# Show the NASH you’re ready to lead a school This is the Markdown copy of [Show the NASH you’re ready to lead a school](https://nash.com.ph/), published by NASH Reviewer, an independent practice platform not affiliated with DepEd, BHROD, or NEAP. 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. [Start practicing free](https://nash.com.ph/sign-up), or try the sample question below. Free to start with 34 practice sets. No payment details needed. [New here? See how it works](https://nash.com.ph/how-it-works). *Preview of a practice question: a Grade 6 assessment mean that fell from 61 to 54, measured on six sampled learners each year. The chosen answer is scored Relational, 3 points, beside a domain profile, a rising score trend, and an answer-depth breakdown.* ## 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. *Sample · Domain 1 · Strand 1.4, Research and innovation* 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? - **A**. Reject the proposal because a report on five regions says nothing about your school, and innovations should rest on the school’s own experience instead. - **B**. Ask the proponent to cite the report properly in the proposal, since the planning team requires every innovation to be supported by a published study. - **C**. Accept the finding as support for the purchase and add a request for a connection in the same proposal, so that the tablets and the internet service arrive together. - **D**. Point out that the finding concerns connectivity and is an association, and redirect the proposal toward securing a connection first, with devices to follow once it is working. ### 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. - **Relational**, 3 points: Connects the policy, the people, and the context into one sound decision. - **Multistructural**, 2 points: Names several relevant points but does not tie them together. - **Unistructural**, 1 point: Holds on to one relevant fact and misses the rest of the situation. - **Prestructural**, 0 points: Misreads the situation or reaches for an action that does not apply. ### How each answer is rated - **A: Prestructural**, 0 of 3 points: Dismissing reliable evidence because it was gathered elsewhere abandons the data-driven, evidence-based innovation the PPSSH asks of a school head. - **B: Unistructural**, 1 of 3 points: Citation is a formality here. The proposal’s problem is that the finding is about connectivity and association, not about devices. - **C: Multistructural**, 2 of 3 points: Adding the connection is right, but treating the finding as proof that tablets raise scores keeps a purchase the evidence does not support. - **D: Relational**, 3 of 3 points, the best answer: This reads the finding for what it measures and what it can show, and uses it to redirect the innovation toward the input the evidence actually concerns. Source: DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020 (PPSSH), indicator 1.4.1; NASH Reviewer, Philippine basic education in numbers, from DepEd’s SY 2023–24 ICT and assessment data. This is item 3 of the 50 free practice questions on DepEd data and the PPSSH, [all answered on our blog](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-practice-questions-with-answers). ## 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. - **About half** 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. Source: EDCOM II news release (18 October 2026), DepEd figures. - **6,000** new School Principal positions are allocated for creation in 2026. Source: EDCOM II Final Report (2026), p. 73. - **45,785** principal positions by 2028 under the National Education Plan: one for every school. Source: EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), p. 94. 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](https://nash.com.ph/principal-shortage). ## 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. ### FY 2025 NASH takers by competency level, Batches 1 and 2 - **37.5%** prospective candidates - **62.5%** with developmental areas Shares of the 35,156 takers who completed either batch. Source: DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 and No. 044, s. 2026. - **Meeting PPSSH standards in four domains**: 9,079 takers, 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**: 4,100 takers, 11.7%. Prospective candidate on the same terms, but must join a Targeted Development Program within three months of appointment. - **With Developmental Areas**: 21,977 takers, 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](https://nash.com.ph/progress-dashboard) then tracks each domain against a 65% benchmark over time. Practice scores use our own scale and are not NASH scores. [See the full FY 2025 results](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results). ## 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 rules](https://nash.com.ph/nash#transition). ### Teacher-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 requires](https://nash.com.ph/nash#requirement). ### Master 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](https://nash.com.ph/nash#career). *Head Teacher and Teacher-in-Charge share: EDCOM II Year Two Report (2025), Figure 10, p. 257, DepEd data for SY 2023–2024.* ### 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](https://nash.com.ph/nash#qualifications), or follow the whole road in the [guide for aspiring school heads](https://nash.com.ph/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](https://nash.com.ph/nash) for the rules, qualification standards, and transition period. Comparing reviewers? [See what a good NASH reviewer covers](https://nash.com.ph/nash-reviewer). ## 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. ### Domain 1: Leading Strategically, 7 strands - 1.1 Vision, mission and core values - 1.2 School planning and implementation - 1.3 Policy implementation and review - 1.4 Research and innovation - 1.5 Program design and implementation - 1.6 Learner voice - 1.7 Monitoring and evaluation processes and tools ### Domain 2: Managing School Operations and Resources, 6 strands - 2.1 Records management - 2.2 Financial management - 2.3 School facilities and equipment - 2.4 Management of staff - 2.5 School safety for disaster preparedness, mitigation and resiliency - 2.6 Emerging opportunities and challenges ### Domain 3: Focusing on Teaching and Learning, 8 strands - 3.1 School-based review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards - 3.2 Teaching standards and pedagogies - 3.3 Teacher performance feedback - 3.4 Learner achievement and other performance indicators - 3.5 Learning assessment - 3.6 Learning environment - 3.7 Career awareness and opportunities - 3.8 Learner discipline ### Domain 4: Developing Self and Others, 8 strands - 4.1 Personal and professional development - 4.2 Professional reflection and learning - 4.3 Professional networks - 4.4 Performance management - 4.5 Professional development of school personnel - 4.6 Leadership development in individuals and teams - 4.7 General welfare of human resources - 4.8 Rewards and recognition mechanism ### Domain 5: Building Connections, 5 strands - 5.1 Management of diverse relationships - 5.2 Management of school organizations - 5.3 Inclusive practice - 5.4 Communication - 5.5 Community engagement [Read the PPSSH guide](https://nash.com.ph/ppssh) 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. *EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), targets 6.1.2.a and 6.1.2.b, p. 94* ### 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. *EDCOM II National Education Plan (2026–2035), targets 6.1.2.c and 6.1.2.d, pp. 94–95* ### 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. *EDCOM II Final Report, Turning Point (2026), p. 300* [See every change and what it means for you](https://nash.com.ph/aspiring-school-heads#changes), along with the career ladder, a readiness checklist, and the road from the NASH to your appointment. ## Start free. Upgrade when you’re ready. Practice for free as long as you like. Premium is a 30-day pass or one payment for lifetime access, and neither renews automatically. ### Free **₱0, always.** Build the habit of situational thinking at your own pace. - 34 practice sets across the PPSSH domains - Timed situational questions, two minutes each - Instant scoring with feedback on every choice - Personal progress dashboard [Create free account](https://nash.com.ph/sign-up) ### 30-day pass **₱1,000 for 30 days.** A focused month of review with every premium practice set. - Every premium practice set for 30 days - A NASH-style mock exam across all five domains - No automatic renewal or recurring charge - Upgrade to lifetime for ₱2,000 while it is active [Get the 30-day pass](https://nash.com.ph/payment?plan=pass) ### Lifetime access · Never expires **₱3,000 once.** The price of 3 passes. Have a pass? Upgrade for ₱2,000. - Every premium practice set, with no expiry - A NASH-style mock exam across all five domains - Every practice set and question we add later, including updates for new DepEd orders - All current and future review materials, including downloadable PDF files and PowerPoint presentations - Priority email support [Get lifetime access](https://nash.com.ph/payment?plan=lifetime) Pay by QR Ph, GCash, or bank transfer. [See payment methods](https://nash.com.ph/payment). We activate premium once payment is confirmed. Already paid? [Send us your receipt details](https://nash.com.ph/contact). [Compare the plans in detail](https://nash.com.ph/pricing) ## Questions aspiring school heads ask Straight answers drawn from DepEd issuances. Have another question? Email support@nash.com.ph. ### What is the NASH? 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. ### Is this an NQESH reviewer? 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. ### Do I need to pass it to become a principal? 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. ### What does the NASH cover? 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. ### How is the NASH scored? 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. ### How many met the standards in the FY 2025 NASH? 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. ### Are these the actual NASH questions? 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. ### Does premium expire? 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. ### Can I practice on my phone? 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. [Start practicing free](https://nash.com.ph/sign-up).