The trial eighth-grade exam in January: how to use it well

Dates and rules

On 27 October the Central Examination Board (Centralna Komisja Egzaminacyjna, CKE) announced that the trial eighth-grade exam (próbny egzamin ósmoklasisty) will run on three consecutive days, each starting at 9:00: Polish on Monday 12 January (150 minutes), mathematics on Tuesday 13 January (125 minutes) and English on Wednesday 14 January (110 minutes). The tasks have not been published before.

Taking part is voluntary and the headteacher decides whether the school runs it. CKE stresses that the results should not be used for grades — the trial is diagnostic. The papers appear on the websites of CKE and the regional examination boards when the exam starts, and the marking criteria a day later, so a pupil can sit the trial at home even if the school does not hold it.

Why a trial if there are no grades

The real exam is in May. January is a good checkpoint: four months remain and pupils have covered most of the material. The trial shows three things ordinary class tests do not: how a child copes with a whole paper at once, how they manage time and which task types cause problems.

The percentage score is the least important information. What matters is where exactly the points were lost.

How to prepare without pressure

There is no need to add study hours in November and December. It is better to organise what is already happening and get used to the exam format.

• Go through one past paper from the CKE website together — not against the clock, just to see how it is built.
• Check what the answer sheet looks like and how answers are marked; this is a common source of avoidable mistakes.
• For the Polish essay, practise planning alone: ten minutes on a plan saves stress later.
• The day before: a normal dinner, an earlier night, a black pen and a ruler ready.

What to do with the result

After the trial, ask your child for the paper or for the teacher's feedback on which tasks went wrong. Sort the mistakes into three groups: I didn't know (a gap in knowledge), I knew but slipped (carelessness), I ran out of time. Each group needs a different response.

A gap means revising a specific topic. Carelessness means practising checking answers. Running out of time means training on full papers with a timer — but only in spring.

• Choose no more than three areas to improve by March.
• Plan short, regular revision instead of one long weekend cram.
• Compare the next trial with this one, not with classmates.

How to talk about a weaker score

A trial score does not decide the May result. Pupils who discover gaps in January have time to fill them, and those with high scores still need regular work. Instead of asking 'how many points?', ask 'what surprised you?' and 'what do you want to work on first?'.

If your child gets very anxious about exams, talk early to the class teacher or the school counsellor (pedagog szkolny). The school can also advise whether the pupil is entitled to adjusted exam conditions.