People say "ALS certificate" as if it were one document. It is not. Depending on what you completed, you may hold any of four different pieces of paper, and they open different doors. Getting the names right is what lets a registrar or an HR officer act on them.
The documents, and what each one is
| Document | Issued by | What it certifies |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Rating (COR) | Bureau of Education Assessment, released through your Schools Division Office | That you passed the A&E Test, at elementary or junior high school level |
| Certification based on the COR | Schools Division Office, signed by the schools division superintendent with the SDO seal | The form CHED tells higher education institutions to look for |
| ALS Form 5 (AF-5) | Your ALS teacher or learning facilitator, certified by the division ALS focal person | Your learning record, the ALS counterpart of the school permanent record |
| Certificate of Program Completion / of completed learning goals | ALS implementer, approved by the Division ALS Focal Person | Basic Literacy Program completion, or the specific competencies you mastered |
The AF-5 is the one people forget they need. UP's General Information Bulletin on first-year admissions, for example, asks applicants who earned credentials through ALS for a certified true copy of the AF-5, alongside the parallel requirement of a Certificate of Rating for PEPT applicants. Ask for it while you are still in contact with your ALS teacher, not three years later. Our DepEd school forms guide explains how the formal-system equivalents work.
What the certificate is equivalent to
DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026, the Implementing Guidelines of the Enhanced Alternative Learning System, maps each ALS programme onto the formal curriculum:
- Basic Literacy Program corresponds to Key Stage 1, Kindergarten to Grade 3.
- A&E Elementary corresponds to Key Stage 2, Grades 4 to 6.
- A&E Junior High School corresponds to Key Stage 3, Grades 7 to 10.
- ALS Senior High School is equivalent to Grades 11 to 12.
DepEd's own A&E Test page describes the certificates as bearing the DepEd seal and certifying holders' competencies as comparable to graduates of the formal education system.
Note the asymmetry: the first three are things you can be certified in through assessment; ALS SHS is a programme you enrol in, not a test you sit. There is no A&E test at senior high school level.
The passing score
Sixty percent of the overall test score, at both levels.
DepEd's A&E test guidelines cite DepEd Memorandum No. 076, s. 2018, "Change in the Passing Score of the 2016 A&E Test from 75% to 60%," and state that the Department adopted the 60 percent passing score for the 2025 A&E test for the overall test score at both the elementary and junior high school levels. CHED's memorandum on ALS admissions also refers to a Certificate of Rating with at least the 60 percent passing score.
Two things this means in practice. There is no per-strand cut-off in that rule; the overall score decides. And the certification process is now two-stage: the guidelines require a Presentation Portfolio Assessment (PPA) before the test, and state that only registered applicants with complete requirements who have passed the PPA are allowed to take the A&E Test. Walk-in test takers are not accommodated.
What it unlocks: further study
Straight from DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026:
- Basic Literacy Program completers may enrol in A&E Elementary, or in Grade 4 of the formal system.
- A&E Elementary passers may enrol in A&E Junior High School, or in Grade 7 of the formal system.
- A&E Junior High School passers may enrol in ALS Senior High School, or Senior High School of the formal system.
The enrolment side confirms it. DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2025, the revised basic education enrolment policy, lists a PEPT or A&E Certificate of Rating among the accepted means of verification for Grade 7 and Grade 11 entrants, and for Balik-Aral learners at any grade level. So a school cannot treat the certificate as unfamiliar paperwork; it is named in the policy it enrols you under.
College is the step people misread. CHED Memorandum Order No. 10, s. 2018, "Policy on Alternative Learning System Completers and Passers of the A&E Test in Relation to the Implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program," directs higher education institutions to accept ALS completers who passed the A&E Test at high school level as first-year students, subject to institutional admission policies, and permits bridging programmes for the general education component. The order describes those passers as high school graduates of the old basic education curriculum for ALS. Since the A&E moved to elementary and junior high school levels, an A&E JHS certificate earned today is not the credential that memorandum covers, and the normal route to a degree runs through Senior High School or ALS SHS first.
One genuine inconsistency worth knowing about: DepEd's public ALS FAQ describes an "A&E senior high school level passer" progressing to college, while DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 treats ALS SHS as a programme whose exit assessment is still to be specified, saying learners will follow requirements equivalent to formal SHS students, possibly a national exit assessment such as the National Assessment Test for Grade 12, a special ALS SHS exit assessment, or other requirements to be set by the Bureau of Alternative Education. If a school tells you something different from what a website says, ask which issuance they are applying.
Our ALS enrolment guide covers the programme end to end, and the ALS requirements guide covers what you present when you first enrol.
What it unlocks: skills training
TESDA sets entry requirements per qualification, in the training regulations for that course, and several accept ALS credentials by name. The Training Regulations for Contact Center Services NC II require trainees to have completed at least 10 years of basic education or to hold an ALS certificate of achievement with Grade 10 equivalent, plus the ability to communicate in English orally or in writing. The same document notes individual schools and training centres may add institutional requirements of their own.
So the practical move is to read the training regulation for the course you want rather than assuming a blanket rule. Our guide on how to get a TESDA certificate covers the assessment side, which is where the National Certificate actually comes from.
DepEd is also building a smaller-grained credential into ALS. DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 defines micro-certification as a flexible means of certifying attainment of specific elements of the Revised ALS Curriculum minimum competencies, usable by the holder as a credential for job application, recruitment or selection, and says opportunities for micro-certification of basic education, life skills, technical-vocational skills and Functional Education and Literacy Programme competencies shall be made available, with separate guidelines to follow. Treat it as coming rather than arrived: the order itself says the implementing guidelines are still to be issued.
What it unlocks: work
Two verifiable openings, and one grey area.
Government internships. DOLE's Government Internship Program names Alternative Learning System completers among eligible applicants, alongside high school and senior high school graduates and holders of national skills certificates, for applicants aged 18 to 30 with no prior government employment, under Department Order No. 204-B, s. 2026. Interns receive a stipend equivalent to the highest prevailing minimum wage in the region.
Skills-based hiring. A National Certificate obtained after TESDA assessment is a labour-market credential in its own right, independent of your schooling level. For what is realistically open without a degree, see jobs without a degree.
Government positions are the grey area. The Civil Service Commission amended its qualification standards through CSC Resolution No. 2500229 to recognise Junior High School (Grade 10) and Senior High School (Grade 12) graduates under K to 12 for first-level positions. The CSC's public communication of that change is framed around K to 12 graduates and does not spell out A&E certificates. If you are applying for a government post on the strength of an A&E certificate, confirm the treatment with a CSC regional office before you rely on it. The eligibility exam is a separate matter, covered in our civil service exam guide.
Private employers set their own rules. There is no national policy that obliges them to accept or reject an A&E certificate, so the fastest route is to ask the HR contact directly.
Nobody may charge you for it
DepEd's A&E test guidelines state that no payment shall be collected for the A&E Test registration, administration, or the issuance of the Certificate of Rating. Section 20 of Republic Act No. 11510 prohibits the collection of all kinds of fees, costs or charges in DepEd ALS programmes, and DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026 restates it as an operating instruction.
Which gives you a simple test. If an offer involves paying for an ALS certificate, paying to be registered for the A&E test, or paying someone to "process" or "rush" a Certificate of Rating, it is not the DepEd programme. A purchased certificate is a forged document, and presenting one to a school or an employer is a much bigger problem than not having the certificate yet. Deal with your Schools Division Office and nobody else.
If you have lost your documents
Go back to the Schools Division Office where you registered for the test. The Certificate of Rating is issued by the Bureau of Education Assessment and released through the division, and the division ALS focal person certifies the AF-5. For higher education applications, that is also the office that produces the certification signed by the schools division superintendent with the division seal, which is the form CHED's memorandum specifies.
Ask for the certification in the form the receiving institution requires before you queue, so you do not make the trip twice.
Sources
- DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026, Implementing Guidelines of the Enhanced Alternative Learning System (PDF), Department of Education: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/DO_s2026_001r-1.pdf
- DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2025, Revised Basic Education Enrollment Policy (PDF), Department of Education: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/DO_s2025_017r.pdf
- 2025 Accreditation and Equivalency Test Registration and Administration Guidelines, citing DepEd Memorandum No. 076, s. 2018 on the passing score (PDF as disseminated by SDO Bohol/Tagbilaran City): https://depedtagbilaran.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DM-NO.-795-s.-2025-ACCREDITATION-AND-EQUIVALENCY-TEST-REGISTRATION-AND-ADMINISTRATION-GUIDELINES.pdf
- A&E Test page, Department of Education: https://www.deped.gov.ph/ae-test/
- ALS Frequently Asked Questions, Department of Education: https://www.deped.gov.ph/als-frequently-asked-questions/
- Republic Act No. 11510, Alternative Learning System Act, LawPhil Project: https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2020/ra_11510_2020.html
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 10, s. 2018, "CHED to HEIs: Accept ALS passers for AY 2018-2019," Commission on Higher Education: https://legacy.ched.gov.ph/ched-to-heis-accept-als-passers-for-ay-2018-2019/
- General Information Bulletin on First-Year Admissions, UP Office of Admissions: https://upcat.up.edu.ph/htmls/aboutupcat.html
- Training Regulations, Contact Center Services NC II (PDF), TESDA: https://www.tesda.gov.ph/Downloadables/TR%20Contact%20Center%20Services%20NC%20II.pdf
- Department Order No. 204-B, s. 2026 on the Government Internship Program, as reported by Human Resources Online: https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/dole-philippines-tightens-internship-rules-to-boost-youth-employability
- Government Internship Program overview, DOLE Regional Office XI GIP portal: https://gip.dole11portal.org/about-gip
- "CSC: 83K entry-level positions open for SHS graduates," GMA News Online, on CSC Resolution No. 2500229: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/962229/csc-83k-entry-level-positions-open-for-shs-graduates/story/
