The reform onfinal exam 2026 was officially approved by the Chamber of Deputies, with 138 votes in favor and 91 against: among the innovations for the next State Exam (which is once again officially called the “Maturity Exam”) the reduction of the subjects for the oral interview, which go down from 6 to 4, and theobligation to support the oral test to be promoted. The objective of the reform, according to the Ministry of Education and Merit, is to evaluate the student’s overall growthalso enhancing his argumentative ability.
But how has this scholastic test changed over the years and how many reforms has it undergone in these 102 years of history? The high school leaving exam, in fact, was established in 1923 by the minister Giovanni Gentile and in more than a century it has changed structurally both in terms of methods and subjects considered, with the aim of adapting to the needs of contemporary schools.
What changes for students with the 2026 high school leaving exam reform
The changes planned for 2026 are different, starting from name: the final test of the upper secondary education cycle is once again called “Maturity exam”, exactly as it happened before the 1997 reform, following which it was renamed “State Examination”.
In general, the main changes will concern the oral interview: the matter to take to the oral test will come down from 6 to 4 — identified by the Ministry of Education and communicated in January — which will have to be discussed in front of two external and two internal commissioners. In any case, the evaluation of the overall training path must be integrated into these, which will also take into account civic education and school-work training (formerly PCTO).
However, the two written tests: the first dedicated to the Italian language and the second focused on the subjects characterizing the school curriculum. To pass the final exam, among other things, it will be It is compulsory to present both the written and oral exams: the final interview “will not be valid if the student deliberately chooses silence”. Looking instead at the votes for behavior, a 5 in conduct will result in automatic failure, while with the 6 the student will be asked to take a “proof of active citizenshipAt the final evaluations, the maximum score will be reserved for those who have achieved at least 9 in conduct.
As also confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Merit, the objective of this reform is to «evaluate the student’s overall growthits degree of autonomy and responsibility, enhancing not only the knowledge, but also the argumentative ability and personal maturation of the students”.
What the final exam was like in the past: from 1923 to today
Today the final exam does not only represent a school test to be passed in order to graduate from high school, but it also constitutes a symbolic rite of passagefrom adolescence to adulthood. As mentioned, the state exam was introduced in 1923, at the beginning of the fascist regime, through the reform of the then minister Giovanni Gentile. Over the course of 102 years it has undergone numerous reforms: let’s see the main ones.
The first high school exam with the Gentile reform
The very first high school leaving exam was in force exclusively for high schools and included classical subjects such as Latin, Greek, philosophy, mathematics and history: it was composed of 4 written tests and an oral interview, which took place on all the subjects of the course and on the national programs of the last 3 years of high school. The examining commission was made up exclusively of external teachers, for the most part university professorswhile the vote did not provide a single final score, but as many as there were exam subjects.
The state exam after the Second World War
During the Second World War, the high school leaving exam was simplified both in terms of methods and contents. Once the conflict was over, the minister Guido Gonella restored the original version of the final exam, making only two small changes: the Commission was integrated with two internal teacherswhile the exam program was limited to subjects faced during thelast year school.
The 1969 reform and the following 30 years
The reform of the high school leaving exam 1969 it is one of the most important in the history of this scholastic test, which will retain these characteristics for the following 30 years. In particular, the decree proposed by the then minister Fiorentino Sullo (later converted into law in 1971) established:
- The extension of the high school leaving exam to all study courses of the four-year and five-year cycles of upper secondary education.
- The reduction to two written tests and two subjects for the oral interviewone of which is chosen by the student.
- A score single ending expressed in sixtieths.
The innovations of the high school leaving exam in force since 1999
To adapt to new scholastic needs, in 1999 the maturity was reformed again: the official name was changed to “State exam“, with a view to no longer being based on the concept of maturity, but on the “verification and certification of knowledge, skills and abilities”. Specifically:
- The exam was expanded with the addition of a third written testprepared by the Commission, which was followed by an oral interview on all the disciplines of the final year.
- The Commission was reorganized and composed for 50% from internal members and for the 50% externalplus a Commission President, always external to the Institute.
- The final rating began to be expressed in cents and broken down as follows: 45 points maximum from written tests, 35 points maximums from the interview Oral And 20 points maximums from school creditaccumulated over the last 3 years.
The state exam after 2019
The latest structural reform of the high school leaving exam came with legislative decree 62/2017, in force since 2019 and therefore valid for all high school graduates born from 2000 onwards. Among the most important changes were:
- THE’abolition of the third written test 20 years after its introduction, with the aim of reducing the workload for students and making assessment more standardized nationally.
- THE’introduction of “envelopes” for the oral interviewto be used as starting materials for the test.
- Changing the evaluation system, with 40 maximum points awarded as school credit And 20 maximum points for each test (two written and one oral).
- The introduction of themandatory nature of the PCTO (Path for Transversal Skills and Orientation), the so-called school-work alternation.
In 2020 and 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the high school leaving exam was reduced to a maxi oral testlonger and more detailed and capable of partially replacing writings.
