Central Secondary School Entrance Exam (Hungary)Központi felvételi

Overview

The Központi írásbeli felvételi vizsga (Central Written Entrance Exam) is Hungary's standardised entrance test used by academically selective secondary schools, most often gimnáziums, to screen applicants before making their own admission decisions. It is organised nationally by the Oktatási Hivatal (Educational Authority), under the Ministry of Education, and sets the same Hungarian-language and mathematics questions for every candidate on the same day, so schools can compare applicants on a common basis. The exam itself does not grant or deny admission directly - each secondary school combines the written-exam score with the candidate's school grades and, often, its own interview to build its own ranking and offer list.

Who can apply

The exam is most commonly taken by students finishing grade 8 of primary school (általános iskola) who are applying to a 4-year gimnázium or another selective secondary programme that requires it. The same written exam, in parallel versions, is also offered to applicants to 6-year and 8-year gimnáziums, who sit it earlier, at the end of grade 6 or grade 4 respectively. Not every secondary school requires the central written exam - some set admission by school grades and an interview alone - so applicants need to check each target school's own published admission requirements (felvételi tájékoztató) to see whether it applies.

Registration for the written exam itself is separate from, and earlier than, applying to a specific secondary school. A student registers for the exam through their own primary school, and may sit it at a different school than any of the ones they plan to apply to.

Exam pattern

The written exam covers two subjects, sat on the same morning:

A 15-minute break separates the two papers. Every candidate nationwide answers the same questions for their grade level (grade 8, grade 6, or grade 4 versions differ from each other). Candidates who miss the main sitting for a documented valid reason can sit a makeup exam a short time later, set by the Educational Authority each year.

Marking and results

Each paper is marked out of 50 points, for a combined maximum of 100 points on the written exam alone. Results are published a few weeks after the sitting, and candidates can request to review their marked papers.

Secondary schools that use the central written exam then build their own combined admission score, which by law must weight the written-exam result at no less than 50% of the total and any interview at no more than 25%; the remainder comes from the candidate's primary-school grades ("hozott pontok"). A widely used model splits a 200-point total as: up to 50 points from school grades, up to 100 points from the central written exam (Hungarian plus mathematics), and up to 50 points from a school interview. Schools that hold an interview typically only invite candidates who clear a minimum combined written-exam score they set themselves. Because each school publishes its own exact formula and thresholds, candidates should read the specific school's admission notice rather than assume one fixed scheme applies everywhere.

Important dates

For admission to secondary schools starting in September 2026, the published 2025/2026 cycle ran as follows:

• 1 December 2025: deadline to register for the central written exam through the primary school.

• 24 January 2026: main sitting of the central written exam.

• 3 February 2026: makeup sitting for candidates with a valid documented absence.

• 13 February 2026 (approximate): results of the written exam published.

• 19 February 2026: deadline to submit the application form and student data sheet to chosen secondary schools, through the KIFIR (Középfokú Felvételi Információs Rendszer) system.

• 25-26 June 2026: enrolment at the secondary school that admitted the candidate.

Registering for the written exam does not replace applying to a secondary school - the two steps use separate forms and separate deadlines, and a candidate must complete both.

How to apply

A grade 8 (or grade 6/4) student registers for the central written exam through their own primary school by the national deadline, usually in early December the year before admission. Separately, after receiving the written-exam results, the student (with a parent or guardian) completes an application form and student data sheet listing the secondary schools and programmes they are applying to, in order of preference, and submits these through the KIFIR system by the published February deadline. Each chosen secondary school then calculates its own combined score from the written-exam result, school grades, and (where used) an interview, and ranks all its applicants.

After the exam

Secondary schools publish a provisional ranking of applicants, and the Educational Authority runs a central matching process that assigns each candidate to one school based on their preference order and each school's ranking and available places. Candidates who are not placed are told next steps for later or alternative admission rounds. Candidates confirmed for a place enrol at their assigned secondary school in June, ahead of the new school year starting in September.

Preparation tips

• Practise with the Educational Authority's past central written exam papers, since question style and difficulty are set consistently year to year for each grade level.

• Build timed practice for both papers: 45 minutes each is short, and mathematics allows only basic drawing instruments, no calculator.

• Check each target secondary school's own admission notice early, since weighting of the written exam, school grades, and any interview varies by school within the legal limits.

• If an interview is likely (because a target school's minimum written-exam score is within reach), prepare for a general conversation rather than a subject-knowledge test, since most schools use it to assess motivation and fit rather than further academic content.

FAQs