THE’state examsometimes called high school examthis year will begin throughout Italy Wednesday 18 June 2025 with the first written test. The second test will be held the June 19, 2025 And the oral interviews will take place later. This is an exam that each student must pass at the end of the higher education cycle, to achieve the diploma and enroll in university, in our country was introduced in 1923 with the Gentile reform. Previously, exams were provided only for the conclusion of the other school cycles, starting from the elementary one. The methods of the state exam were reformed several times and over the years the tests have been adapted to the times and needs of the contemporary school, Although sometimes this has meant simplifying them. The last important reform, emanated in 1997also changed the name of the test, defining it no longer a high school exam, as in the past, but “final state exam of the upper secondary education course”.
The introduction of the state exam in Italy
The high school exam was introduced in 1923at the beginning of the fascist regime, as part of the reform of the school system promoted by the Minister Giovanni Gentile.
The reform resdded secondary education in Italy and at the end of the cycle of studies introduced an exam based on passing 4 or 6 written tests (the number changed according to the type of school) and an oral interview. The exam took place in external locations to educational institutions and the evaluation was carried out by Commissions made up of university teachers. The tests were very selective: in the year 1924/25, for example, the students promoted were 54.9 % of candidates for the scientific high school and 59.5 % to the classic. Consider that at the time the school was frequented only by one minority of young peoplebelonging to the wealthy classes, from which the new ruling class was expected to emerge. The school was therefore selectivebut also classbecause it allowed only to young people from wealthy families to attend it.
The new formula of maturity after the sixty -eight
The Gentile reform remained in force even after the collapse of fascism and the end of the Second World War. He suffered, however, some modest: for example, in 1952 The translation from Italian to Latin for scientific maturity was eliminated and in 1958 the figure of the internal member of the Commission. A substantial change occurred in 1969, following the movement of the sixty -eight and social and economic changes, which had made the high school one ‘mass institutionfrequented by increasingly large percentages of young people. The reform made the simplest exam: the students had to face two written tests (different depending on the type of school, but on tracks decided at national level) and an oral interview on Two subjects. The vote was expressed in sixtieths. At the classical high school, the writings were an Italian theme and a translation into Italian or Greek or Latin (one of the two subjects was drawn every year).
Recent changes and current legislation on the high school exam
The new legislation has remained in force, with few changes, until 1997, when a new reform, promoted by the minister Luigi Berlinguerchanged the system again. In essence, the Berlinguer reform regulates the State exam still adding: the students are expected to face Three written tests (the last of which has recently been abolished) and a oral interview based on the discussion of an elaborate (the notorious essay which no longer exists today) prepared by the student. In the evaluation, the previous school path must also be taken into account. The commissions are mixed: half composed of internal teachers, half external. The vote is expressed in cents, with the following distribution of points: up to 45 for written tests, 35 for oral, 20 for school credit.
In recent years, the legislation has undergone some touches: it was abolished the third test (who today must carry out only the students of some addresses), has been established that the evaluation must take into account theschool-work alternationwas the Tesina eliminated And the mode of attribution of the scorewhich is currently as follows: 40 points for school credit, 20 points for each of the two written tests and for the interview. The Massimo vote therefore remains 100.
The high school exam in the world
In many countries they are planned tests similar to our state exam. In Europe, the examination (often called “mature” or with similar terms) is present almost everywhere. In Germanyfor example, takes place with external commissions and, as is of us, it is overcome it is necessary to achieve the diploma (habitur) and enroll in university. Similar is the situation in Francewhere the diploma is called Baccalauréat (often abbreviated in Bac) And it is obtained by passing an exam with four written tests and an oral interview. In Spainstudents pass the first exam at 16, at the end of the compulsory education cycle; later, they can attend school two more years and get the bachilled, for which they must pass a special exam, called Selecttividad.
The maturity is particularly difficult in ChinaThe Gookao. The examination is necessary to be able to enroll in the university and the outcome also depends on the choice of the university to be attended (the choice is not free, as with us). To achieve the title, the students face rather difficult tests of Chinese language, a foreign language, mathematics and different subjects of your choice (history, philosophy, sciences, etc.).
Some countries, on the other hand, do not include an examination at the end of the education course: in the United Statesfor example, the diploma of the High School It is achieved on the basis of the credits obtained during the school path.
