Complex sentence: High school graduates were not allowed to pick their course of study, and were assigned vocational programs based on their performance on a maltriculation exam, however students in the military were granted a medical waiver from the exams.
Split into simpler sentences: High school graduates were not allowed to pick their course of study, and were instead assigned vocational programs based on their performance on a matriculation exam. However, students in the military were granted a medical waiver from the exams.