Mock eighth-grade exam and mock matura from CKE: papers on 14–18 December 2026

The short answer: when the December 2026 mock exams are

The Centralna Komisja Egzaminacyjna (CKE, Poland's Central Examination Board) will release new, previously unpublished papers to schools and to anyone who wants them. Before the egzamin ósmoklasisty (the exam at the end of year 8 of primary school): Polish on Monday 14 December, mathematics on Tuesday 15 December and English on Wednesday 16 December. Before the matura (the secondary school leaving exam): Polish on Thursday 17 December and mathematics on Friday 18 December, both at basic level. Each paper appears at 9:00.

The director of CKE announced this in a notice dated 30 September 2026. CKE does not call it a mock exam but papers that check how well the curriculum has been mastered. In practice, many schools use them to run a mock exam (próbny egzamin) in class.

Who takes them, and is it compulsory

The eighth-grade papers are for pupils in year 8. The matura papers in Polish and mathematics are for students in year 4 of liceum (general secondary school), year 5 of technikum (technical secondary school) and year 2 of branżowa szkoła II stopnia (second-stage vocational school) who sit the Formula 2023 matura in 2027.

Using the papers is voluntary. They are diagnostic: they show what a student already knows and what still needs work. The result does not go on the certificate and does not count in admissions. Whether the school runs a mock exam in class, how it is marked and whether a grade goes into the register is up to the head teacher and teachers. Ask the form teacher or check the e-dziennik (the school's electronic register).

Three new matura subjects: a trial in January 2027

A separate timetable covers subjects that will be examined at the matura for the first time in 2027. CKE recommends that schools run a mock exam in these subjects under conditions close to the real matura.

• Monday 11 January 2027: business and management, extended level;
• Tuesday 12 January 2027: history of dance, extended level;
• Wednesday 13 January 2027: Latin as a foreign language, basic level;
• the materials will be posted on the websites of CKE and the OKE (regional examination boards) at 9:00 on the day, so that graduates and students who are not sitting it at school can also take part.

Where to find the papers and when the answers come out

Head teachers get the materials first, through the SIOEO system or the OKE services for schools, together with mp3 recordings for the English listening tasks. The regional boards are to tell schools how the materials will be delivered by 15 November. On the same day at 9:00, the eighth-grade and matura papers will also be on cke.gov.pl and on the OKE websites, so a student can do them at home.

CKE publishes the zasady oceniania (marking scheme with points) the day after each paper, at 10:00. The exception is matura mathematics: its marking scheme appears on the same day, at about 19:00.

How to run a mock at home, step by step

If the school does not organise a mock exam, or the student was absent, you can do it yourselves. CKE advises conditions close to the real exam: a fixed start time, working alone, and marking answers on the answer sheet.

• print the paper and answer sheet in the morning and do not look at the tasks beforehand;
• set a timer for the real exam time and put the phone in another room;
• write in pen, as in the exam; use a calculator only where it is allowed;
• the next day, check the work against the marking scheme and write the points next to each task;
• list the three types of task that lost the most points: that is the revision plan for January and February.

What comes next: the real dates in 2027

The 2027 eighth-grade exam takes place on 10, 11 and 12 May, with results on 6 July. The 2027 matura starts on 4 May with Polish; the final declaration of subjects is due by 7 February and results come on 9 July. According to CKE, in 2027, as in 2026, both exams test the requirements of the 2024 core curriculum.

Treat the December result as a map, not a verdict. A weaker mid-year mock result is common and leaves almost five months to work. A conversation with the subject teacher about two or three specific topics helps more than a general "you need to study harder".