Students Complete First Day of Egypt’s High School Exams Amid Mixed Reactions

High School Exams.

The first day of the 2025/2026 academic year high school exams concluded today, with students sitting for tests in religious education and national education, which are not included in the overall score.

Over 921,000 students participated in the religious education exam from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, followed by a 30-minute break before the national education exam commenced from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Social media platforms saw the circulation of portions of both exams shortly after they began, with reports indicating that this occurred between 30 and 45 minutes into the testing. The Central Operations Room at the Ministry of Education monitored these incidents to identify sources and take legal action.

According to Khaled Abdel Hakim, head of the high school exams, instructions were issued to exam supervisors to establish separate entrances for each student group within the examination centers. This measure aims to facilitate student entry and exit while avoiding congestion.

Students were allowed entry starting at 8:15 AM on exam days to complete security checks before entering classrooms. They were required to be seated by 8:50 AM at the latest to collect their answer sheets and write their details before receiving question papers promptly at 9:00 AM.

This week, high school students will continue taking exams for subjects not counted towards their overall scores. The next test will be on Tuesday for a second foreign language, with core subject exams beginning next week with Arabic.

Exams Ease and Appeals

The Egyptian Mothers’ Union for Education Advancement and the Parents Coalition have reported mixed reactions from students and parents regarding the religious and national education exams, noting that both were deemed appropriate for average students.

Abeer Ahmed, founder of the union, urged the Ministry of Education to ensure that examination centers open earlier for student entry. Some students and parents complained about certain centers opening their doors only at 8:45 AM, which wasted valuable time due to delays in security checks and distribution of answer sheets and questions.

Abeer also called on the ministry to publicize hotline numbers for parents nationwide to report any issues during exams.

Parents were advised to encourage their children and create a conducive environment at home while focusing on upcoming tests. They were also urged to avoid distractions from social media that could disrupt students’ concentration.

This year’s examinations are taking place across 613 examination centers comprising a total of 2,032 exam rooms nationwide. This initiative reflects the ministry’s efforts to ensure discipline and effective organization during the examination period.

Notably, this year’s high school exam candidates number stands at 921,709 students across both old and new systems—3,403 under the old system and 918,306 under the new system—highlighting significant efforts made to ensure a smooth examination process across Egypt.

High School Exam Schedule for 2026 (New System)

This week, high school students will take exams in non-scoring subjects (religious education, national education, statistics), while core subject exams will commence next Sunday with Arabic.

• Sunday, June 21, 2026: Religious Education & National Education
• Tuesday, June 23, 2026: Second Foreign Language
• Sunday, June 28, 2026: Arabic Language
• Thursday, July 2, 2026: Chemistry (Science Stream) & Geography (Arts Stream)
• Sunday, July 5, 2026: First Foreign Language
• Thursday, July 9, 2026: Physics (Science Stream) & History (Arts Stream)
• Sunday, July 12, 2026: Pure Mathematics (Mathematics Stream)
• Thursday, July 16, 2026: Biology (Science Stream), Applied Mathematics (Mathematics Stream), & Statistics (Arts Stream)