2020) found that the ability of nursing students to  
pass a national-level examination in the Philippines is slightly influenced by their academic performance. The  
experts highly advise the College of Nursing to make sure that its course offerings are current and pertinent. A  
robust, practical experience that is well-planned should also be provided to help nursing students learn more.  
Additionally, it is advised to continue the review sessions following the completion of the Bachelor of Science  
in Nursing as an additional quality check to guarantee passing the Philippine PNLE, nursing.  
In support of this context, Al-Saqri et al. (2020) assessed the predictive power of academic achievement in  
passing the PNLE by looking at the link between academic performance and the PNLE rating. The study  
concluded that grades in NCM and RLE courses and the Pre-Board Examination are poor predictors, while NCM  
courses have the best predictive value, and academic achievement of nursing graduates has a modest effect on  
passing the Philippine PNLE. 38% of respondents said that their baccalaureate-year nursing education helped  
them pass the PNLE, which is a rather small amount.  
On the documentary analysis conducted by the researcher in this study, it appears that the highest grade garnered  
in the Anatomy and Physiology subject was 90 by an examinee in June 2018 who passed the exam with a PNLE  
rating of 75.60%. Moreover, the highest grade of the examinees on NCM and English Proficiency subjects was  
86, while the highest grade in the RLE grades was 87 from a BSN graduate who took the June 2018 PNLE with  
a rating of 82%. Furthermore, it can be concluded that a stronger academic record may serve as a superior basis  
for PNLE achievement. In conclusion, all science-related courses, Anatomy and Physiology, NCM, and RLE  
were found to be most significant, unanimously, in three testing periods: June 2018, June 2019, and November  
2021.  
These statistics prompt further evaluation and analysis for the Nursing department to develop strategies to be  
more student-focused in delivering nursing education, which can further engage them in their learning process.  
Knowledge of performance predictors can both facilitate admission selection and the use of educational  
resources to develop nursing competence and promote success in obtaining licensure to practice. A better  
foundation of education in the context of health care and the medical field must be stressed during the formative  
years of nursing students to prepare them not only to be competent and quality test takers, acing the PNLE board  
exam, but most often as first-level entry, according to the data on the overall performance of USANT graduates  
in the PNLE.  
Proposed Interventions  
The PNLE Intervention Guide, as proposed by the study, offers interventions for the USANT-College Healthcare  
Education with the mission of improving the teaching and learning strategies, modalities, and student-focused  
collaborative approach construed viable in the new normal, especially in this pandemic period of education. This  
intervention guide is designed based on the results gathered in this study, focusing on the improvement of what  
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is learned and instilled in the nursing students in Anatomy and Physiology, English, Nursing Care Management  
theory courses, and RLE as reflected in their final grades accumulated. BSN students must acquire the necessary  
mastery of the subject matter of the BSN program, skills, and attitudes before taking the licensure exam and  
entering the nursing profession as entry-level nurses. The delivery of the BSN program offerings is vital in  
achieving this requirement.  
This intervention guide presents recommendations for the university administrators, clinical instructors, parents,  
students, non-teaching staff, and the school community in its entirety to heighten the performance of the nursing  
graduates in the PNLE. After a thorough analysis of the data collected from the documents feasible for this study,  
this output was judiciously planned and outlined. With a mission of guaranteeing improved and essential PNLE  
ratings and test takers’ performance in the board exam of the university, and provision of a quality nursing  
education, this Intervention Guide for the College of Healthcare Education is necessary.  
SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS  
This section presents the outcomes of the investigation on the Predictors of Performance in the Philippine Nurses  
Licensure Examination (PNLE) of the University of Saint Anthony Bachelor of Science in Nursing Graduates  
from 2018 to 2021, subsequently with the conclusions and recommendations derived from the findings.  
Summary  
The study's primary focus is to ascertain the predictors of performance in the Nursing Licensure Examination of  
USANT BSN graduates from 2018 to 2021 and propose interventions to improve the performance for prospects.  
In particular, the study addressed the following issues: 1). What is the performance of USANT graduates from  
2018-2021 based on PRC records: a) First-timers, b) Repeaters, and c) Overall Performance? 2). What is the  
academic performance of USANT nursing graduates from 2018-2021, along: a. Anatomy and Physiology, b.  
English, c. NCM theory, d. RLE? 3) Is there a significant correlation between the courses and the overall  
performance of USANT nursing graduates in the PNLE, such as Anatomy and Physiology, English, NCM theory,  
and RLE? 4). What intervention can be proposed to enhance the PNLE performance based on the findings of the  
study?  
This study is postulated on the following assumptions: a) The performance of the examinees in the 2018-2021  
Nursing licensure exam is above the national passing percentage; b) The academic performance of the BSN  
graduates-examinees is very satisfactory, and c) Interventions in preparation for future PNLE can be proposed.  
Tested in this study is the null hypothesis that there is no significant correlation between the selected variables  
to performance in the board examination.  
The descriptive-correlation research method was utilized in this quantitative study. During the three testing years  
that were the focus of the study, a total of 109 examinees served as the study's subjects. This study used the  
following tools to collect data: analysis of relevant documents, informal interviews, and internet-based data  
collection. The frequency count, percentage technique, mean, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) were  
employed to interpret the data quantitatively. An alpha level of 0.05 was used to determine the level of  
significance.  
Findings  
The following are the findings of the study:  
1. Of the three testing years, there were thirty-four (34) USANT BSN graduates, or 31.19% who were first-  
timers on the PNLE. Most of them were from the batch June 2018 PNLE with 11 examinees, followed by  
November 2021 with 9 examinees, June 2019 with 8 test takers, November 2018 with 5 test takers, and  
November 2019 with only 1 individual who braved the exam and passed. No first-time test takers took the PNLE  
in July 2021. Concerning their Performance in the PNLE, the November 2019 and November 2021 examination  
periods got a whopping 100% passing rates from the respective 1 and 9 individuals who took the exam, followed  
by an 87.5% success rate from 7 out of 8 examinees, 81.82% passing percentage was recorded from 9 out of 11  
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passers of the June 2018 PNLE, and the least rate of 40% was recorded on the PNLE of November 2018 from 2  
passers out of 3 test takers. First-time test-takers outperformed the national passing rate of 43.82%, 39.99%,  
52.20%, 55.20%, and 51.46%, earning 81.82%, 40%, 87.5%, 100%, and 100%, respectively.  
For the repeaters, there were seventy-five (75) individuals or 68.81% who took the Nursing Licensure  
Examination again between 2018 and 2021; some had taken the PNLE 3-4 times already. The highest number  
of repeaters was recorded on June 2018 PNLE with 20 test takers followed by the November 2021 PNLE with  
19 repeaters, 13 test takers repeated the exam on the November 2018 PNLE, while the nursing board exams of  
June and November 2019 both got a record 0f 9 repeaters, and the least number of examinees was on July 2021  
PNLE with 5 repeat test takers. Gauging on their performance on the said examination periods, in November  
2019, PNLE got the highest number of flunkers with 8 out of 9 examinees garnering a failure rate of 88.89%  
followed by an 84.62% failure of 11 out of 13 test takers in November 2018, 7 out of 9 examinees failed the  
exam of June 2019 with a percentage of 77.78%, followed by a 75% failure rate of June 2018 PNLE from 15  
out of 20 examinees, and lastly, the least failure rate was recorded on the PNLE of July 2021 from 2 out of 5 test  
takers with a percentage of 40%.  
Repeaters' scores fell short of the national passing rates of 43.82%,  
39.99%, 52.20%, 55.20%, 64.65%, and 51.46%, respectively, with repeaters scoring 25%, 15.38%, 22.22%,  
11.11%, 60%, and 42.11%.  
The overall performance of University of Saint Anthony BSN graduates in the testing years of 2018 to 2021 is  
as follows: there were 109 total test takers for that span, 34 were first-time takers, and 75 were repeaters. The  
greatest number of examinees was from the PNLE of June 2018, followed by 28 examinees from the November  
2021 PNLE, 18 test takers from the November 2018 PNLE, 17 from the June 2019 PNLE, November 2019  
PNLE got 10 test takers with the least number of test takers being from the July 2021 PNLE.  
The PNLE of November 2021 got the highest passing percentage of 60.71% among its 17 passers, where it also  
produced 4 topnotchers at the 18th, 19th, and 27th spots, while the failure rate of this testing period was 39.29%  
coming from the 11 test takers. The second(2nd) in rank with a passing percentage of 60% came from the 3 test  
takers who were all repeaters from the July 2021 PNLE; however, it got a failure percentage of 40% coming  
from its 2 examinees. In June 2019, 9 examinees aced the exam while 8 failed, and the passing percentage is  
47.06%. In November 201, the passing percentage was 22.22% represented by 4 passers and a failure rate of  
77.78% from its 14 test takers. Performance-wise, the period where it got the least passing percentage was the  
PNLE of November 2019, where it produced 2 successful takers of the exam, while 8 of them failed with a  
failure rate of 80%.  
The overall performance of 45.16% was marginally higher than the national passing percentage of 43.82% from  
June 2018, 22.22% lower than the national passing percentage of 39.99% from November 2018, 52.94% slightly  
higher than the national passing percentage of 52.20% from June 2019, 20% lower than the national passing  
percentage of 55.0% from November 2019, 60% lower than the national passing percentage of 64.65% from  
July 2021, and 60.71% higher than the national passing percentage of 51.46% from November 2021.  
2. In line with the Academic Performance of the PNLE Test-Takers from 2018-2021, the grade that obtained a  
percentage of 34.86% in Anatomy and Physiology was 3.00, which is equivalent to a grade of 75–76; this was  
also the lowest grade achieved by the students. This was followed by 18.35% of 20 students who received a 2.5  
grade, which is equivalent to a grade of 80–82%, the percentage of 15.6% from 17 students who received grades  
of 2.75 (77–79%), and 2.25 (80–82%) were the highest grade achieved by the BSN students, but of least  
frequency. In English, the majority of the BSN graduates got a grade of 2.5 (80–82%) with a percentage of  
39.45% followed by 33.03% of the 36 students with a grade of which is equivalent to 77-79%, followed by  
13.76% of the 15 students with a grade of 2.25 grade, which is equivalent to 83-85%, 10.09% of the 11 students  
obtained a grade of 2.00, equivalent to 86-88%, and last in rank with 1.83% each, are the group of students who  
obtained a passing grade of 3.00 grade, which is equivalent to 75-76%, and 1.75, which is equivalent to 89-91%,  
respectively.  
The academic performance in NCM theory of the students from 2018 and 2021 is as follows: a frequency of 56  
and a percentage of 51.38% indicate that the majority of students received a 2.50 grade (80–82%). With a  
percentage of 27.52%, a grade of 2.75 (77-79%) from the 30 students came in second, followed by 12.84%  
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among the 14 students with a grade of 2.25 (83-85%), 12.84% among the 14 students, and 7.34% among the 8  
students with a grade of 2.00 (86-88%). One student received a grade of 3.0 (75-76%), or 0.92%, for their  
performance.  
On the grades in RLE, the PNLE takers’ grades are as follows: A grade of 2.50 (80-82%) from 58 students with  
a percentage of 53.21%, followed by 2.25 (83-85%) from 36 students with a percentage of 33.03%, a grade of  
2.00 (86-88%) from 8 students with a percentage of 7.34%, and a grade of 2.75 (77-79%) from the 7 students  
with a percentage of 6.42%.  
3. Test of correlation between the academic grades with the performance in PNLE revealed the following results:  
The PNLE takers’ grade in Anatomy and Physiology is significantly correlated to the performance in the PNLE  
held on June 2018 and 2019, and November 2021 while not significantly correlated in the testing periods  
November 2018 and 2019, as well as in the board exam of July 2021.  
The PNLE takers’ grade in English courses is significantly correlated with their performance in PNLE during  
the examination periods of June 2019 and November 2021. However, the same variable is not significantly  
correlated to the PNLE periods of November 2018, June, and November 2019, and on the board examination  
held in July 2021.  
The grades of the PNLE takers in Nursing Care Management (NCM) Courses-theory have been known to be  
significant in the examination periods of June 2019 and July, and November 2021. Conversely, this variable is  
not significantly correlated to the PNLE performance in June and November 2018, and in the PNLE of July  
2021.  
Finally, the RLE grades of the PNLE takers are significantly correlated to the examination periods of June 2018  
and 2019, and November 2021. However, the performance of examinees in the PNLE held in November 2018,  
November 2019, and July 2021 was not correlated to their grades in RLE.  
4. Intervention measures customized to the needs, culture, and conditions of the College of Health Care  
Education are hereby proposed.  
Conclusions  
From the aforementioned findings, the researcher arrived at the following conclusions:  
1. The USANT BSN graduates' overall performance from 2018 to 2021 was satisfactory in the PNLE periods of  
June 2018, June 2019, and November 2021, but unsatisfactory in the board examination periods of November  
2018, November 2019, and July 2021. First-time takers achieved 81.82%, 40%, 87.5%, 100%, and 100%, above  
the national passing percentage of 43.82%, 39.99%, 52.20%, 55.20%, and 51.46%, respectively. Repeaters  
achieved 25%, 15.38%, 22.22%, 11.11%, 60%, and 42.11%, below the national passing percentages of 43.82%,  
39.99%, 52.20%, 55.20%, 64.65%, and 51.46%, respectively. The overall performance of 45.16% was slightly  
above the national passing percentage of 43.82% from June 2018, 22.22% below the national passing percentage  
of 39.99% from November 2018, 52.94% slightly higher than June 2019 national passing percentage of 52.20%,  
20% which is below the national passing percentage of November 2019 of 55.0%, 60% below the national  
passing percentage of 64.65% from July 2021, and 60.71% above the national passing percentage of 51.46%  
from November 2021.  
2. The average academic performance of the BSN graduates who took the board examination in Anatomy and  
Physiology, English, NCM, and RLE from 2018-2021 is 2.5, interpreted as satisfactory.  
3. Three variables, which are the Grades in Anatomy and Physiology, the NCM theory, and RLE, were  
significantly correlated across three of the six testing periods. The Grades in English were correlated significantly  
for two of the Nursing Licensure testing cycles. The grades in Anatomy and Physiology, NCM theory, RLE, and  
English are predictors of passing the PNLE. The higher the grade, the greater the chance of passing the PNLE.  
Conversely, the lower the grade, the lower the chance of passing the PNLE.  
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4. The Nursing Licensure Examination Intervention Guide for the College of Healthcare Education is anticipated  
to provide the necessary interventions designed to improve the examinees’ performance in the board examination  
among upcoming examinees.  
Recommendations  
From the findings and conclusions specified, the following recommendations are hereby offered by the  
researcher:  
1. To sustain the above national passing percentage of the first time-takers in particular, the College of Health  
Care Education should implement mechanisms to enhance academic performance and skills development by  
conducting special lecturers, seminars, exposure trips, enhancement classes, catch-up programs, and other  
activities deemed necessary in enhancing the academic performance in English, Anatomy and Physiology, NCM  
theory and RLE. Clinical instructors should also enhance themselves professionally and attend relevant training  
relevant to current trends and practices in nursing.  
2. There is a need to review the retention policy and consider including the grades in Anatomy and Physiology,  
English, and Foundation Courses in NCM and RLE. Catch-up lessons in response to learning recovery brought  
by the COVID-19 pandemic should be conducted in the courses determined as predictors in the PNLE. The  
CHCE must ensure that the teaching and learning modalities from the course syllabus are flexible, up-to-date,  
engaging, and aligned with the Outcome-Based Education of the BSN curriculum as advocated by CMO No. 15  
s. of 2017, and that they must be student-focused. The use of technology, blended learning, and activities that  
enable student engagement must be maximized. In addition, monitoring students’ academic progress in every  
grading period is essential.  
3. Since the academic grades are predictors of passing the PNLE, the use of students’ pre-admission  
qualifications, especially on the GPAs on science-related subjects, terminal test scores or comprehensive  
examinations, may assist the university or the CHCE in identifying the performance of nursing graduates in their  
Academics that may be useful in the development of admission and retention policy in the nursing program.  
Transparency of the student’s scholastic achievement can inform and provide interventions among students and  
educators early on. The best time to intervene is sooner. Students who still perform poorly in their academics  
after the adoption of strategies may be advised to redirect their choice of course to pursue.  
4. As suggested by this study, the PNLE Intervention Guide for the College of Healthcare Education should be  
adopted and implemented to improve the test taker’s performance in the board examination, now and onward.  
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