State high schools in various parts of the country have not yet finalized all their admissions plans.

"In connection with these changes, we've discussed with both our school's team as well as other state high schools what the principles of school admissions might be," said Narva State High School principal Teivi Gabriel. "We've been able to discuss that various aspects should definitely be taken into consideration when admitting a student, to ensure that a student that hasn't performed well in one area wouldn't lose their chance of being accepted to school."

According to Gabriel, a school could take the final exam and interview results into consideration. They are also weighing the possibility of also looking at certain grades on a student's basic school leaving certificate.

"But whether we'll look at their grade point average or specific subjects' grades – that much still remains undecided," she continued. "What we're certain of is what we're not going to do – we're not going to start overstating the importance of these final exams. Meaning we won't evaluate students' math and Estonian language results on a one-to-one basis anymore."

Tartu Tamme State High School likewise plans to take exam results into account in the high school admissions process.

"Our plans aren't all fully in place yet, but I can confidently say that if exam results are available, then we'll certainly take them into consideration," said Tamme State High School principal Ain Tõnisson.

"Our plan in Tartu at the moment is that we'll still administer tests, but we'll no longer have to retest the knowledge that has already been assessed by these exams," he continued. "Instead, we see the need for more distinctive sorts of tasks."

To that end, basic school exam results definitely still add a significant dimension to the picture, the principal added.

Elite schools not changing content of entrance exam

Each year, significant numbers of Estonia's basic school graduates seek admission to one of several Central Tallinn schools – Gustav Adolf High School, Tallinn English College, Tallinn Secondary School of Science and Tallinn School No. 21 – which conduct joint entrance exams.

Previously, these entrance exams were held in mid-March, but due to the new arrangement, they have been moved to May 17 – one day after exam results are released.

"Because the end of the school year is swiftly approaching, the deadlines for other school-related exams are tighter as well," explained Raido Kahm, education director at Tallinn School No. 21. "For example, the time between interviews and admissions acceptance letters has gone from two weeks to a week. Students will also have to confirm their acceptance more quickly than before."

In terms of content, however, the four Tallinn schools haven't made any changes to their joint entrance exams, and according to Kahm, basic school final exams play a minor role in their admissions process.

"We do take exam results into consideration to some extent in the interview, if those scores are listed on their report card," he added.

The education director pointed out that basic school final exams are meant for graduating school, and that experience has shown that exam results tend to be very similar.

"When we have many candidates with similar results, you end up with a single point becoming a decisive factor, and we want to avoid those scenarios," he confirmed. "Which is why we conduct our own test, which is more distinguishing."

As in previous years, the joint entrance exam tests skills in four subjects: Estonian, English, math and physics. "The test is as long as it was before, and its difficulty level remains the same as well," Kahm said.

Registration for the joint entrance exam, which next year will still be conducted on paper, will open on April 21.

This August, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) signed off on updates to regulations stipulating that admissions activities for both vocational schools and high schools may only begin after the results of the country's uniform basic school final exams have been released.

One goal of this change was to allow for the results of these final exams to be taken into consideration in the new schools' admissions process.

To graduate from basic school – which runs through 9th grade – students are required to pass final exams in Estonian or Estonian as a second language, math and one other subject of their choice.

This year, the earliest basic school exam to be held was the Estonian language exam on May 31; the latest compulsory exam was the math exam on June  6. Next year, the Estonian language exam will take place on April 22, with the Estonian as a second language B1-level written exam on April 21 and oral exam on April 22-24, and the math exam will be held on May 7. Basic school final exam results will be released by May 16.

Following this, students will also have the opportunity to retake exams if necessary.

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