Paket A/B/C

Overview

Paket A, Paket B and Paket C (together often called Kejar Paket, from "Kelompok Belajar Paket") are Indonesia's non-formal equivalency education programmes, run under the Ministry of Education through its community-education directorate. They let people outside the regular school system earn a certificate (ijazah) that is legally equivalent to a formal-school diploma at the same level:

• Paket A is equivalent to SD/MI (elementary school, grades 1-6).

• Paket B is equivalent to SMP/MTs (junior secondary school, grades 7-9).

• Paket C is equivalent to SMA/MA (senior secondary school, grades 10-12); some providers also offer a Paket C Kejuruan (vocational) track aligned with SMK.

The programmes are delivered through PKBM (Pusat Kegiatan Belajar Masyarakat, community learning centres), SKB (Sanggar Kegiatan Belajar, government-run learning centres) and recognised community study groups, rather than in regular school classrooms. Passing the end-of-level equivalency exam (Ujian Pendidikan Kesetaraan, UPK) earns an ijazah that holders can use the same way as a formal-school diploma, including to continue to the next level of education or to apply for jobs.

Who can apply

Paket A, B and C are aimed at people who cannot access or complete formal schooling, including:

• Children and youth who dropped out of SD, SMP or SMA before finishing.

• People who never enrolled in formal school because of economic, geographic, disability or other access barriers.

• Working adults and older learners who missed one or more levels of formal schooling earlier in life and want to complete it later.

Learners aged 7 to 18 are the ministry's stated priority group for these programmes, but in practice PKBM and SKB enrol adult learners well beyond that range, since one purpose of the programme is to reach people who are already past normal school age. Typical entry points are:

• Paket A: open to learners from about age 7 (or who turn 6 by 1 July of the intake year) who can already read, write and do basic arithmetic (calistung), or to older learners who never completed SD.

• Paket B: open to Paket A graduates, SD/MI graduates, or SMP dropouts/non-completers of any age.

• Paket C: open to Paket B graduates, SMP/MTs graduates, or SMA/MA/SMK dropouts/non-completers of any age; this is also the level most commonly used by working adults finishing their secondary education.

Registration generally requires a copy of the family card (KK), birth certificate, an ID card (KTP) for applicants aged 17 and over, recent photographs, and a report card or transfer certificate from the applicant's last formal school, where one exists.

Exam pattern

Each package ends with the Ujian Pendidikan Kesetaraan (UPK), the national equivalency exam for that level, held in the final semester of study. Exams are run as paper-based tests (PBT) in most locations, with computer-based testing (CBT) used in some areas depending on the testing centre.

For 2026, the ministry has also been rolling out the Tes Kemampuan Akademik (TKA), a newer academic-ability assessment, for Paket A and Paket B learners alongside the existing UPK structure. Candidates should confirm with their PKBM which assessment format applies to their intake and exam session.

Marking and results

Candidates who meet the passing standard set for their package receive an ijazah Program Paket A, B or C from their learning centre, recorded against the ministry's national student ID (NISN) system. This ijazah carries the same legal standing as a formal-school diploma at the equivalent level (SD/MI, SMP/MTs or SMA/MA), for further study, employment and government recruitment purposes. Results are issued by the testing centre network after the exam papers are checked; candidates who do not pass can usually retake the exam in a later exam session through their PKBM.

Important dates

The UPK is generally held in two main exam windows each year, timed to the odd (gasal) and even (genap) semesters of the non-formal academic calendar, with exact dates set by each province's education office and testing centre. For 2026, commonly reported windows are roughly April-May for Paket A, May-June for Paket B, and June-July for Paket C in the first exam period of the year, with a second window later in the year for learners finishing in the following semester. Exact dates vary by province and PKBM, so candidates should check their own learning centre's exam calendar rather than relying on a single national date.

How to apply

1. Choose and enrol at a PKBM, SKB or recognised community learning group near you that offers the Paket level you need.

2. Submit the required documents: family card (KK) copy, birth certificate, KTP copy if you are 17 or older, photographs, and your most recent school report card or transfer certificate if you attended formal school before.

3. Get registered in the ministry's Dapodik/NISN system through your learning centre, which is needed to sit the UPK later.

4. Attend the programme's learning sessions, which combine in-person tutoring at the centre with self-study modules; many PKBM also offer blended or fully online study options.

5. Register for the Ujian Pendidikan Kesetaraan (UPK) for your level once you reach your final semester of study, through your learning centre.

Paket A, B and C are government programmes supported by operational assistance funding (BOP Pendidikan Kesetaraan) and are generally free or low-cost for learners, though individual PKBM may charge a modest fee for materials, administration or optional extra tutoring; candidates should confirm current fees directly with their chosen learning centre.

After the exam

A Paket A, B or C ijazah is used the same way as the formal-school diploma it corresponds to: to move on to the next level of schooling (including formal school, if the learner wants to switch back), to meet minimum-education requirements for jobs, and to apply for government recruitment (CPNS) processes that specify an SD, SMP or SMA education requirement.

A Paket C ijazah specifically allows graduates to apply to university. For 2026, Paket C graduates (including current final-year Paket C learners) can sit SNBT (Seleksi Nasional Berdasarkan Tes), the national test-based university admission route, subject to the same maximum-age rule applied to all SNBT candidates, and can also apply through individual universities' own Jalur Mandiri admission routes; many public and private universities accept Paket C ijazah for these routes. Paket C graduates are generally not eligible for SNBP (the achievement/report-card-based route), since that route is built around a regular formal-school academic record.

Preparation tips

• Use the ministry's official eModul Pendidikan Kesetaraan digital learning materials for your package level alongside your PKBM's in-person tutoring sessions.

• Confirm early whether your exam session will be paper-based or computer-based, since the two formats need different practice.

• For Paket C, decide on a subject stream (science- or social-studies-leaning) early, since it determines which specialised subjects you are tested on.

• Keep up with your learning centre's own internal progress checks, since these usually mirror the content and difficulty of the UPK.

• If you are combining the programme with work, plan study time around the self-study modules rather than relying only on scheduled tutoring hours, since contact time is limited compared to formal school.

FAQs