NAPOLCOM exam schedule 2026: the two sittings, and every window around them.
NAPOLCOM's examination calendar is more predictable than most government exams: two sittings a year, April and October, announced together in the first quarter. What catches applicants out is not the exam date but the registration window, which is five days long and opens at a fixed hour, and the fact that registering online does not finish the application. This guide lays out the 2026 dates NAPOLCOM announced, the windows around each, and what happens in each window, so that nothing about the calendar is a surprise.
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Exam guide
NAPOLCOM Exam Schedule 2026: Dates, Registration and Results
Short answer
NAPOLCOM holds the PNP Entrance and Promotional Examinations twice a year. In 2026 the sittings are Sunday 19 April and Sunday 18 October. Online registration for October ran from 17 to 21 August and on-site processing from 18 August to 17 September. Results come roughly two months after each sitting.
Quick facts
- Sittings
- 19 April and 18 October 2026
- October registration
- 17–21 August 2026 (online)
- October processing
- 18 August – 17 September 2026
- Results
- About 2 months after the exam
- Pattern
- Twice a year, April and October
Primary keyword: napolcom exam schedule 2026
Key takeaways
- Two sittings a year, in April and October, both on a Sunday.
- The online registration window is five days long and opens at noon on its first day. Miss it and you wait for the next sitting.
- Registering online only books an appointment. You then go to your regional office in person during the processing period with your documents and the fee.
- Results for the October 2025 sitting came out on 19 December 2025, two months after the exam. Expect the same rhythm.
- The Police Executive Service Eligibility interview is a separate track for commissioned officers and is not the entrance exam.
The 2026 dates
NAPOLCOM announced both 2026 sittings together at the start of the year. Each sitting has three dated windows: the online registration period, the on-site processing period at the regional offices, and the examination day itself.
| Sitting | Online registration | On-site processing | Exam day |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 16–20 February 2026 | 18 February – 20 March 2026 | Sunday, 19 April 2026 |
| October 2026 | 17–21 August 2026 | 18 August – 17 September 2026 | Sunday, 18 October 2026 |
For the October 2026 sitting. Registration closed on 21 August 2026 and processing closed on 17 September. If you registered and completed processing, your Notice of Admission tells you where to be on 18 October. If you did not, the next opportunity is the April 2027 sitting, whose registration will open in February 2027.
Source: the Philippine Information Agency's report of NAPOLCOM's 2026 examination schedule, the Philippine News Agency's report on the NAPOLCOM online scheduling system
What happens in each window
The three windows are sequential and none can be skipped. Understanding what each one is for prevents the most common application failure, which is assuming that an online confirmation is a completed application.
- 1
Online registration (five days)
You register through the NAPOLCOM Online Scheduling System, reached from napolcom.gov.ph or directly at napolcom-noss.org. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on the first day. You fill in an electronic application form and choose your regional office. The system issues a notice with your on-site processing date. Screenshot it and print it; you will need it at the office.
- 2
On-site processing (about four weeks)
On your appointment date you go to your regional office with the printed notice, two passport-size photos with a white background and a name tag, one valid government ID showing your date of birth, your PSA birth certificate, your transcript or diploma, and the examination fee. Staff evaluate the documents, you complete the application form and information card, and you pay. Only applicants with a confirmed appointment are entertained.
- 3
Notice of Admission
Once processing is complete you receive a Notice of Admission naming your testing center and room. It is the only authoritative source for your venue and you must bring it on exam day.
- 4
Examination day (Sunday)
You sit the paper at the named venue. Arrive early; the gate cutoff is not flexible. Bring the Notice of Admission, a No. 2 pencil, a black ballpen and a valid ID with photo and signature, and wear the prescribed attire.
- 5
Results (about two months later)
NAPOLCOM posts the list of passers on its website and mails a Certificate of Eligibility to passers and a Report of Rating to those who did not pass.
Source: the Philippine News Agency's report on the NAPOLCOM online scheduling system, NAPOLCOM's press release on examination-day reminders, NAPOLCOM's examination results page
When results come out
NAPOLCOM does not commit to a results date in the announcement, but the recent pattern is consistent. The October 2025 examinations were held on 19 October 2025 and the full results, with the top 20 examinees for both the entrance and promotional tests, were released on 19 December 2025, two months to the day. The April 2026 results followed the same rhythm and reported 12,372 passers out of 41,592 examinees across both examinations.
Plan on roughly two months. The list is posted on NAPOLCOM's website, and the paper certificate follows by mail, so a passer can expect to know online before the document arrives.
Source: NAPOLCOM's examination results page, the Philippine Information Agency's report of NAPOLCOM's 2026 examination schedule
The pattern behind the dates, and how to plan a review around it
The April sitting's registration opens in mid-February and the October sitting's in mid-August, each about two months before the exam. That gives a natural planning horizon: if you want to sit in April, your review should already be under way when registration opens in February, and the same for August and October. Registration week is not the week to start.
Counting back from an exam day, eight to twelve weeks of review is the range most passers describe, which puts the start of an October review in July or early August and the start of an April review in January or early February. The free diagnostic on this site takes forty minutes and tells you which of the four areas to start with, which is the single most useful thing to know on day one.
Source: the Philippine Information Agency's report of NAPOLCOM's 2026 examination schedule
Frequently asked questions
How often is the NAPOLCOM exam held?
Twice a year, in April and October, on a Sunday. NAPOLCOM announces both dates together early in the year.
When is the next NAPOLCOM exam?
Sunday, 18 October 2026. Online registration for it ran from 17 to 21 August 2026. The sitting after that will be in April 2027, with registration expected in February 2027.
I registered online. Am I done?
No. Online registration books an appointment at your regional office. You must go there in person during the processing period with your documents and the fee, or no Notice of Admission is issued and you cannot sit.
How long after the exam are results released?
About two months. The October 2025 results were released on 19 December 2025 for an exam held on 19 October 2025.
Now find your floor.
Forty questions across all four subtests, forty minutes, and a per-subject breakdown against the 80.00 pass mark.
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