PNLE Coverage 2026: Complete Topic Breakdown for the Nursing Board Exam

Before you open a single reviewer, you need to know exactly what the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination tests. Most NLE examinees start reviewing without a clear map of the coverage and end up spending too much time on subjects they already know while neglecting the ones that cost them points.

This page is your complete PNLE study map. It breaks down what each part of the exam covers and links you to the deep-dive reviewers for each subject on LisensyaPrep.

PNLE Overview: The Basics

The Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination is administered by the PRC Board of Nursing twice a year, typically in February and August.

To pass the PNLE you need: A general weighted average of at least 75 percent with no individual subject falling below 60 percent.

The 44.24 percent passing rate looks low but it includes everyone who sat for the exam, including those who barely reviewed. Well-prepared self-reviewers consistently perform above the national average.

PNLE Exam Structure

The PNLE is divided into two major parts with a total of 500 items.

Subject Area Breakdown

Part 1: Community Health Nursing (100 items)

Community Health Nursing is the subject most underestimated by NLE examinees. It tests your ability to apply nursing care at the family and community level rather than the individual patient level.

Major topics covered:

• Philippine health care delivery system and DOH programs
• Epidemiology and vital statistics including mortality and morbidity rates
• Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and vaccine schedules
• Family planning and maternal and child health programs
• Communicable disease control and surveillance
• Environmental health and sanitation
• Nutritional programs and malnutrition management
• Occupational health nursing
• School health nursing
• Disaster nursing and emergency preparedness
• Nursing bag technique and home visits

Full reviewer: Community Health Nursing Reviewer for NLE 2026

Practice now: LisensyaPrep Nursing Quiz

Part 2A: Maternal and Child Nursing and Fundamentals of Nursing

Maternal and Child Nursing topics:

• Antepartum care: prenatal assessment, danger signs, prenatal visits
• Intrapartum care: stages of labor, fetal monitoring, nursing interventions
• Postpartum care: normal and abnormal findings, breastfeeding support
• Newborn care: APGAR scoring, immediate newborn care, common newborn conditions
• Care of children: growth and development milestones, common childhood illnesses

Fundamentals of Nursing topics:

• Nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation
• Safety and infection control: standard precautions, aseptic technique
• Vital signs: normal values and interpretation
• Wound care and dressing techniques
• Medication administration: routes, calculations, rights of medication administration
• Documentation and reporting

Practice now: LisensyaPrep Nursing Quiz

Part 2B: Medical-Surgical Nursing and Pharmacology

Medical-Surgical Nursing is the largest and most content-heavy subject in the PNLE. It covers nursing care of adult patients across all major body systems.

Major body systems covered:

• Cardiovascular: heart failure, MI, hypertension, dysrhythmias
• Respiratory: pneumonia, COPD, asthma, tuberculosis
• Neurological: stroke, seizures, increased intracranial pressure, meningitis
• Gastrointestinal: peptic ulcer, liver cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease
• Musculoskeletal: fractures, arthritis, osteoporosis
• Endocrine: diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorders, adrenal disorders
• Renal: acute and chronic kidney disease, urinary tract infections
• Oncology: cancer nursing, chemotherapy, radiation therapy side effects

Pharmacology topics:

• Drug classifications and mechanisms of action
• Common drug calculations
• Nursing responsibilities for high-alert medications

Full reviewer: Medical-Surgical Nursing Reviewer for NLE 2026

Practice now: LisensyaPrep Nursing Quiz

Part 2C: Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing

Major topics covered:

• Therapeutic communication techniques
• Mental status examination
• Major psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders
• Crisis intervention
• Psychopharmacology: antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers
• Legal and ethical issues in psychiatric nursing
• Therapeutic milieu and group therapy

Practice now: LisensyaPrep Nursing Quiz

How to Use This Study Map

Week 1: Take a diagnostic practice quiz at LisensyaPrep for each PNLE subject. Identify your weakest areas immediately before building your study plan.

Weeks 2 to 6: Read the full reviewer for each subject starting with your weakest. After reading each reviewer, practice questions for that subject at LisensyaPrep to test comprehension.

Weeks 7 to 10: Take full mixed-subject practice sessions covering all PNLE topics to simulate actual exam conditions.

Final 2 weeks: Focus only on weak spots. Protect your sleep and stop introducing new material.

Do not review subjects in equal amounts of time. Community Health Nursing gets significantly underestimated. Medical-Surgical is the largest. Give each subject time proportional to how much it tests and how weak you currently are in it.

PNLE Quick Facts 2026

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