Widespread system malfunctions have forced the Department of Education (DepEd) to extend the conduct of the Computer-Based National Career Assessment Examination (CB-NCAE) by another month, to the end of February, as teachers and students alike called for its suspension.
The errors raised concerns about the DepEd’s readiness to implement nationwide simultaneous online activities on its platforms.
The NCAE, which used to be a pen-and-paper exam, is the standardized aptitude test administered to Filipino high school students for both public and private schools.
About two million Grade 10 students were scheduled to take the test starting this week until the end of January. The NCAE’s goal is to provide career guidance to students by helping them identify their strengths, interests, and aptitudes before they move into Senior High School or pursue higher education.
But teachers nationwide cited technical limitations, server congestion, and outdated equipment in many schools in declaring a failure of examinations.
In memoranda issued through its regional offices and cascaded to school divisions on January 19, the DepEd said the administration of the online NCAE was extended until February 28, 2026.
In a statement, the department also said its Central Office’s decision “to shift the administration of a large-scale assessment to a computer-based modality marks an important step in testing its capacity, readiness, and resilience in implementing digital examinations.”
“We recognize that such a transition is complex and, as seen in the experiences of other countries—including highly developed ones—inevitably comes with challenges.”
To manage this shift responsibly, the DepEd Central Office “selected a low-stakes examination” in the NCAE as the pilot for this reform, it added.
The Standard also obtained a copy of a memo that directed school division superintendents, supervisors, school heads, and information technology officers to refer to Regional Memorandum No. 036, series of 2026, signed by DepEd Assistant Secretary Dr. Jocelyn Andaya.
DepEd also told Manila Standard a dedicated NCAE task force is providing “focused technical and logistical assistance, and ensuring continuity of administration through rapid response and coordinated troubleshooting efforts.”
Problems were reported in both public and private schools as early as last week during mock trials as teachers struggled to comply with the technical requirements of the online exam for Grade 10 students under DepEd Order No. 108.
But some school districts, the Manila Standard learned, admitted a failure of exams and discontinued the CB-NCAE, supervised by the DepEd through the Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA).
Traditionally, paper-based assessments such as National Achievement Tests are conducted within a one-week testing window, the DepEd said.
“Anticipating the unique demands of computer-based testing, DepEd initially extended the window to two months, covering December and January. (But) in light of the concerns reported by schools and field offices, the Central Office has further extended the testing period until the end of February,” it added.
“This adjustment ensures that scheduling difficulties and technical challenges encountered in the field are adequately addressed,” it said.
In saying it was necessary for the test to push through, the DepEd said: “The issues raised by schools and field offices serve as valuable data points, highlighting areas where investment and capacity-building are most needed.”
“These insights will guide improvements before DepEd administers higher-stakes examinations in the future,” it added.
One teacher, in a Facebook Messenger group created to roll out the test, wrote that the system could not handle the volume of users.
“They don’t have the hardware, they don’t have a big enough server to run the exams nationwide. Everyone from Luzon to Mindanao is congesting the test server. We are all coming back with bad gateway errors,” the teacher said in seeking clarification from DepEd’s central office.
Another school principal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had been preparing for the CB-NCAE since December, “but a week before the mock exam week, we were told mock exams were canceled.”
Two blog posts on social media last week first flagged the issue, prompting Facebook page DepEd Tayo to question the department’s readiness to conduct the exam.
“This system error once again raises concerns about DepEd’s readiness to implement nationwide simultaneous online activities on its platforms,” the post said, noting that many schools encountered similar difficulties.
At Don Bosco High School in Parañaque, examiners faced challenges due to incompatible operating systems and limited facilities.
ICT Coordinator Raymond Peñaflor told Manila Standard the school attempted to use two computer laboratories, but only one could function properly.
“We are trying to accommodate (students with) two computer laboratories located in Junior High School and Senior High School buildings. Unfortunately, dahil ang OS doon nasa Windows 8 ay hindi kaya. Ang nangyayari, dahil nagru-runtime error, di magamit ang Senior High,” Peñaflor said.
As a result, 417 students had to be accommodated in the Junior High School computer laboratory, which has only 26 computer units that meet the prescribed system requirements, he added.
Guidance counselor Mary Ann Tolentino said the school’s computers are outdated, having been installed years before the pandemic.
“Nung dinala yun dito, parang 2015…2016, if I’m not mistaken. Ganun na sya katagal. So yun yung naging problem namin dito, masyadong mababa siya,” she said.
(When the computers were brought here, it was around 2015… 2016, if I’m not mistaken. That’s how long it has been. So that became our problem here, their specifications were too low.)
Similar issues were reported by teachers in other provinces, particularly involving server congestion during the simultaneous nationwide conduct of the exam.
