Overview
Egzamin zawodowy is Poland's national vocational exam, run by the Centralna Komisja Egzaminacyjna (CKE, the Central Examination Board) and the regional examination boards (okręgowe komisje egzaminacyjne, OKE). Each exam covers one qualification within a trade, so a full occupation can need more than one exam.
Two formulas are currently run. This page describes the Formula 2019 exam, for people trained under the vocational core curriculum in force from 1 September 2019. The older Formula 2017 exam (egzamin potwierdzający kwalifikacje w zawodzie) is still held for people trained under the 2017 curriculum. CKE says the 2012 formula ran until the 2024/2025 school year. From 2025/2026, people trained under the 2012 curriculum may sit the Formula 2019 exam.
Who can apply
Students of branch vocational schools of the first and second stage (branżowe szkoły I i II stopnia), technical schools (technika) and post-secondary schools (szkoły policealne) must sit the exam. Taking it is a condition of being promoted or finishing school. The school head tells them within 10 days of the start of the school year or semester.
Others who may sit it include:
graduates of those schools who followed the vocational core curriculum;
people who completed a vocational qualification course (kwalifikacyjny kurs zawodowy, KKZ);
adults who completed certain practical-training routes or an internship that covered the curriculum;
external candidates admitted to the vocational external exam.
A KKZ should end at least six weeks before the first day of the main exam date for its students to sit that date. Young workers apprenticed with a craftsman take the journeyman's exam (egzamin czeladniczy) run by the craft chambers instead.
From 2026/2027, graduates of first-stage branch schools and post-secondary schools trained under the 2017 curriculum may also sit the Formula 2019 exam. From 2027/2028 the same applies to technikum graduates trained under it.
Exam pattern
Each exam tests one qualification and has a written part and a practical part.
| Part | Format | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Written | Computer-based test of 40 closed questions, four options each, one correct. Questions are drawn at random from a CKE question bank. | 60 minutes |
| Practical | Tasks done at an exam station, with a product, a service or documentation as the result. | Between 120 and 240 minutes, set per qualification in the CKE information booklet (informator) |
Candidates also get 10 minutes to read the task and look over the station before the practical part, not counted in the time. Candidates who need adjustments may use a printed adapted paper instead of the computer, and may get extra time. Winners and finalists of listed subject tournaments and olympiads are exempt from the written part and get 100% for it.
CKE publishes the core curriculum, the information booklets, sample papers and public practical tasks for the qualifications covered.
Marking and results
To pass, a candidate needs at least 50% of the possible points in the written part (at least 20 points) and at least 75% in the practical part. Results are set and issued by the regional board.
A pass gives a vocational qualification certificate (certyfikat kwalifikacji zawodowej). A person who holds certificates for all qualifications in an occupation, and has the required level of education, receives a vocational diploma (dyplom zawodowy), with a Europass supplement. Certificates from different formulas, or a journeyman's certificate, can be combined for the diploma under a ministerial regulation of 28 January 2025.
Important dates
The exam is held in two sessions each year, winter and summer. The CKE director publishes the exact dates for written and practical parts, main and additional, in an annual notice. An additional date is available for candidates who miss the main date for health or other unavoidable reasons.
Declarations must be submitted by:
15 September, for exams with a main date between 2 November and 28 February of that school year;
7 February, for exams with a main date between 1 April and 31 August.
External candidates apply for admission by 7 February to sit in the same year, or 15 September to sit the following year.
Fees
The exam is free for students of schools. It is paid for graduates and KKZ completers who sit it for the third time or more, for external candidates, and for people who completed an internship under the 2025 labour-market law. For young workers, the employer pays for the first main date.
The fee for the written and practical parts together is 5.5% of the minimum basic salary of a certified teacher with a master's degree and teaching qualification. For one part only it is one third of that fee for the written part and two thirds for the practical part. Each regional board publishes the amount and the account to pay into.
How to apply
Candidates submit an exam declaration, online through the link on the CKE exam page. Students are registered through their school; other candidates follow the deadlines above and the instructions of their regional board.
FAQs
What score is needed to pass egzamin zawodowy?
At least 50% of the points in the written part (minimum 20 points) and at least 75% in the practical part, under Formula 2019.
Is passing one qualification exam enough for a full vocational diploma?
Only if the occupation has a single qualification. Otherwise you need certificates for all of its qualifications, plus the required level of education, to receive the diploma.
Is the exam free?
Yes for students. Graduates and course completers pay from their third attempt, and external candidates always pay.