Scheduling Exams with the Examencommissie Secondary Education

Welcome to the guide on how to plan your exams with the Examination Board for secondary education. This page will help you understand the process of scheduling your exams, managing your exam attempts, and what to do in case of changes or absences.

Planning and Registering

After registering for a study program and paying the registration fee via the candidates' platform, you can start planning your exams. The Examination Board offers exams for each subject at regular intervals. You must register for exams through your candidates' platform. Here, you will find all the subjects you need to take and the exam calendar.

• You plan your exams yourself: subject by subject, on available dates, and at your own pace.
• You decide the order of the subjects unless a fixed order is specified by the Examination Board. This is clearly described in the subject files.
• You can register up to 3 days before the exam. Exceptions are assessments, portfolios, interviews, and applied informatics, where you can register up to 10 days before the exam.

Exam Sessions

There are 5 exam sessions per calendar year, each lasting about 8 to 10 weeks. You can view the dates of these sessions via the public planning calendar. Select your grade and study program.

New Registration and Deregistration Rules from January 1, 2025

Starting January 1, you can register for each subject once per exam session. You cannot unregister and re-register in the same session.

Examination Regulations Examination Board (2025)

Exam Attempts

You get 3 exam attempts per subject per calendar year. You start with 3 attempts on January 1. Each exam participation costs one attempt. If you run out, you must wait until the next year.

Exam Calendar

In your platform, under 'Plan an Exam', you can see which exams you have planned and which still need planning. The calendar shows the dates.

• A box with a number shows available exam spots.
• A box with a cross means the exam is full that day.
• A box with a checkmark means you have planned an exam.

On the public planning page, you can view the exam schedule per study program. Note: this is a snapshot. The shown exam dates and places are real, but availability can change quickly. Only through your platform can you plan exams, where you'll find the most recent version.

Public planning calendar

Closure of Exam Center

The Examination Board organizes exams year-round, except during two closure periods:

• Between July 15 and August 15
• During the end-of-year holidays

• The end-of-year closure in 2025 is from Wednesday, December 24, 2025, to Friday, January 2, 2026.
• The summer closure in 2026 is from Monday, July 20, 2026, to Friday, August 14, 2026.

Retaking Exams

If you pass, you don't have to retake the exam, but you can if you have attempts left. In your platform, you will see exams you have passed among those you can plan again. It's your choice whether to retake an exam.

Rescheduling and Deregistering

If you're not ready for your exam or can't attend, you need to unregister in time to avoid a 'non-attendance' status.

Deregistering

You can unregister up to 7 days before the exam. If you're late, you'll receive a 'non-attendance' status.

You cannot register in the same exam session again. You must wait for the next session or choose a date in an earlier session.

Rescheduling

First, unregister for your planned exam within the deadline to avoid a 'non-attendance' status. Then, choose another exam date. You cannot register in the same session again. Wait for the next session or select an earlier date.

Retaking

You can register for a next exam attempt:

• Once your results are visible in your platform
• After your review is complete. If you've made comments, wait for feedback before planning a new exam.
• In the next or previous exam session

Non-attendance

You receive a 'non-attendance' if you:

• Are not present at the planned exam
• Unregister late for the exam
• Are more than 15 minutes late for an exam
• Cannot present a valid ID
• Cannot or are not allowed to participate for another reason (e.g., no profile photo in the candidates' platform)

If you switch study programs, unregister for your planned exams. If exams were planned within 7 days, you'll receive a non-attendance for late unregistration.

With a 'non-attendance' status, you can re-register for the next exam from 9 PM.

Your non-attendances are visible in your candidates' platform under 'non-attendances'.

Sanction for 5 Non-attendances

You can have a maximum of 4 'non-attendances' per calendar year. After a 5th 'non-attendance', you are suspended for 2 months. The suspension starts the day you receive a 5th 'non-attendance' and continues through vacation periods. For example, if suspended on July 6, it lasts until September 6.

The consequences are:

• You are unenrolled from the study program
• You are unenrolled from all planned exams
• You temporarily cannot use the candidates' platform. You can still read or send notifications and view your scores.

To participate in exams again after suspension, you must:

• Re-enroll in a study program
• Pay the registration fee again

Your exam attempts and results remain. You get 4 more 'chances' for a 'non-attendance' status.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I plan all my subjects yet?

In some study programs, you must pass certain subjects before proceeding. This is called sequencing: following a fixed order depending on your study program.

• Commercial Organization (3rd grade double finality)
  You can only register for the subject Commercial Project after passing all general subjects and 2 specialization subjects (e.g., Economics and Applied Informatics).

• Reception, Organization, and Sales (3rd grade labor market finality)
  You can only submit your portfolio after passing all general subjects and the subject Organization and Sales.
  You can only submit assessments after passing the interview.

If you don't meet sequencing requirements, you'll see a lock icon next to the subject you can't plan yet in your candidates' platform.

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