Should the emergency situation currently in effect through May 1 be extended, all state exams scheduled for this spring will be postponed until summer. In the worst-case scenario, however, neither exams nor graduations will be able to take place as usual at the end of the current school year.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Research Mart Laidmets said that universities are prepared to accept incoming students based on their own testing, but it would be easier for everyone involved if state exams still took place.

"Currently on the table are various options regarding both basic school and high school final exams," Laidmets said. "It's not quite black and white, where either none will take place or they all will. In the current time frame, it's very unlikely that all exams will take place as usual, but we're currently in talks with the universities regarding high school finals — about which ones are essential."

High school students in Estonia typically take state exams in several subjects during their final months of 12th grade. State exam scores are widely used as a partial or full basis for acceptance to university degree programs.

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