How does getting into High School work in your country?

26 comments

1. For example, in my country we have a standardizated exam called National Evaluation at the end of eight grade.

   Before that there are some entrance tests for special schools that include: Millitary Schools, Art Schools, Religion Schools, Sports School.

   Than in June we have an written test at maths and Romanian. After getting the results we can decide where we want to go by putting the codes of the school in a System. After that we just go and enter high school where we got in.

2. It varies by county.

   In most counties, your grades from middle school are what matters. In some counties it’s what school is closest, and in some it’s a combination.

   When applying, you first pick a program, and then list 3 schools you’d like to study that program at. You can also list secondary choices for programs, if you don’t get into any of the 3 schools with your preferred program. At least that’s how it was 15 years ago.

3. Depends on what you mean by high school. In the Netherlands, that would be tertiary education, e.g MBO (vocational eduction), HBO (professional education) and WO (university). A matching diploma from a secondary education gives you automatic access to those schools: VMBO/MAVO gets you into an MBO-school, HAVO gets you into HBO, and VWO gets you into university. Depending ofcourse if you have the necessay prerequisite subjects.

   The level of your educational career is pretty much determined in the last year of primary school, at age 12, when every kid does their national Cito-test. The result of that test, combined with the assessment of the teacher, determines whether you go to VMBO/MAVO, HAVO or VWO.

4. You apply for a place and that’s it.

   Entrance exams have been gone for a long time. A lot of schools use reasoning tests, which are designed to ensure students go into appropriate level of ability classes.

   But since it’s not optional to attend secondary school, schools have to offer places. It’s not really a case of having to complete for places.

   Most of them are so called “Community Schools” which operate a wide range of subjects at different and mixed levels. So you may find you’re streamed within the school rather than being like the German system where different schools are pitched quite differently.

   There is definitely some snobbery around fee paying school, but they’re a narrow minority of schools, mostly concentrated in older urban areas like Dublin, and even they don’t use entrance exams anymore.

   Where the Irish system gets very academically competitive is towards the end of school and the Leaving Certificate exams. The university entrance system is based on points scored in that and operates like a market place – high demand = high points.

5. When you say high school, are you talking about the school you attend from the ages of 13-14 to 18-19? If so, there are no tests. You just apply and you’re automatically in. If there are too many applications they usually give priority to people who live near the school

6. There used to be a standardised test called the 11+ and some schools required you to get a certain grade in it to go there. For schools that didn’t require the 11+ you would have to do a separate test (even if you already did the 11+) to gauge you abilities and place you in a form class of people of similar abilities.

   Edit: this is in Northern Ireland, I don’t know what it’s like in the Republic.

7. In the last year of primary school (edit: kids are generally 11 or 12 years old at that time) there is a test which is a general aptitude test for arithmetic and language. Same test for all schools in the whole country since it was made mandatory some years ago. The result of the test, combined with the teacher’s opinion, leads to an advice about which level of secondary school would be best to attend. There’s about 10 of those with some overlap and in the first year or two schools frequently offer combined tracks as well. The levels go all the way from “practical education” for kids who fall within or just above the intellectual disability range to gymnasium. Most schools don’t offer all levels, some even offer only one, and schools need to place you in the level that’s advised so which school you can go to depends on the final advice you get.

   There’s quite a lot of pressure on the outcome of that test because which level you get in will determine which tertiary education you can go to with different secondary school diplomas giving you access to different levels of tertiary education. For example only the highest two levels give you direct access to university.

   So they keep tweaking how the results of the test get interpreted to try to mitigate different issues. For example statistics show that kids with a foreign background are more likely to be placed in a lower level than Dutch kids even if they get the same test score, so they make the test scores weigh higher than the teacher’s opinion to avoid human bias. But then kids who just happen to have a bad day or got stressed for the test get disadvantaged so then they make the teacher’s opinion count more again. And it goes back and forth a bit. I think the current method is that if the test score is higher than expected schools *may* revise the advice upwards but they don’t have to and they can’t revise the advice downwards if the score is lower than expected. But the coming year they’re changing it again so that the school *has* to change the advice upwards if a kid gets a good score unless they have a very good reason not to.

8. In the majority of cases it’s entirely down to grades you get in 9th grade.

   To be eligible for high school at all you need passing grades in Swedish (or Swedish as a second language), English and Maths. Depending on what program you choose there are additional eligibility requirements, for example you need to have passed another nine subjects to start a university preparatory program, and if it’s a natural sciences or technical program three of the passing grades must be in physics, biology and chemistry.

   The grades of each pupil’s best 17 subjects (or 16 if the pupil hasn’t studied 17 subjects) is calculated into a merit value where the maximum is 340 points. You compete with everyone else who applies to the same school and program as you, so what grades you need to get in somewhere can vary each year, and which schools are difficult to get into can sometimes be different depending on the program.

   In specific cases there’s also a skills test. This is generally the case with esthetic programs (music, art, dance etc), but also for programs in English. I never did this so I’m not totally clear on how the results combine with the grades though.

9. No tests for high school.

   At the end of middle school, we pass a diploma, but it’s not required to go to highschool.

   You apply to different highschools, including your local one, and if everyone’s else refuse you afaik the local one must accept you.

10. As there’s no UK-wide education system, I’ll answer for Wales.

    High School starts at age 11 here.

    There are no tests to pass in primary school in order to start high school – but parents do have to apply for a place at a school with their local country council. Usually this will be their local high school.

    If there aren’t any spare places, their child may be offered a place at another school.

11. Compulsory school you attend with the same classmates, same school etc etc, from you’re about 6-16. This is called “folkeskole”.

    Academically focused “high school” is something 75% of people attend, from about 16-19 usually, although a gap year between that and folkeskole is common. It is required that you get a very very low average grade across compulsory exams to apply to that. Almost everyone fulfills this.

    The only “problem” is in some bigger cities, esp Copenhagen, there are a lot of different academic high schools with different “vibes” so to speak, and people want to get into a specific one (this one has the hippies, this one has the super ambitious students, that one has the artsy types…). This is done measuring distance, whoever lives closes gets the spot, and of course this also depends on how many people wanted to get into that high school that year. So that’s a bit of drama and I remember people almost getting a bit of an identity crisis about which one to attend. In the countryside there’s usually not much choice.

12. **The tl;dr**

    You enter the gymnasium (≈High school) based on how many Merit Points you have. The points are based on your final grade in each subject from primary school.

    **The longer version**

    The requirements varies a bit depending on which program you apply to. But all of them require at least a passing grade in:

    * Swedish / Swedish as second language
    * English
    * Mathematics

    Then, depending on whether you want to join a *Vocational program* or *University preparatory program*, you need a passing grade in;

    * 5 or 9 additional subjects
    * Including any specif subjects required by the program

    (For example; to enter the Science Program you need a passing grade in Swedish, English, mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry plus 6 additional subjects.)

    Then you calculate your Merit Points based on your final grade in each subject:

    * A = 20
    * B = 17.5
    * C = 15
    * D = 12.5
    * E = 10
    * F = 0 (i.e. failed)

    After that; it is the person with most Merit Points that gets first choice, and onwards in descending order until all seats are taken.

    There are no general application tests. If you have any grievance you can apply for a re-examination. If you just failed you can retake any failed subjects in Adult Education.

13. You just reach the required age (11.5-12.5 depending on when your birthday falls), there are no tests or anything for state schools. Everyone lives in a “catchment area” for a local school (sometimes the areas overlap so people have a choice between two), if you don’t fancy that then there’s your local catholic school instead. We don’t have selective schools, different types of high schools etc.

    Private schools are different; some may well be selective, some follow the English system.

14. It’s solely decided by your gpa from jr high school. And the gpa limits are decided by supply and demand. Popular high schools have higher gpa requirements than less peopular ones.

15. In Germany, traditionally the split of the pupils takes place at a much you her age than in most countries around the age of 10 (so the decision is made even earlier). There are three types of school one aimed at preparing them for university, one more oriented towards practical jobs and one kind of inbetween.

    The decision which one to attend depends on your grades in primary school, teachers’ recommendations and the wishes of the parents and the child (depending on the federal state).

    As this system has often been criticised of determining the future of a child at a too early state and being too impermeable later on, there have been many reforms to make it easier to switch paths at a later stage and some states also combined several types of school under one roof, making it even easier to switch.

    But as we have 16 different education systems it’s hard to generalise.

16. There are no exams to enter high school: you pass 6th grade and that’s it.

    High school is 4 compulsory years (up to the age of 16) and then there are 2 more voluntary years (bachillerato) leading to the university entrance exam.

17. In Portugal you are either assigned to a school in the civil parish of your residence or if you have a preference your parents can try to apply to a specific school.

    Most bigger schools in the country nowadays have middle and high school levels working in the same building so its usual to continue the studies in the same school you already attend.

18. Yes, if you apply for what we call „gymnázium“ – a HS which provides universal education and prepares the students for uni – you will have to pass a test determined by HS. Usually its standardised. In my HS the points you scored also determined the class you would be assigned to. So those who performed best got a slightly more extensive curriculum.

19. In Poland you finish elementary school at 8th grade and there’s a national test for all graduates. There are 3 tests, each from different subject – polish, math and english. In order to get to high school you have to fike an application with your elementary school diploma and final scores from the exams. Your grades from diploma and the exam scores are counted by multiplying them by certain numbers (there’s a whole regulation about which grade multiplies by what number and it was ordined by ministry of education) plus you get additional points if you participated in some contests and the bigger the level (district/city/country) the more poins you get. All high schools set up a minimal amount of points you have to have in order to get in and in case of the top ones it’s basically impossible to get selected if you didn’t get the extra points for participating in competitions.

20. Either you prepare yourself for an exam “LGS – Lise Geçiş Sınavı – High School Passage Exam” or you chose high school according to your residency area. If you prepare yourself for the exam, you get to choose to go to Ivy League type of high schools that outside of your residence. There are only couple of them. There was like 6-8 schools in my city of 2.4 million.

    There used to be only standardised exams for all. I used to travel quite far high school because of better education. But it was very, very much frustrating to prepare for. School don’t have their own test. All the schools have to oblige to Minister of Education and also follow same education for all other high schools. My brother is in one of the American High Schools, they teach them in English until the last year because of University Exam but the base is similar to regular high school. They just learn more.

21. There’s preschool, primary and secondary. There’s no Highschool.

    Preschool is cycle 1. 2 years total.
    Primary goes from first to sixth grade. cycles 2,3 and 4. 6 years total. Primary ends with a standardized test in languages, logic and math. Your results and consultation with parents decide wether you’ll be able to apply to “classique” in secondary. It’s more academic putting high emphasis on general education preparing you for university only, not for a job. If you are troubled and need more support you go to “modulaire” with the goal on getting you up to speed so you can join a “technique” class. Technique is honestly the best one. You learn tangible skills and have optional courses to get into university.

    Classique and Technique both last 7 years. From 7th to first grade (in french this time, septèime to première) in technique you choose a specification for forth grade, in classique for third grade. Choice is way higher for technique classes. There are no exams but you’ll need sufficient grades for each specialisation. For instance if you barely get by in Math you can’t specialise in it.

    Edit: lastly worth mentioning, the whole system is standardised nationally however schools can create new specialisation in colab with the ministry of education and can’t be forced to offer them if they don’t have the personnel for it. There’s for instance only one school offering courses on smart home installation and I think there’s four for electricians. Keep in mind Luxembourg is very small.

22. You need to apply, there is probably a limit that they take to certain schools so you need to be first in the line in grades to get in those. Some schools also have quotas. Like the best city school that has a formal limit of 9.2 average grade (10 the max) might still take some farm boys that have 8.7 or upwards. Since they want to have certain amount of people outside the area. I know since I was one of those farm boys =)

23. At the end of primary school (9th grade) you simply apply to the wanted high school. Then the ministry of primary education issues the number of free spots per high school. Gymnasiums in bigger cities usually (Ljubljana Bežigrad, ll. gymnasium Maribor, l. gymnasium Celje, etc.) get overfilled so they look at grades gathered in the last three years of primary school and add them up. Those with the most points get in, others have to reapply to another high school.

    Entrance exams haven’t been a thing in most schools for a few decades now however some schools like conservatories as well as sports and art gymnasiums still have them (in sports gymnasiums they look at your achievements as well as grade points since they get overfilled most of the times). Note that more high ranked gymnasiums and other schools have a certain number of grade points you have to meet to get in regardless of the number of the applicants.

24. The first part is mandatory, so you *have* to go.

    You need to pass the basic school, of course.

    You will be assigned the school in your area.

    You can apply to a different school but that would need a reason that will be checked.

    You can also apply for a private school. But mostly it’s for some religious people and I’m not familiar at all with the process of admission. Rather keep not knowing a bout it.

25. ✨Depends on the canton✨

    There is usually a selection process towards the end of primary school. In some cantons, an exam, in others, good grades. Generally, it looks more or less like this:

    So in some cantons, high school starts directly after primary school, in 7th grade. Once you’re in, you’re in. You can apply again for 8th grade if you didn’t make it the year before. In these systems, “Gymnasium (grades 7-13/14)” and “secondary school” (grades 7-9) are two separate entities under different “management”.

    In other cantons, the selection process after primary puts you into a “upper level” for years 7-9, but depending on your performance you go to one of three sections within that “upper level” . Section C covers the basic needs and prepares for an apprenticeship, section B is more advanced and prepares for more specialised apprenticeships and also high school, while A is for quick learners and prepares for high school and apprenticeships with high demands. Depending on how well you do during these years, you may switch from one section to the other. Here, B and C correspond in their curriculum to the “Secondary School” of that other system above, A to the first three years of Gymnasium, sometimes called Progymnasium.

    So when you’re in A, you can apply to any Gymnasium of your canton without further exams. From B, you need either a high average in your grades or a good performance at the entry exam. In this system, the Upper Level (often called Secondary School, actually) for years 7-9 is one entity and the Gymnasium for years 10-13/14 is another.

    So this is how it works, generally. The exact names are also a bit different each time.

26. So, in Denmark there are the base school (folkeskolen) which you finish when you are around 15 / 16. In the last year you will go to an examination in some obligatory subjects (Danish, Maths, English) and some subject your class pulls, meaning that it is only some subjects there will be an examination off. Your grades from your exams and your standpoint grades (standpunktskarakter) is then averaged by some black magic algorithms which will give your an average.

    After this you have the options of taking a youth education (ungdomsuddannelse)

    Option 1) Taking grade 10. Here you will get the opportunity to retake some of your subjects, have a breather to think about what you want to do with your life. There are also some who are forced to take this if they are deemed to be not mature enough (uddannelsesparat)

    Option 2) Gymnasium. If you have the grades you can get into a gymnasium, the purpose of the gymnasium is to prepare you for a university programme. there are four different types: STX, HTX, HHX and HF

    * STX = Almen Studentereksamen (Student examination programme). It is the most common of the Gymnasiums and has a broad focus on language, history, social studies (samfundsfag), mathematics, and natural science. Takes 3 years to complete.

    * HTX = Højere teknisk eksamen (Higher Technical examination programme). Focuses on STEM subjects and groupwork, the only foreign language needed to complete the programme is English. Takes 3 years.

    * HHX = Højere handelseksamen (Higher Trade examination programme). Focuses on trade, business, language, and economics. Takes 3 years.

    * HF = Højere forberedelseseksamen (Higher preparation examination programme). Here you take less subjects compared to the other three programs but are focussed on specific subjects to target a specific education. Takes 2 years.

    Option 3) Trade and technical schools. This is the way to go if you want to enter a specific trade such as carpenter, mechanic, hairdresser, electrician, bricklayer, IT (which is a new one), and so on. There are a lot of different options with a lot of different trades. Common for them all is that there is a school period and an apprentice period split roughly 50/50. Each trade has it own tradition and in some ways this is an institution that builds on the old master/apprentice system. It is usually completed with a Svendeprøve where if the apprentice (lærling) passes gets a Svendebrev (Journeyman papers). In you apprentice period you also get paid for you work (not to mention black work / illegal tax-free work, where a lot of money comes from). This takes roughly 4.5 to 5.5 years dependent on the chosen trade.