Overview
The matura (egzamin maturalny) is Poland's secondary school-leaving examination and the standard route into higher education. It is set and overseen nationally by the Centralna Komisja Egzaminacyjna (CKE, the Central Examination Board), with the eight regional examination boards (Okręgowe Komisje Egzaminacyjne, OKE) running the sessions in schools. A candidate who passes receives the świadectwo dojrzałości (maturity certificate), which does not expire and is the document Polish universities ask for at admission.
The current structure, in force since 2023, is called Formuła 2023. Graduates who finished school under the earlier curriculum sit a related but separate variant, Formuła 2015, administered in parallel for as long as that cohort keeps retaking exams.
Who can apply
The exam is open to graduates of general secondary schools (liceum, a four-year programme) and technical schools (technikum, a five-year programme), including adult general secondary schools. Candidates who finished school under the pre-2023 curriculum, and anyone who sat the 2023-formula exam before and wants to retake a subject, continue in the formula that matches their graduating cohort rather than switching between them. There is no age limit, and a candidate may sit the exam again in a later year if they did not pass or want a better result.
Exam pattern
Every candidate sits compulsory exams in Polish, mathematics and a modern foreign language, plus at least one elective subject at extended level. Oral exams are not split into basic/extended levels; written exams are.
| Part | Subjects | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Written, compulsory | Polish, mathematics, a modern foreign language | Basic |
| Oral, compulsory | Polish, a modern foreign language | Single level |
| Written, compulsory elective | One subject chosen by the candidate | Extended |
| Written, optional elective | Up to four further subjects chosen by the candidate | Extended |
The elective subjects a candidate can choose for the extended part include biology, chemistry, philosophy, physics, geography, history, history of music, history of art, computer science, civics (wiedza o społeczeństwie), Polish, mathematics, Kashubian, and a modern foreign language (including a bilingual option for candidates from bilingual programmes). A candidate may take at most six written exams in total once the three compulsory basic-level subjects and up to five extended subjects are added together.
Marking and results
Every matura exam is scored as a percentage of the total marks available, from 0% to 100%; there is no letter-grade scale. To pass, a candidate needs at least 30% on each compulsory exam (the three written basic-level subjects and the two oral exams) and at least 30% on the one compulsory extended-level subject. There is no pass threshold on any further extended subjects taken beyond that one — their percentage score is simply reported.
The percentage scores are what appear on the świadectwo dojrzałości. Polish universities then convert those percentages into their own admission-points formula for each programme: each institution decides which subjects it weights and by how much, and extended-level results are typically counted at full value while a basic-level result in the same subject is typically counted at a reduced value (commonly half). Because the formula differs by university and programme, candidates check the recruitment rules of each university they are applying to rather than relying on the matura percentage alone.
Important dates
For the 2026/2027 school year, the main exam session runs from 4 to 24 May 2027 for written exams and from 6 to 31 May 2027 for oral exams. An additional session, for candidates who miss the main session for health or other documented reasons, runs from 1 to 16 June 2027. A resit (makeup) session for candidates who failed only one compulsory exam is held on 23 August 2027 (written) and 24 August 2027 (oral). Results for the main and additional sessions are announced on 9 July 2027.
After the exam
A candidate who fails only one compulsory exam may retake just that subject in the August resit session of the same year without waiting a full year. A candidate who fails more than one compulsory exam, or who wants a better score on an exam they already passed, must wait and retake it in a later year's session. The maturity certificate, once issued, remains valid indefinitely and can be used for university admission in any later intake, not only the year it was earned.
Preparation tips
Treat the basic-level compulsory subjects as the priority, since failing any one of them (below 30%) blocks the certificate regardless of how well the extended subjects go.
Practise with CKE's own published sample papers (informatory and arkusze) for each subject and level, since these set the question style and marking scheme the real exam follows.
Prepare the two oral exams separately from the written ones — they test spoken presentation and conversation, not the same skills as a written paper.
Pick extended subjects based on the admission formulas of the universities and programmes being targeted, since an extended result usually counts for more in recruitment points than a basic one in the same subject.
FAQs
Is the matura compulsory for every secondary school graduate in Poland?
No. It is compulsory only for anyone who wants a świadectwo dojrzałości, which in turn is required for university admission. A student can finish secondary school without sitting it, but cannot then apply to a university degree programme on that basis.
How many subjects does a candidate have to pass?
At minimum, the three compulsory written exams (Polish, mathematics, a foreign language), the two compulsory oral exams (Polish, a foreign language), and one chosen subject at extended level — each at 30% or above. Extra extended subjects beyond that one can be taken but are not subject to the 30% threshold.
Can a candidate retake the matura if they fail?
Yes. A candidate who fails exactly one compulsory exam can retake it in the same year's August resit session. Anyone who fails more than one compulsory exam, or wants to improve a result, retakes in a later year's main session.
Does a higher matura percentage guarantee a university place?
Not by itself. Each Polish university sets its own formula for turning matura percentages into admission points for each programme, weighting some subjects more heavily than others, so the same matura result can rank differently depending on the programme applied to.