Medical Technology Licensure Examination Outcomes in the Philippines: A Secondary Analysis of HEI Passing Rates by Region and Accreditation Status, 2018–2023

The Medical Technology Licensure Examination (MTLE) is a key national mechanism for assuring entry-level competence in medical technology practice in the Philippines, and institutional MTLE outcomes are frequently interpreted as indicators of program quality among Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This study examined MTLE performance patterns of selected Philippine HEIs from March 2018 to August 2023, with emphasis on geographic location and accreditation/recognition status as institutional differentiators. A retrospective quantitative secondary-data design was used, drawing HEI overall MTLE performance data from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and accreditation/recognition information from PACUCOA, PAASCU, CHED designations, and institutional sources. HEIs were included based on offering BS Medical Technology/BS Medical Laboratory Science and consistently producing examinees across the MTLE administrations within the study window. One-sample t-tests were applied to compare aggregated HEI performance against national passing percentages, and independent-samples t-tests were used to compare accredited/recognized versus non-accredited institutions. Across the study period, the selected HEIs posted a collective mean passing rate of 54.9% relative to a national average of 65.05%, falling below the national benchmark in most examination periods. Regional comparisons showed higher mean performance in the Visayas (65.4%) and NCR (60.9%) than in Luzon (54.1%) and Mindanao (42.6%). Accredited/recognized HEIs also demonstrated higher performance than non-accredited HEIs across periods. These findings suggest that institutional MTLE outcomes vary systematically by geography and accreditation/recognition status, with implications for quality assurance, targeted program support, and policy-driven capacity-building across regions.