55,000 fourth-graders take their first Bulgarian language and literature exam

A total of 55,000 fourth-graders are taking their first school exam today – the national external assessment in Bulgarian language and literature, which is traditionally held at the end of the primary stage of education.

The exam is being organized in 1,706 schools across the country. There is no change to the format this year, which tests the basic competencies of fourth-graders – fundamental rules of the standard Bulgarian language, reading comprehension, interpreting specific situations, and creative writing.

Exam format and conduct

About 55,000 students are taking the assessment, which began at 10:00 a.m. Children have 60 minutes to complete a test of 25 tasks. Of these, 13 are language-based, 11 are literature-based, and one is creative, designed to evaluate the fourth-graders' ability to express their own ideas.

Students with special educational needs have the opportunity to work for 30 minutes longer than the others. The maximum score for the exam is 100 points.

Mathematics exam and result deadlines

The national external assessment in mathematics is scheduled for June 4. This test will also include 25 tasks designed to check basic mathematical knowledge and skills acquired in the primary stage, as well as the children's ability to reason.

The maximum score for both exams – Bulgarian language and literature and mathematics – is 100. Individual results will be announced by June 15, 2026.

Results and debates surrounding the 4th-grade NEA

Traditionally, fourth-graders perform significantly better on this exam compared to the national external assessment in 7th grade, whose results are lower and used for admission to high schools. Last year, the national average score for Bulgarian language was 70.9 points out of 100, and for mathematics – 69.7 points, which is 2 and 1 points lower respectively than in 2024.

Over the years, the 4th-grade NEA has often been criticized as unnecessary by various organizations, including the "Education" union. They believe that the exam is redundant since nothing depends on it, and it subjects students to unnecessary stress. The grades from it are used only for admission to the 5th grade in mathematics high schools.