page_title: Matura
section_title: In Poland
hierarchical_section_title: Matura / In Poland
caption_attribution_description: Henryk Zieliński świadectwo dojrzałości (obie strony)
context_page_description: Matura or its translated terms is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine.
  It is taken by young adults at the end of their secondary education, and generally must be passed in order to apply to a university or other institutions of higher education. Matura is a matriculation examination and can be compared to A-Level exams, the Abitur or the Baccalauréat.
context_section_description: In the Polish education system, the exam is officially called egzamin maturalny, but it is commonly known as matura. It is taken on completion of high school, in May (with additional dates in June, and retakes available in August). The exam is not compulsory, although Polish students must pass it in order to be able to apply for higher education courses in Poland and elsewhere.
  A major reform of the exam (originally enacted in 1999, although its introduction was delayed) came into effect as from 2005. Under the old system (popularly called stara matura) candidates' performance was assessed solely by teachers from their own schools. In the new system (nowa matura) written work is assessed by independent examiners. This is considered to make the results more objective, and as a result Polish higher education institutions no longer run entrance exams (as they did under the old system), but base their admissions primarily on matura results.
  As of 2015, every student taking the matura takes three compulsory exams at "basic level" (poziom podstawowy) in:
  Polish language (including knowledge of Polish and European literature)
  A selected modern language (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish or Russian)
  Mathematics
  as well as at least one subject at "extended level" (poziom rozszerzony). These include the above as well as biology, chemistry, geography, social studies, history, history of art, history of music, information technology, physics and astronomy, Latin and Ancient History, philosophy, another modern language, languages of ethnic groups in Poland (Belarusian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian), Kashubian and Lemko language.
  Exams in Polish language and other languages include both a written paper and an oral examination.
  Results are currently expressed as percentages. To pass the matura it is necessary to score at least 30% in each of the three compulsory exams. The results of the additional exams do not affect whether a student passes, but are usually a factor when applying for higher education places. Since the year 2015 the results are expressed not only as percentages, but are also accompanied by percentiles on the Matura certificate. This aims to make comparisons between Matura scores from different years fairer.
  The exams are conducted by the Central Examination Board (Centralna Komisja Egzaminacyjna; CKE) , assisted by a number of Regional Examination Boards (Okręgowa Komisja Egzaminacyjna; OKE). The same bodies also conduct tests for pupils completing primary school, and examinations at the end of middle school (gimnazjum).
  A custom associated with the matura is the studniówka, a ball organized for students and their teachers approximately one hundred days before the examinations begin. Following a popular superstition, candidates (particularly female ones) wear red underwear at the ball, and then wear the same items for the exam itself, to bring luck.
caption: A 1938 matura certificate (titled świadectwo dojrzałości, "certificate of maturity")
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