Overview
The Държавни зрелостни изпити (DZI), usually called "матура" (matura) in everyday speech, are Bulgaria's state matriculation exams. They are sat at the end of grade 12, the final year of secondary school, by students who are typically around 18-19 years old. Passing the required DZI exams is what earns a student the Diploma for Secondary Education (Диплома за средно образование), and DZI results also feed into admission at many Bulgarian universities.
Who can apply
DZI is for students completing grade 12 of a Bulgarian secondary school in the year they sit the exams, as well as earlier graduates who have not yet sat or passed their matriculation exams. A student can only take a DZI in a subject that was actually taught at their school, so the choice of elective subject is limited to what the school offered.
Exam pattern
Every student sits two compulsory DZI exams, and may additionally sit further elective DZI exams if they want extra subjects to support a university application.
| Exam | Status | Subject | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| First DZI | Compulsory for all students | Bulgarian Language and Literature | Three timed modules: two 60-minute modules of closed- and open-answer questions on grammar, spelling, vocabulary and reading comprehension, followed by a 120-minute writing module in which the student chooses between an interpretive literary essay and an essay on a civic topic. Scored out of 100 points. |
| Second DZI | Compulsory, but the subject is the student's choice | One profiling subject the student studied in grades 11-12 (for example a foreign language, mathematics, physics and astronomy, biology and health education, chemistry and environmental protection, history and civilisations, or geography and economics) | Format depends on the subject, generally combining closed- and open-answer items in a written exam, scored out of 100 points. |
| Additional DZI | Optional, by student choice | Any other subject the student studied and wants to add, usually to strengthen a university application | Same points-based scoring as the compulsory exams, held in a separate window after the two compulsory exams. |
Marking and results
Each DZI is marked out of 100 points. MON converts the point total into a grade on Bulgaria's 6-point scale (2.00 Weak to 6.00 Excellent), recorded to two decimal places, using a published conversion scale. Recent sessions have used bands broadly in this range: up to 29 points for Weak (2), 30 to 40.5 for Average (3), 41 to 62 for Good (4), 62.5 to 83.5 for Very good (5), and 84 to 100 for Excellent (6); MON publishes the exact scale for each session. The grades from the two compulsory DZI exams are entered on the Diploma for Secondary Education.
Important dates
For the 2025/2026 school year, the main (May-June) session has the Bulgarian Language and Literature exam on 20 May 2026 and the second compulsory exam on 22 May 2026, with additional elective DZI exams held between 26 May and 2 June 2026; results are due to be published by 11 June 2026. A later session for students who missed or did not pass the May-June exams runs in August 2026, with Bulgarian Language and Literature on 21 August 2026, the second compulsory exam on 24 August 2026, and additional exams between 25 and 28 August 2026.
After the exam
Passing the two compulsory DZI exams, together with completing grade 12 coursework, qualifies a student for the Diploma for Secondary Education. Many Bulgarian universities also use DZI grades, alongside the diploma's overall grade, when calculating a candidate's admission score (бал) for a chosen programme; the exact weighting is set by each university and published in its own admission rules. Some universities and programmes, particularly competitive or specialised ones such as medicine, additionally require their own separate entrance exams (кандидатстудентски изпити) rather than relying on DZI scores alone, so students should check the admission rules of each university they are applying to.
Preparation tips
Study from the official учебно-изпитни програми (exam syllabi) that MON publishes for each DZI subject, since the exams are set directly against these programmes.
For the Bulgarian Language and Literature exam, practise all three modules, especially the 120-minute essay module, since it carries a large share of the total points.
Choose the second, elective DZI subject based on both personal strength and the admission formula of the universities and programmes being targeted, since that choice affects the eventual admission score.
Check in advance whether a target university or programme also requires a separate entrance exam in addition to DZI results.
Is passing DZI the same as being admitted to university?
No. DZI results confirm completion of secondary education and are used by many universities as part of their admission score, but admission itself depends on each university's own rules, and some programmes require a separate entrance exam as well.
Can a student sit more than two DZI exams?
Yes. Beyond the two compulsory exams, a student can sit additional elective DZI exams in other subjects they studied, usually to support applications to universities that consider those subjects.
What happens if a student does not pass a compulsory DZI?
Students who do not sit or do not pass a compulsory DZI in the May-June session can take it again in the August session held later the same year.
How is the elective second compulsory subject chosen?
Students choose it from the profiling subjects they studied in grades 11-12; a subject can only be chosen for DZI if it was actually taught at the student's school.