PMA invites youth to take entrance exam, serve country

Philippine News Agency

Photo Courtesy: PNA

BAGUIO CITY – The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) is encouraging qualified Filipino youth to apply for its entrance examination to be held in 48 testing centers nationwide from July to September.

Lt. Commander Jesse Nestor Saludo, chief of the PMA Public Affairs Office, said applicants must be natural-born Filipino citizens, physically fit, of good moral character, single with no children or legal obligation to support one, and free of administrative or criminal cases.

Applicants must be senior high school graduates (Grade 11 students may also take the exam), have at least an 85 percent general average, and be 17 to 22 years old on the date of admission. Height requirements are between 5 feet and 6 feet 4 inches for both males and females.

The entrance exam will be conducted on July 11-12 in Eastern Mindanao, July 25-26 in Western Mindanao, Aug. 8-9 in the Visayas, Aug. 22-23 in Metro Manila and Regions 4-A, 4-B, and V, and Sept. 5-6 in Central and Northern Luzon. Venues for the July 11-12 exams will be announced later.

Saludo said the entrance examination is the first stage of the academy’s screening process.

Applicants are encouraged to review mathematics, English, verbal and numerical reasoning and pattern analysis. They should also prepare for the physical fitness test, which includes a 3.2-kilometer run, push-ups and sit-ups.

The PMA receives around 35,000 to 40,000 applications each year, with about 20,000 to 25,000 applicants taking the exam.

Successful applicants will undergo four years of military and academic training under the academy’s updated curriculum, leading to a Bachelor of Science in Management major in Security Studies.

Cadets receive free college education, allowances, and training, and upon graduation are commissioned as officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with corresponding benefits and career opportunities.