The Czech language portion of the national high school exit exam, known as the maturita, is causing anxiety for students in the Czech Republic. Terezie Hovorkova, a student at the Bishop’s Gymnasium in Hradec Kralove, expressed concern about the test and admitted that she is more worried about the Czech language section than the English language section. Many students have been preparing for the exam by taking practice tests from previous years.
The national exit exam began on Tuesday, with students sitting for didactic tests in mathematics and English. Veronika Bouchkova, another student from the same school, expressed concern about a new written portion of the exam that students who chose to take the social sciences section must complete before the oral portion. Although she is mostly worried about the oral exams, Bouchkova is also worried about the written test, which is new and unknown.
After the didactic tests, students will have time to study for the oral exams. Veronika looks forward to celebrating with her classmates after the exams. She plans to go bowling, which she expects to enjoy more than the last bell ceremony, which she missed due to illness.
Ladislav Bartuska, the director of a private language gymnasium in Hradec Kralove, is pleased that the national exit exams are being conducted in a more established manner this year after changes caused by COVID-19. Only didactic tests in English were administered on Tuesday, while students interested in mathematics will have to sit for a more complicated version of the test on Thursday. Overall, students are working hard to prepare for the exams, an important milestone in their academic careers.