New format for the 10th-grade National External Evaluation: What is changing?
The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) has presented draft changes to the national external evaluation (NEE) for 10th grade. Starting from the 2026/2027 school year, the exam in Bulgarian Language and Literature (BLL) will be expanded to include components from History and Civilizations and Philosophy.
The changes aim to encourage analytical thinking and form a broad foundation of knowledge, rather than narrow, specialized memorization.
Key details for the BLL exam:
- Structure: A total of 22 tasks. 18 tasks are focused on BLL, and 4 on history and philosophy.
- Duration: Increased from 90 to 120 minutes.
- Integration: The goal is to test skills in working with text and solving case studies.
What remains unchanged?
For 7th and 4th-grade students, the exam format remains the same. The 10th-grade NEE in mathematics also maintains its integration with natural sciences, but with a reduced number of tasks – 16 in total, of which 10 are purely mathematical.
The dates for the 2027 exams have already been set: June 16 and 18 will be non-school days for 10th-grade students.