What the Psychometrician (RPm) board exam covers, from PRC's Table of Specifications: 4 subjects, topic weights, item counts, and the 75% passing rule.
Mariano Luiz King
Published November 5, 2026 ยท Updated November 9, 2026
The Psychometrician (RPm) board exam, officially the Psychometricians Licensure Examination (PMLE), has four subjects: Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and Psychological Assessment. Assessment alone is 40% of your grade. This post breaks down every topic PRC's Table of Specifications lists, with its weight and item count.
Where this coverage comes from: Everything here comes from PRC's own documents, not forum posts. The topics, weights, and item counts are from the Board of Psychology's Enhanced Table of Specifications (Resolution No. 02, s. 2023, Annex B, dated February 2023), which applies from the June 2023 exam onward. The schedule is from PRC's revised program for the September 2026 exam. The passing rule is from RA 10029. I checked all of it in November 2026.
A Table of Specifications (TOS) is the blueprint the Board writes questions from. It sets the topics and how many items each one gets.
Taking the Psychologist exam instead? That one has different, "advanced" subjects. See the Psychologist board exam coverage.
As of the September 1 and 2, 2026 exam:
| Detail | What PRC says |
|---|---|
| Subjects | 4, two per day |
| Items | 100 per subject, except Psychological Assessment with 130 (from the TOS) |
| Time per subject | 3 hours |
| Difficulty mix | 30% easy, 40% moderate, 30% difficult (from the TOS) |
| To pass | 75% weighted average, with no subject below 60% (RA 10029) |
| Day | Time | Subject | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:00 to 11:00 AM | Developmental Psychology | 20% |
| 1 | 1:00 to 4:00 PM | Abnormal Psychology | 20% |
| 2 | 8:00 to 11:00 AM | Industrial-Organizational Psychology | 20% |
| 2 | 1:00 to 4:00 PM | Psychological Assessment | 40% |
PRC moved the August 2026 Psychologist and Psychometrician exams to September 1 and 2 because of heavy rainfall warnings. Dates can shift, so always check PRC's latest advisory.
| Topic | Weight | Items |
|---|---|---|
| Psychometric Properties and Principles | 30% | 39 |
| Research Methods and Statistics | 15% | 20 |
| Test Administration, Scoring, Interpretation and Usage | 15% | 20 |
| Selection of Assessment Methods and Tools | 15% | 19 |
| Ethical Principles and Standards of Practice | 15% | 19 |
| Uses, Benefits and Limitations of Assessment Tools | 10% | 13 |
Psychometric properties are things like reliability and validity: how you know a test measures what it should, consistently. It's 39 items, the single biggest topic in the whole exam.
| Topic | Weight | Items |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental Issues and Tasks across the Stages | 30% | 30 |
| Developmental Challenges and Milestones across the Stages | 30% | 30 |
| Developmental Theories | 25% | 25 |
| Perspectives on Nature and Nurture | 5% | 5 |
| Research Methods in Developmental Psychology | 5% | 5 |
| Developmental Principles | 5% | 5 |
The theories topic names Freud's psychosexual theory, Erikson's psychosocial theory, and Piaget's cognitive theory, among others.
| Topic | Weight | Items |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological Disorders and Specific Symptoms (based on DSM-5) | 50% | 50 |
| Theoretical Approaches to the Causes of Disorders | 20% | 20 |
| Therapeutic Interventions | 10% | 10 |
| Global Health Crisis and Mental Health Law | 10% | 10 |
| Manifestations of Behavior (normal vs. abnormal) | 5% | 5 |
| Socio-cultural Factors and Ethics in Diagnosis | 5% | 5 |
Half of this subject is DSM-5 disorders and their symptoms. The DSM-5 is the manual clinicians use to diagnose mental disorders.
| Topic | Weight | Items |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resource Development and Management | 25% | 25 |
| Organization Theory | 20% | 20 |
| Organizational Structures and Systems | 20% | 20 |
| Organizational Change and Development | 20% | 20 |
| Team Dynamics | 15% | 15 |
RA 10029 says you need a weighted average of at least 75%, with no subject below 60%.
Because Assessment is 40%, it moves your average twice as much as any other subject. Here's an example:
| Subject | Your score | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developmental | 70% | 20% | 14.0 |
| Abnormal | 72% | 20% | 14.4 |
| Industrial-Organizational | 70% | 20% | 14.0 |
| Psychological Assessment | 82% | 40% | 32.8 |
| Weighted average | 75.2% |
That passes, even though three subjects are in the low 70s.
There's also a retake rule. If your average is 75% or higher but one subject is below 60%, you can retake just that subject within the next two years. You pass once you get at least 75% in it.
If you don't pass, the retake rules are in what happens if you fail the board exam. Recent results are in board exam passing rates.
Psychological Assessment, and within it, psychometric properties (39 items). It's the heaviest topic in the heaviest subject. After that, DSM-5 disorders (50 items in Abnormal Psychology) are the next big block.
Developmental Psychology (20%), Abnormal Psychology (20%), Industrial-Organizational Psychology (20%), and Psychological Assessment (40%).
A weighted average of at least 75%, with no subject below 60%, under RA 10029.
430 based on the TOS: 100 each in Developmental, Abnormal, and I-O Psychology, and 130 in Psychological Assessment.
Yes. The TOS bases the psychological disorders topic in Abnormal Psychology on DSM-5. It's 50 of the subject's 100 items.
They're separate exams with different subjects. The Psychologist exam uses advanced subjects, including Counseling and Psychotherapy. See the Psychologist board exam coverage.
Ready to test yourself? Try the free Psychometrician board exam reviewer. I built prepPH, so I'm biased, but every question there comes with an explanation. For a study plan, read how to review for the PRC board exam. When you're ready to apply, see how to apply for the PRC board exam online (LERIS) and how much the PRC board exam costs. To plan your weeks, see how long to review for the RPm board exam, and to decide on a review center, see can you pass the RPm board exam with self-review? and RPm review center fees.
Practice Psychometrician (RPm) Board Exam questions
Try free mock questions for every Psychometrician (RPm) Board Exam subtest, with full explanations.
Try the free questions
.jpg){kind=link}