Overview
I'dadiya (Shahadat al-I'dadiya al-'Amma, the General Preparatory Certificate) is the exam Egyptian students sit at the end of the preparatory stage - the three-year lower-secondary stage that follows primary school. It is run under the Ministry of Education and Technical Education's national subjects and mark scheme, with each governorate's own education directorate organising and administering the sittings for its schools. The result decides whether a student moves into general secondary school or into a technical or vocational secondary track.
Who can apply
Students enrolled in the final (third) year of preparatory school - grade 9, typically around 14 to 15 years old - in schools following the Ministry of Education's national curriculum sit this exam. It is a school-based certification exam rather than an open entrance exam: a student qualifies by completing the preparatory stage at a registered school and registering for the exam through that school.
Exam pattern
The exam is a set of separate written papers, one per subject, held over several days. Five subjects carry marks that are added together into the student's total; a further three subjects are marked separately on a pass/fail basis and are not added to that total.
| Subject | Marks | Counts toward total? |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | 80 | Yes |
| English (or another foreign language offered by the school) | 60 | Yes |
| Mathematics (set as separate Algebra & Statistics and Geometry papers) | 60 | Yes |
| Social Studies | 40 | Yes |
| Science | 40 | Yes |
| Religious Education | 40 | No (pass/fail only) |
| Art Education | 20 | No (pass/fail only) |
| Computer/ICT | 20 | No (pass/fail only) |
For 2026, the five counted subjects added up to a total of 280 marks. Each governorate's directorate schedules the sitting dates and exam halls for its own schools, and in 2026 the Ministry extended its single-sheet "booklet" exam format (question and answer space combined in one booklet, with a different version per student to limit copying) to preparatory certificate exams nationwide.
Marking and results
Results are reported as marks out of the subject total and as a percentage of the overall total. For 2026, the minimum pass mark set for each counted subject was: Arabic 40/80, English (or other foreign language) 30/60, Mathematics 30/60, Social Studies 20/40 and Science 20/40, with an overall minimum of 140 out of 280 (50%) to pass.
Because each governorate's directorate marks and certifies its own schools' papers, the overall pass rate is announced separately by governorate and can differ from one to another. For 2026, reported pass rates included Cairo at 73% and Giza at 70.5%.
Important dates
Registration: students register for the exam through the Ministry's official online portal, moe-register.emis.gov.eg, in the months before the exam (for the cycle sitting in 2027, registration was open into October 2026).
Main exams: held in May or June; for 2026, the written papers began on 4 June.
Second (make-up) round: a second sitting is held about seven to eight weeks after the main round for students who miss or fail it; for 2026, this ran from 25 to 30 July, with papers spread across those days (for example Arabic and handwriting on one day, the Mathematics papers on separate days, and Science, Social Studies and the pass/fail subjects on others).
Results: announced separately by each governorate's education directorate once marking and official approval are complete, typically within a few weeks of that governorate's exams ending; the exact date is not fixed nationally.
After the exam
A student's total mark determines the secondary-school track they are eligible for. Students with higher totals qualify for general secondary school, which leads toward the Thanaweya Amma exam and on to university. Students with lower totals are placed into technical or vocational secondary schools (for example commercial, industrial or agricultural tracks), which lead toward technical diplomas and the technical-track secondary certificate. The exact cut-off used for this placement is set each year and can vary by governorate.
Preparation tips
Learn the mark split before you study: Arabic and English carry the most marks of the counted subjects, so weak spots there affect the total more than weak spots in Social Studies or Science.
Religious Education, Art Education and Computer are pass/fail only - a bare pass is enough in those three, so prioritise study time on the five subjects that count toward the total.
If the main round is missed or failed, the second round a few weeks later covers the same subjects, so keep revising rather than treating a missed main sitting as final.
What is I'dadiya?
It is Egypt's General Preparatory Certificate exam, sat at the end of grade 9 (the last year of the three-year preparatory/lower-secondary stage), under the Ministry of Education and Technical Education's national subjects and mark scheme.
Does it matter which governorate I sit the exam in?
Yes, to an extent. The subjects and mark scheme are set nationally, but each governorate's education directorate schedules its own sittings, marks its own papers and announces its own results and pass rate, so exact dates and pass rates can differ slightly by governorate.
What happens if a student fails a subject?
A second (make-up) round is held about seven to eight weeks after the main exams for students who miss or fail the main round, covering the same subjects.
How does the result affect secondary school?
A higher total places a student into general secondary school, which leads toward the Thanaweya Amma exam and university. A lower total places a student into a technical or vocational secondary track instead.