Examining testing practices in other countries can help formulate ideas and issues in establishing a national assessment system in the United States. Based on recent reports by the Office of Technology and Assessment and the National Endowment for the Humanities, this digest provides an overview of the national examinations in several European nations and Japan. Further information about the programs can be found in the references. The test provided strict comparability across the entire country. At age 15 to 16, students begin a three-year, specialized course of study.
Students also take oral exams in some subjects, usually languages.
Federal Republic of Germany. Students take the Abitur at the end of that time. In 1986, 23.7 percent of the students taking the exam qualified for the university. Today, that number is higher. Because so many students now qualify for the university in Germany, those wanting to pursue some of the most desirable fields, like medicine, have to undergo further tests and interviews and must sometimes wait some time before being admitted to those programs.