Show the NASH you’re ready to lead a school
Timed, situational practice for the NASH, the school head assessment that replaced the NQESH. Every item is written against the PPSSH and scored by depth of thinking, so you know which domains to strengthen.
Why practice here
Written against the PPSSH
Every item is tagged to a domain, strand, and indicator of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads.
Scored by depth of thinking
Each choice carries a SOLO level worth 0 to 3 points, the scale DepEd used for FY 2025 NASH responses, so a partly right answer earns partial credit and an explanation of what it missed.
Timed practice
Two minutes per item builds the pace that situational questions demand. DepEd gave FY 2025 Batch 2 takers three hours but does not publish the number of items, so this pace is our own.
Try one question now
No account needed. Choose what a proficient school head would do, then see how our depth-of-thinking scale rates your answer.
You are a head teacher asked to review a proposal for the school’s innovation fund. The proposal asks to buy forty tablets, citing a data report in which public schools with an internet connection average about 2.6 points higher on the Grade 6 assessment than unconnected schools in the same division. Your school has no connection and three working computers. What is the most appropriate action?
How your answer is scored
Every option carries a level of the SOLO taxonomy. A partly right answer earns partial credit and an explanation of what it missed.
RelationalConnects the policy, the people, and the context into one sound decision.
MultistructuralNames several relevant points but does not tie them together.
UnistructuralHolds on to one relevant fact and misses the rest of the situation.
PrestructuralMisreads the situation or reaches for an action that does not apply.
About half our public schools are waiting for a principal
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) found nearly half of public schools without a principal item. DepEd is now creating those positions, and every first appointment still requires a pass in the school head assessment.
- of public schools, about 23,000 of 45,928, still had no principal item in October 2026, most of them led by a head teacher or teacher-in-charge.
- About half
- new School Principal positions are allocated for creation in 2026.
- 6,000
- principal positions by 2028 under the National Education Plan: one for every school.
- 45,785
EDCOM traced the low pass rates of the 2021 and 2023 exams to “a gap in training for aspiring candidates that aligns with the PPSSH.” That is the gap this platform was built to close. See the data in charts.
Six in ten FY 2025 takers came out with developmental areas
DepEd’s results memoranda sort takers by how many of the five PPSSH domains reach a score of 65. Of 35,156 who completed the FY 2025 NASH, 62.5% have training to finish before they can be considered for School Principal I.
37.5%prospective candidates
62.5%with developmental areas
Meeting PPSSH standards in four domains
9,079takers, 25.8%
Prospective candidate for an entry-level School Principal position, subject to the qualification standards and DepEd hiring guidelines.
Meeting PPSSH standards in three domains
4,100takers, 11.7%
Prospective candidate on the same terms, but must join a Targeted Development Program within three months of appointment.
With Developmental Areas
21,977takers, 62.5%
Must complete Professional Development Interventions facilitated by NEAP, and a Work Application Plan certified by the Schools Division Superintendent, before being considered.
A high overall score is not enough. You also need 65 in at least three of the five domains to become a prospective candidate, and in four to skip the Targeted Development Program. Our practice results show your points and best answers in every domain, and name your three weakest strands, so you know which domains to strengthen. Your progress dashboard then tracks each domain against a 65% benchmark over time.
Find your path to School Principal I
Head Teachers and Teachers-in-Charge lead nearly 9 in 10 of the schools that have no principal. What you need next depends on your role.
Head Teacher or Assistant School Principal
You are an on-stream candidate until February 24, 2028. Pass the assessment in that window to move to School Principal I without first becoming a Master Teacher I.
Your transition rulesTeacher-in-Charge or Officer-in-Charge
You may already run a school. A first appointment as School Principal still requires the qualification standards and a pass in the school head assessment.
What the appointment requiresMaster Teacher or teacher
At Master Teacher I you choose your career line. The School Administration line starts at School Principal I, and the assessment is its gate.
How the career lines work
Every path needs the School Principal I qualification standards
- Education
- Master’s in Education, Educational Management, or Educational Leadership, or a relevant master’s with 9 units in management.
- Experience
- 5 years of teaching and 1 year in learning area coordination, supervision, school management, or instructional supervision.
- Training
- 32 hours in curriculum, pedagogy, school management, or instructional leadership, completed within the last 5 years.
- Eligibility
- RA No. 1080, as amended (Teacher).
Under DO 19, s. 2025. See the standards for all four principal levels, or follow the whole road in the guide for aspiring school heads.
What the NASH asks of you
The National Assessment for School Heads checks whether you can think like a principal: weigh policy, people, and context, then choose the action a proficient school head would take.
- Formerly NQESH and the Principal’s Test
- DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025 renamed and refocused the exam as a developmental assessment of readiness for school leadership.
- Required for School Principal I
- First appointment to a School Principal position, through natural vacancy or reclassification, requires passing the DepEd-administered school head assessment.
- Conceptual and situational
- Critical-thinking items aligned with the PPSSH and built on the SOLO taxonomy, taken onsite through a secure online platform.
- A report, not just a rating
- Results arrive with a Certificate of Rating and an Individual Development Report that names your strengths and areas for improvement against the PPSSH.
Read the NASH guide for the rules, qualification standards, and transition period. Comparing reviewers? See what a good NASH reviewer covers.
Five domains, 34 strands
The Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (DO 24, s. 2020) describe what effective school heads do. The NASH draws from all of it, and so does our question bank.
- 1.1Vision, mission and core values
- 1.2School planning and implementation
- 1.3Policy implementation and review
- 1.4Research and innovation
- 1.5Program design and implementation
- 1.6Learner voice
- 1.7Monitoring and evaluation processes and tools
- 2.1Records management
- 2.2Financial management
- 2.3School facilities and equipment
- 2.4Management of staff
- 2.5School safety for disaster preparedness, mitigation and resiliency
- 2.6Emerging opportunities and challenges
- 3.1School-based review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards
- 3.2Teaching standards and pedagogies
- 3.3Teacher performance feedback
- 3.4Learner achievement and other performance indicators
- 3.5Learning assessment
- 3.6Learning environment
- 3.7Career awareness and opportunities
- 3.8Learner discipline
- 4.1Personal and professional development
- 4.2Professional reflection and learning
- 4.3Professional networks
- 4.4Performance management
- 4.5Professional development of school personnel
- 4.6Leadership development in individuals and teams
- 4.7General welfare of human resources
- 4.8Rewards and recognition mechanism
- 5.1Management of diverse relationships
- 5.2Management of school organizations
- 5.3Inclusive practice
- 5.4Communication
- 5.5Community engagement
Read the PPSSH guide for every indicator across the four career stages.
The job you are preparing for is changing
EDCOM II’s plan for 2026 to 2035 gives every public school a principal and asks more of each one. These changes reach the post you are working toward.
A principal for every school
Every DepEd school is to have its own School Principal item by 2028, 45,785 in all, and every principal position is to be filled on time as it is created.
A Principal Academy at NEAP
NEAP is to establish a Principal Academy with professional learning communities for school heads. The plan aims for 33% of principals to meet school-based management competencies by 2028 and all of them by 2035.
Instructional leadership first
EDCOM recommends revising principals’ performance commitments to put classroom observation, teacher coaching, and curriculum implementation ahead of the administrative and compliance tasks that dominate the job today.
See every change and what it means for you, along with the career ladder, a readiness checklist, and the road from the NASH to your appointment.
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Questions aspiring school heads ask
Straight answers drawn from DepEd issuances. Have another question? Email support@nash.com.ph.
The National Assessment for School Heads is DepEd’s assessment of readiness for school leadership. It replaced the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH), also called the Principal’s Test, under DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025.
It prepares you for the NQESH’s successor. The NQESH, also called the Principal’s Test, became the NASH under DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025. The exam has been aligned with the PPSSH since 2021, and every practice item here is written against the PPSSH.
Yes. Under DO 21, s. 2024 and DepEd-DBM Joint Circular No. 1, s. 2025, first appointment to School Principal I, whether through a natural vacancy or reclassification, requires passing the DepEd-administered school head assessment.
All five domains of the PPSSH (DO 24, s. 2020): leading strategically, managing school operations and resources, focusing on teaching and learning, developing self and others, and building connections. Items are conceptual and situational and follow the SOLO taxonomy.
DepEd scored the FY 2025 NASH with the Ordinal Partial Credit Model. Each response earned 0 (incorrect) to 3 (most correct), and indicator, domain, and overall scores were standardized and converted to a scale of 1 to 100. Your competency level depends on scoring 65 or higher overall and in at least three or four of the five PPSSH domains. In School Principal I hiring and reclassification, the assessment score counts for up to 10 Written Examination points: a percentage score of 82.5 earns 8.25. Takers also receive an Individual Development Report on their strengths and areas for improvement against the PPSSH.
Of 35,156 takers who completed Batch 1 or Batch 2, 13,179 (37.5%) met the PPSSH standards in three or four domains, which makes them prospective candidates for School Principal I. The rest (62.5%) were With Developmental Areas and must complete Professional Development Interventions facilitated by NEAP, plus a Work Application Plan certified by their Schools Division Superintendent, before they can be considered. Source: DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 and No. 044, s. 2026.
No. DepEd does not release assessment items and is not affiliated with any review provider. Our questions are original practice items written against the PPSSH and current DepEd issuances. NASH Reviewer is independent and not affiliated with DepEd, BHROD, or NEAP.
It depends on the plan, and neither renews automatically. A 30-day pass costs ₱1,000 and ends 30 days after we activate it. Lifetime access costs ₱3,000 once and never expires, including updates aligned with new DepEd orders. While your pass is active, you can upgrade to lifetime for ₱2,000. Email us to request either plan, and we activate it once payment is confirmed.
Yes. Every practice set works on phones, tablets, and laptops. The NASH itself is taken on your own laptop at an assessment site, so do some timed sets on a laptop too.
Start with one practice set today
A short timed set shows where you stand across the five domains, and what to study next.
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