The A&E test is not a shortcut around school. It is a certification instrument: it measures whether you already have the competencies a level of basic education is supposed to give you, and if you do, it certifies that.
Understanding what it certifies — and, more importantly, where that certificate lets you go next — is the whole point.
What it is
DepEd's own description: the ALS Accreditation and Equivalency assessment and certification "is a process that comprises an exam and other appropriate assessments to measure the competencies acquired by ALS learners" against the ALS Basic Education Curriculum.
The legal basis is Republic Act No. 11510, the Alternative Learning System Act. Section 10 requires DepEd to "regularly conduct ALS A&E assessments and certifications as a means to measure and certify competencies of ALS program completers and other learners who opt to secure elementary and secondary level certifications."
Note the phrase "and other learners who opt to secure" certification. The A&E route is not restricted to people who completed an ALS programme.
The current implementing framework is DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026, the Implementing Guidelines of the Enhanced Alternative Learning System. It provides that beginning school year 2026-2027, all schools division offices implement the Revised ALS Curriculum for the Basic Literacy Program, A&E Elementary and A&E Junior High School.
The two levels, and what each maps to
| Level | Formal equivalent | Competency bands |
|---|---|---|
| A&E Elementary | Key Stage 2 — Grades 4 to 6 | Intermediate |
| A&E Junior High School | Grades 7 to 10 | Upper Intermediate (Grades 7-8), Proficient (Grades 9-10) |
DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 puts it directly. A&E Elementary "is equivalent to Key Stage 2 of formal basic education. It corresponds to Grades 4 to 6 of the formal system in terms of content and performance standards and learning competencies," and learners are expected to demonstrate mastery across all six Learning Strands.
A&E Junior High School "advances the ALS learners to a deeper understanding of the learning competencies from all six Learning Strands that are equivalent to Grades 7 to 10." Its competencies split into two bands: Upper Intermediate, matching Grades 7 to 8, and Proficient, matching Grades 9 to 10.
The six Learning Strands, which are the ALS equivalent of subjects, are:
- Communication Skills (English and Filipino)
- Scientific and Critical Thinking Skills
- Mathematical and Problem-Solving Skills
- Life and Career Skills
- Understanding the Self and Society
- Digital Citizenship
If you are new to ALS as a whole, start with our Alternative Learning System guide and the ALS requirements guide.
The test is no longer the whole certification
This is the change most guides have not caught up with.
DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 states that "the A&E certification process for Elementary and Junior High School levels shall include both Presentation Portfolio Assessment (PPA) and A&E Test."
A presentation portfolio, in the order's own definition, is "a collection of a learner's achievements, assembled specifically for assessment," containing formal records that document the learner's background and experience, the learning process followed, and work samples the learner selected to show what they can do, plus records of progress toward stated learning goals.
So the certification now rests on two legs: a standardised test and an assessed body of your own work. If you are preparing, prepare both.
The test itself is administered by the Bureau of Education Assessment in coordination with the Bureau of Alternative Education, and is based on the competencies of the Revised ALS Curriculum. BEA and BAE also issue the registration and test administration guidelines — which is exactly why registration windows, test dates and the passing standard are published per cycle rather than being fixed in the calendar. DepEd's A&E page says plainly that a DepEd memorandum on the upcoming test will be issued to provide further details.
Do not plan around a date or a cut-off you read on a forum. Get the current cycle's memorandum from your Community Learning Center or Schools Division Office.
Where the certificate actually takes you
This is the part worth reading twice, because the pathways are specific.
DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 sets them out in sequence:
- Basic Literacy Program completers are eligible to enrol either in A&E Elementary or in Grade 4 of the formal system.
- A&E Elementary passers are eligible to enrol either in A&E Junior High School or in Grade 7 of the formal system.
- A&E Junior High School passers are eligible to enrol either in ALS Senior High School or in senior high school of the formal system.
RA 11510 adds a parallel route: those who pass the junior high school A&E "are qualified for senior high school or may enroll in selected technical vocational education and training programs, as appropriate, through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)." Our TESDA NC levels guide explains what that certification ladder looks like.
DepEd also describes the A&E certificate as a duly signed official document that "certifies their competencies as comparable graduates of the formal education system," carrying the DepEd seal, the ALS logo, the Schools Division Office logo and dry seal, and the name of the school or Community Learning Center concerned.
The senior high school catch
Here is where people get caught.
Passing the junior high school A&E does not qualify you for college. It qualifies you for senior high school. Under K to 12, college admission runs through senior high school completion, and the A&E JHS certificate is a junior high school credential.
There is one narrow exception on DepEd's own A&E page, and it is worth stating precisely because it is often quoted too broadly. Under DepEd Order No. 27, s. 2018 — an amendment to DepEd Order No. 42, s. 2015 on high school graduates eligible to enrol in HEIs — passers of earlier high school level A&E tests, who were high school graduates of the old basic education curriculum for ALS, were made eligible from school year 2018-2019 onward to enrol in college or university as first year students subject to each HEI's admission policies, or to take skills development training, or to enrol in senior high school.
That eligibility attaches to specific past test administrations under the old curriculum. It is not a general rule about A&E passers today.
And the senior high school level A&E
RA 11510 contemplates a senior high school level A&E: "Those who pass the senior high school level A&E are qualified for higher education, as appropriate, provided that they comply with the other basic requirements set by the schools or higher education institutions (HEIs)."
But DepEd's current implementing guidelines do not run an SHS-level A&E test in the way the elementary and JHS levels run. DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 instead has ALS SHS learners enrol in the ALS SHS programme, and provides that they "shall follow equivalent exit assessment requirements to that of formal SHS students. This may include taking a national exit assessment, such as but not limited to the National Assessment Test for Grade 12, a special ALS SHS exit assessment, or other assessment requirements to be specified by BAE." The order also says separate guidelines on the strengthened ALS SHS curriculum will be issued.
In plain terms: at senior high level, the current route is enrolment plus an exit assessment, not a standalone equivalency exam. If someone tells you there is an SHS A&E test you can simply register for, ask them for the DepEd issuance.
Who ALS SHS is for
DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 defines ALS senior high school learners to include junior high school completers from the ALS A&E programme, junior high school completers from the formal system who in special cases cannot enrol in formal SHS, dropouts of formal SHS who cannot return, and over-age Grade 10 PEPT passers eligible for SHS in special cases.
That last category matters, because PEPT and A&E get confused constantly. They are different instruments with different purposes — see our PEPT guide and the senior high school enrolment guide for how each is used.
Practical notes
Registration costs nothing to try, but it costs time. Registration is handled through schools division offices and community learning centers within an announced window. Missing the window means waiting for the next cycle.
The portfolio is not busywork. With the presentation portfolio now formally part of the certification process, learners who have kept records of their work are at a real advantage. Start assembling early.
Both parts follow the Revised ALS Curriculum. DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 is explicit that the A&E Test shall be based on the competencies of the Revised ALS Curriculum. Reviewers built on the old curriculum are less useful than they used to be.
Check where you are going before you sit the test. If your goal is a specific senior high school, TESDA programme or employer, confirm what credential they want before you invest a year. Our guide to ALS online classes covers the flexible delivery options if attendance is the obstacle.
The short version
The A&E test certifies competencies at two levels: elementary, mapped to Grades 4 to 6, and junior high school, mapped to Grades 7 to 10. Certification now combines the test with a presentation portfolio assessment. Passing elementary opens A&E JHS or Grade 7; passing JHS opens senior high school — ALS or formal — or TESDA training. It does not open college directly, and the senior high level operates through ALS SHS with an exit assessment rather than through a standalone equivalency exam.
Dates, registration windows and the passing standard are set per cycle by the Bureau of Education Assessment. Get them from DepEd, not from a review site.
Sources
- Republic Act No. 11510, Alternative Learning System Act (LawPhil Project, Arellano Law Foundation): https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2020/ra_11510_2020.html
- DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 — Implementing Guidelines of the Enhanced Alternative Learning System (Department of Education): https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/DO_s2026_001r-1.pdf
- Department of Education — A&E Test official page: https://www.deped.gov.ph/ae-test/
- Department of Education — official website (for current DepEd memoranda on A&E registration and administration): https://www.deped.gov.ph/
