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NASH Reviewer

DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025

National Assessment for School Heads

The NASH is DepEd’s assessment of readiness for school leadership. You must pass it, or an earlier school head assessment, before your first appointment as School Principal. This guide explains what it measures, who takes it, and what the rules say.

Salary grade of School Principal I
SG 19
PPSSH domains assessed
5
Points your score is worth in a 100-point ranking
10
Year the transition for incumbents ends
2028

What the NASH is

DepEd refocused the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) and renamed it the NASH. It is now a developmental assessment of readiness for school leadership.

The NASH evaluates whether aspiring school leaders are ready and names the areas they should improve. It supports your growth within the career progression framework, so the result is more than a pass or fail.

The questions are conceptual and situational, and test critical thinking. They are aligned with the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH) and built on the SOLO taxonomy.

DepEd counts passers of the NQESH, the Principal’s Test, and the school head assessments it requires later. A pass in any of them meets the requirement.

What DepEd wants the assessment to do

From the rationale of DepEd’s 2024 procurement for the online administration.

  1. Increase DepEd’s pool of qualified aspiring principals.
  2. Give Head Teachers affected by the new career progression system a chance to take the assessment.
  3. Provide a baseline for the professional development programs of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP).
  4. Identify the learning and development needs of potential school heads.

Why you must pass it

Five issuances make the school head assessment a condition for becoming a School Principal. Each one adds to the rule.

  1. Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022Section 3

    Advancement to School Principal I requires the CSC minimum qualifications, the desired PPSSH proficiency level, and a pass in the DepEd-administered school head assessment.

  2. IRR of Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022Section 17(c)

    A Master Teacher I who aspires to school administration may be promoted or reclassified into the School Administration line only after passing the assessment.

  3. DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2024Item 27

    Every first appointment to a School Principal position, through natural vacancy or reclassification, requires a pass in the school head assessment.

  4. DepEd-DBM Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025Section 7.4.3

    School Principal positions in the School Administration line require a pass in the school heads assessment or its equivalent.

  5. DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025Enclosure 3, Section 13

    During reclassification, the HRMO checks for a pass. Applicants who lack it are marked disqualified.

Who is exempt
Appointments made before a DepEd examination was required stay valid. Those principals need not pass any school head examination for higher School Principal positions. Special School Principals I and II are also exempt.
What you submit
Applicants to School Principal and Assistant School Principal positions submit a copy of their Certificate of Rating, or the DepEd issuance on results that names them.

How your score counts in hiring

Passing makes you eligible. Your score then feeds the comparative assessment that ranks applicants for School Principal I.

School Principal I
The Potential criterion is worth 15 of 100 points. Your assessment score sets the Written Examination component, worth 10 points. The Behavioral Events Interview is worth 5.
School Principal II to IV
The weights flip: the Written Examination is worth 5 points and the interview 10. The selection board or subject matter experts write that examination.

Certificates of Rating have shown a percentage score since the FY 2021 NQESH. Your Written Examination points equal that percentage times the component’s weight allocation (DO 21, s. 2024, Item 28).

Where the NASH fits in your career

The Expanded Career Progression System gives teachers two career lines. The NASH is the gate into the School Administration line.

From classroom to the split

  1. Base of the systemTeacher I to Teacher VIISG 11 to 17
  2. Where the lines splitMaster Teacher ISG 18

Once you reach Master Teacher I, you choose: stay in Classroom Teaching or pursue School Administration.

Equivalent positions

  • Master Teacher IISG 19School Principal I
  • Master Teacher IIISG 20School Principal II
  • Master Teacher IVSG 21School Principal III
  • Master Teacher VSG 22School Principal IV

  1. No skipped career stages

    You progress through each career stage in the professional standards. You cannot jump to a higher stage for promotion.

  2. Three salary grades at most

    A promotion cannot exceed three salary grades above your present position, unless a CSC exemption applies.

  3. One switch between lines

    You may switch between the Classroom Teaching and School Administration lines once, if you meet every requirement of the other line.

  4. One principal item per school

    Each school gets one School Principal plantilla item, whatever its title. Principals may serve any elementary or secondary school in the division.

PPSSH career stages for each position

  • Career Stage II: School Principal I and II
  • Career Stage III: School Principal III
  • Career Stage IV: School Principal IV

DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025 maps School Administration positions to the PPSSH career stages.

Qualification standards for School Principal I to IV

DO 019, s. 2025 adopts CSC Resolution No. 2500471. Every level requires RA 1080 (Teacher) eligibility and 5 years of teaching experience.

  • School Principal ISalary grade 19

    Education
    Master’s in Education, Educational Management, or Educational Leadership; or a master’s in a relevant learning area with at least 9 units in Management
    Experience
    5 years of teaching, plus 1 year in learning area coordination, subject area supervision, school management and operations, or instructional supervision
    Training
    32 hours in curriculum, pedagogy, school management and operations, or instructional leadership, within the last 5 years

  • School Principal IISalary grade 20

    Education
    Master’s in Education, Educational Management, or Educational Leadership; or a master’s in a relevant learning area with at least 12 units in Management
    Experience
    5 years of teaching, plus 2 years in school management and operations
    Training
    32 hours in curriculum, pedagogy, school management and operations, or instructional leadership, within the last 5 years

  • School Principal IIISalary grade 21

    Education
    Master’s in Education, Educational Management, or Educational Leadership; or a master’s in a relevant learning area with at least 15 units in Management
    Experience
    5 years of teaching, plus 3 years in school management and operations
    Training
    40 hours in curriculum, pedagogy, school management and operations, or instructional leadership, within the last 5 years

  • School Principal IVSalary grade 22

    Education
    Master’s in Education, Educational Management, or Educational Leadership; or a master’s in a relevant learning area with at least 18 units in Management
    Experience
    5 years of teaching, plus 4 years in school management and operations
    Training
    40 hours in curriculum, pedagogy, school management and operations, or instructional leadership, within the last 5 years

Promotions to principal positions also need a performance rating of at least Very Satisfactory in the last rating period. Positions posted before the new standards took effect follow the standards in force when they were posted.

If you are a Head Teacher or Assistant School Principal

A three-year transition runs from February 25, 2025 to February 24, 2028. During it, incumbents are on-stream candidates with priority for School Principal I.

How positions are retitled

  • Assistant School Principal IIISchool Principal II or Master Teacher IIISG 20
  • Assistant School Principal II, Head Teacher VISchool Principal I or Master Teacher IISG 19
  • Assistant School Principal I, Head Teacher VMaster Teacher ISG 18
  • Head Teacher IVTeacher VIISG 17
  • Head Teacher IIITeacher VISG 16
  • Head Teacher IITeacher VSG 15
  • Head Teacher ITeacher IVSG 14

Assistant School Principals II and III, and Head Teacher VI

  • If you meet the qualification standards and passed the school head assessment, you are retitled to the equivalent School Principal position.
  • Otherwise, you are retitled to the equivalent Master Teacher position and stay an on-stream candidate for School Administration.
  • If you are not reclassified or retitled by the end of the transition, your position is tagged co-terminus with the incumbent (CTI).

Assistant School Principal I and Head Teachers I to V

  • You may keep your current title or be retitled to its equivalent. You can request retitling any time during the transition.
  • Either way, you are an on-stream candidate. You may move to School Principal I without passing through Master Teacher I.
  • If you keep your title and do not advance to School Principal I in time, your position is tagged CTI.
On-stream priority
NEAP gives on-stream candidates priority for professional development. They also get priority in promotion or reclassification to School Principal I.
Co-terminus positions
A CTI position stays with you until you leave it. It then converts to Teacher I, and you may seek promotion only through natural vacancies.
After February 24, 2028
Incumbents are no longer on-stream candidates. You choose between career lines only on reaching Master Teacher I.

On-stream candidates managing schools keep their School Head designation in the same school during the transition. Your division applies these rules to your specific item, so confirm your options with your HRMO. The reclassification guide explains how divisions select and score applicants for School Principal positions.

What the assessment covers

Items are aligned with the five PPSSH domains. They test how you reason through real school situations, not recall.

  1. Domain 1Leading Strategically7 strands
  2. Domain 2Managing School Operations and Resources6 strands
  3. Domain 3Focusing on Teaching and Learning8 strands
  4. Domain 4Developing Self and Others8 strands
  5. Domain 5Building Connections5 strands

The SOLO taxonomy

SOLO stands for Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome. It describes how complete and connected a response is. DepEd uses it as the framework underneath NASH items.

The levels describe the taxonomy in general. DepEd scored FY 2025 responses from 0 to 3 but does not publish how the levels map to those points.

  1. PrestructuralMisses the point of the task.
  2. UnistructuralUses one relevant idea.
  3. MultistructuralUses several relevant ideas without connecting them.
  4. RelationalConnects the ideas into a coherent whole.
  5. Extended abstractGeneralizes the whole to new situations.

How it is delivered and scored

This is how DepEd ran the FY 2025 assessment, from its memoranda, user guides, and the administration guide for facilitators. Expect the next administration to work the same way unless its memorandum says otherwise.

  • Onsite, on the DepEd LMS

    You take the assessment at a designated site, preferably a public secondary school, in a room of about 15 takers with an Assessment Facilitator. The test runs online on the DepEd Learning Management System.

  • Through the Safe Exam Browser

    The assessment opens only in the Safe Exam Browser, a locked-down browser. The facilitator types its password on your laptop, and no other application may run while you answer.

  • On your own laptop

    You bring the laptop, its charger, and your internet device: pocket Wi-Fi, a modem, or a phone used as a hotspot. DepEd’s minimum is Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 10.15 or later, 4 GB of memory, and 5 Mbps.

  • Three hours, one start

    In FY 2025 Batch 2, every taker started at 9:00 a.m. and ended at 12:00 noon. Time spent on personal necessities counts, and late arrivals get no extra time. The test submits itself when time runs out.

  • Built to survive disconnections

    Your answers save as you go. If the connection drops, you reopen the Safe Exam Browser, the facilitator re-enters the password, and you continue where you stopped. You can flag items and return to them.

  • Scored with partial credit

    The FY 2025 results memoranda score each response from 0 to 3 with the Ordinal Partial Credit Model and report scores on a scale of 1 to 100, overall and by PPSSH domain.

DepEd does not publish the number of items. The FY 2025 results memoranda set each competency level by a score of 65 overall and in at least three or four domains. See what each competency level means, or read how the online assessment works, step by step.

How an administration works

Each administration has its own memorandum. FY 2025 Batch 2 followed these steps, from application to results.

  1. DepEd announces the administration

    A memorandum names the target takers, the schedule, the assessment fee, and the instructions. For FY 2025 Batch 2, it was HRODI Strand Memorandum DM-OUHROD-2025-3318.

  2. You apply online through the NASH-OAS

    You create an account at nash.deped.gov.ph with your own DepEd email and upload clear scanned PDFs of your documents. Details you enter cannot be changed later, because they carry over to the LMS and your results.

  3. Your division evaluates, your region validates

    The SDO evaluator checks your documents against the memorandum, then the Regional Office validator checks them again. Your status shows each step: For SDO Review, For RO Validation, Re-apply, or Disapproved.

  4. You get your assessment permit at the SDO

    At For Verification and Payment, you bring your original documents and two recent passport photos and pay the assessment fee. For Batch 2 it was PHP 720. The signed permit is your proof of payment on both assessment days.

  5. You take a mock assessment, then the actual one

    The mock tests your laptop, the Safe Exam Browser, and your login on the DepEd LMS, and lets you practice the procedures before the actual assessment.

  6. DepEd releases the results

    Official results come out in a DepEd memorandum. You download your Individual Certificate of Rating from the DepEd LMS, and your Individual Development Report arrives at your DepEd email.

Who took the 2025 batches

DepEd works toward one principal for every school. For the first 2025 batch, takers had to meet all three parameters:

  • Incumbents of positions affected by the Expanded Career Progression System, such as Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals, or incumbent Teachers-in-Charge.
  • Personnel who meet the revised qualification standards for School Principal I under DO 019, s. 2025.
  • Personnel who have not yet passed the NQESH or the Principal’s Test.

Batch 2 opened to:

  • Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals, whether or not they meet the qualification standards for School Principal I, including those rated With Developmental Areas in Batch 1.
  • FY 2021 NQESH takers under Category C, and FY 2023 NQESH takers under Categories B and C, whether or not they meet the qualification standards.
  • Other personnel who meet the new CSC-approved qualification standards for School Principal I.

Later administrations may set different target takers. Check the memorandum for the one you plan to take.

Integrity rules

DepEd guards the credibility of the assessment. Its memorandum spells out what is forbidden and what happens to violators.

  • No affiliated review providers

    DepEd is not affiliated with anyone who charges for review classes or claims access to the test content. It warns applicants against anyone who claims otherwise.

  • No access to test content

    Seeking test content, directly or indirectly, or offering bribes to officials leads to investigation and possible administrative action under DO 49, s. 2006.

  • Permits for DepEd reviewers

    DepEd personnel who run review sessions must send BHROD-HRDD their approved permit to practice outside official hours. It must name the organization, their role, and the schedule.

Where NASH Reviewer stands

NASH Reviewer is an independent practice platform. It has no access to NASH items, and every question on it is an original practice item. No review provider can show you the actual assessment. Read the disclaimer.

How to prepare

The NASH rewards leadership judgment grounded in the standards. Build that judgment early, and keep your paperwork ready.

  1. Check your qualifications now

    Count your management units, relevant experience, and training hours, and keep clear scanned copies of the documents that prove them. Training counts only if you completed it within the last 5 years.

  2. Study the PPSSH in depth

    The assessment is aligned with the five domains. Learn each strand and how practice deepens across career stages.

  3. Practice situational judgment

    SOLO-based items reward answers that connect policy, people, and context. Practice explaining why an action fits the situation.

  4. Learn from practicing principals

    DepEd strongly encourages aspiring school heads to join coaching and mentoring sessions with experienced, proficient principals.

Before you meet a mentor, map your strengths and blind spots across the five domains with the Johari Window for aspiring school heads, so you know what to ask about.

Common questions

Short answers drawn from the issuances. Your division office has the final word on your case.

Prepare for the NASH

Be ready before the next NASH is announced

DepEd announced the first 2025 batch less than a month before its mock exam. Build your situational judgment now, before the memorandum arrives.

Start practicing freeCompare plans

What you practice with

  • Timed situational items, two minutes each
  • Items aligned with the five PPSSH domains and the SOLO taxonomy
  • Partial credit and an explanation for every choice
  • Premium: every practice set and a NASH-style mock exam
Free
34 practice sets
30-day pass
₱1,000 for 30 days
Lifetime
₱3,000 once

Practice scores are study aids, not official NASH ratings.

Sources

This guide summarizes these DepEd and government issuances. Check the official text before you act on any rule.

  • DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025Administration of the NASH. Renames the NQESH, sets its purpose and coverage, and states the integrity rules.
  • Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022Establishes the Expanded Career Progression System and the School Administration career line.
  • DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2020Adopts the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads.
  • DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2024Amends the recruitment guidelines. Requires the assessment for first appointments and sets how its score counts.
  • DepEd-DBM Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025Sets the position classification, salary grades, and career progression of teachers and school heads.
  • DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2025Adopts CSC Resolution No. 2500471, the amended qualification standards for School Principal I to IV.
  • DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025Guidelines on implementing the Expanded Career Progression System, including the transition period.
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 and No. 044, s. 2026Results of the FY 2025 NASH, Batches 1 and 2. Set out the scoring method and the three competency levels.
  • HRODI Strand Memorandum No. DM-OUHROD-2025-3318Updates and instructions on the administration of FY 2025 NASH Batch 2: target takers, the online application, the assessment fee, and site requirements, with five annexes.
  • HRODI Strand Memorandum No. DM-OUHRODI-2026-0789Rescheduling of FY 2025 NASH Batch 2, with the reminder to log in to the DepEd LMS and update your profile.
  • NASH-OAS Guide for Applicants and NASH LMS User GuideDepEd ICTS user guides for the online application, device requirements, the Safe Exam Browser, and taking the assessment on the DepEd LMS.
  • NASH Administration Guide for Assessment FacilitatorsThe rules read to takers, allowed items, the three-hour duration, and what happens when a connection drops.
  • Bidding documents, November 2024Terms of reference for the online administration of the NQESH, procured by BHROD. Cited here only for DepEd’s purposes for the assessment.

For official questions, contact the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development, Human Resource Development Division, at bhrod.hrdd@deped.gov.ph, or visit the official DepEd website. NASH Reviewer is not affiliated with DepEd, BHROD, or NEAP.