Overview
The maturitná skúška (maturita) is Slovakia's secondary-school-leaving examination, taken at the end of upper-secondary study at a gymnázium (grammar school) or a secondary vocational or specialised school (stredná odborná škola). It runs under the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth, with the standardised parts of the exam set, administered on the same day across the whole country, and evaluated by NIVaM (the National Institute of Education and Youth, the successor body to NÚCEM). Passing it earns the maturitné vysvedčenie (maturity certificate), the qualification Slovak universities ask for at admission.
The exam has two parts. The external part (externá časť, EČ) is a standardised, centrally set written test. The internal part (interná časť, IČ) is run by the candidate's own school; for language subjects it itself splits into a written form (písomná forma internej časti, PFIČ), which is also centrally set and taken nationwide on the same day as the external test, and an oral form (ústna forma internej časti, ÚFIČ), held later at the school in front of a subject examination board. Every maturita subject, including electives, has at least the oral internal form.
Note
The official NIVaM site could not be reached directly from this environment, so this page was written from search-result summaries of NIVaM's published maturita guidance and the Eurydice national report on Slovakia, not by reading those pages live. Confirm current-year dates and thresholds on the official NIVaM maturita page before relying on them.
Who can apply
Every student finishing the final year of a gymnázium, a bilingual school or a secondary vocational/specialised school that leads to a maturita must register for and sit the exam to receive a secondary-education leaving certificate. A graduate who did not finish, or did not pass, can register again in a later school year and sit it as an external candidate through a school that offers the maturita.
Exam pattern
Every candidate sits at least three subjects: Slovak language and literature (at schools teaching in Hungarian or Ukrainian, Slovak language and Slovak literature, alongside Hungarian language and literature or Ukrainian language and literature as a separate compulsory subject); a foreign language (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian or Russian), examined at B1 or B2 level under the Common European Framework of Reference — gymnázium and sports-gymnázium students sit it at B2; and a third subject, which for most gymnázium students is a free elective from the natural-science, social-science or other subject group, and for mathematics-focused gymnasiums and some vocational courses is mathematics itself. Candidates may add a fourth, and voluntarily a fifth, subject (for example a second foreign language at B1 or B2), examined only with the oral internal form.
| Part | Form | Subjects | Who sits it |
|---|---|---|---|
| External (EČ) | Centrally set written test, same day nationwide, marked by NIVaM | Slovak language and literature (or the national-minority-language equivalent), the compulsory foreign language, and mathematics where it is a compulsory subject | Every candidate in that subject |
| Internal, written form (PFIČ) | Centrally set composition/essay, same day nationwide | Slovak language and literature (or the equivalent), the compulsory foreign language | Every candidate in that subject |
| Internal, oral form (ÚFIČ) | School-based oral exam before a subject examination board, on topics drawn from the school's own maturita syllabus | Every maturita subject, including electives | Every candidate, every subject |
Marking and results
External and written-internal results are reported as a percentage of the available marks, not a school grade. A candidate passes a subject that has both an external and a written-internal part when the oral-form grade is no worse than 4 (sufficient) on the school's 1–5 scale and, at the same time, the written-internal success rate is above 25% and the external success rate is above 33%; exactly 33% or exactly 25% does not count as a pass. A subject examined only with the oral internal form (most electives, and any fourth or fifth subject) is graded only on the 1–5 school scale, with no percentage threshold.
Important dates
For the 2026/2027 school year (the exam window after this page was last reviewed):
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Registration for the maturita | By 30 September 2026, with changes accepted until 15 October 2026, or until 31 January 2027 in exceptional cases a head teacher allows |
| Main external + written-internal sitting | 9–12 March 2027 (Slovak/Hungarian language and literature 9 March; foreign languages 10 March; mathematics 11 March; Slovak language and Slovak literature/Ukrainian language and literature 12 March) |
| Make-up sitting (documented absence from the March dates) | 9–12 April 2027 |
| Oral internal part | 17 May – 4 June 2027, scheduled by each school within that window |
| September resit/make-up sitting of the external and written-internal parts | 2–7 September 2027 |
How to apply
Candidates are already enrolled at the school where they sit the maturita, so there is no separate external application process. Each final-year student submits a maturita subject registration (prihláška na maturitnú skúšku) through their class teacher by 30 September 2026, naming the chosen foreign language, its level, and the elective subjects; changes can be filed with the school until 15 October 2026, or until 31 January 2027 only with the head teacher's permission.
After the exam
A candidate who passes every compulsory and chosen subject receives the maturitné vysvedčenie. Slovak universities require this certificate for admission to a bachelor's-level programme; many faculties also set their own entrance test or application criteria on top of it, so candidates should check each faculty's admission rules separately from the maturita itself. A candidate who does not pass a subject can retake only that subject in a later sitting without resitting subjects already passed.
Preparation tips
Decide on the foreign language and its level (B1 or B2) early, since this is fixed at registration and determines which external and written-internal test the candidate sits.
Work through NIVaM's released past external and written-internal test papers for each subject; the format and marking scheme repeat from year to year.
Prepare the oral internal exam separately from the written tests — its topics come from the candidate's own school and subject teacher, not from a nationwide question bank.
Track the registration and change-of-subject deadlines with the class teacher, since a missed deadline after 15 October needs the head teacher's exceptional approval to fix.
FAQs
Is the maturita exactly the same test at every secondary school in Slovakia?
The external part and, for languages, the written internal part are centrally set by NIVaM and taken on the same day nationwide, so those are identical across schools. The oral internal part and most elective subjects are examined by the candidate's own school on its own syllabus, so their content varies between schools.
What score do I need to pass a maturita subject?
For a subject with an external and a written-internal part, a candidate needs an external score above 33%, a written-internal score above 25%, and an oral grade no worse than 4 (sufficient) on the 1–5 school scale, all at the same time. Subjects examined only with an oral exam are graded only on the 1–5 scale.
What is the difference between the B1 and B2 foreign-language levels?
Both are Common European Framework levels; B2 is the more advanced one. Gymnázium and sports-gymnázium students sit their compulsory foreign language at B2. Students at other school types, and any additional (fourth or fifth) foreign language a candidate chooses to add, may be taken at either B1 or B2.
Can I retake a maturita subject if I fail it?
Yes. A candidate retakes only the subject that was not passed, in a later sitting (the September resit for that same school year, or a later year's main sitting), without resitting subjects already passed.