According to the Amendments of the Bylaw on the Programme of Final Exam in Basic Education, a new concept of the final exam has been introduced from the beginning of the 2022/2023 school year. The final exam will have a new structure, albeit still based on three tests: native language, mathematics and a subject chosen by the student. Instead of a combined test, students will choose one from a list of five subjects: Biology, Geography, History, Physics and Chemistry.

At the end of the eighth grade in Serbia, all students are required to take a final exam in order to complete compulsory basic education. Along with the student’s GPA, final exam results are required for secondary school enrollment, according to the Law on Secondary Education. Until recently, the final exam comprised three tests: native language, mathematics and a combined test (natural and social sciences).

Students who will therefore take the new final exam are:

• All students who complete the eighth grade in the 2022/2023 school year
• students who completed their eighth grade in previous years and did not take the final exam
• the next generation of eighth-grade students

Students can score a maximum of 14 points on the test in the native language, 14 points on the mathematics test and 12 points on the third test.

An eighth-grade student declares their chosen subject for the third test in writing or electronically on the portal dedicated to high school enrollment by 30 December at the latest. Trial testing will also take place. This process will be carried out to support students in their decision-making. The Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation has prepared tests in Biology, Geography, History, Physics and Chemistry to evaluate the knowledge of seventh grade students and to get insights into students’ preferences for these subjects. According to the Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation in Serbia, the new concept of the final exam will make ease life for students and prepare them for the upcoming state graduation exam (State Matura) that will start in 2024.

Source: Eurydice Unit Serbia