Points for general upper-secondary school (liceum) and technical upper-secondary school – how to calculate them? Rules and calculator
Admission points for general upper-secondary school (liceum) and technical upper-secondary school are the sum of points for the Polish 8th-grade exam (egzamin ósmoklasisty), marks on the school report, and additional achievements. You can get a maximum of 200 points: 100 for the exam, 72 for marks, and 28 for a school report with distinction, achievements, and volunteering.
The exam result in percentage is multiplied by 0.35 (Polish and mathematics) or 0.3 (foreign language). For example, 40% in mathematics is 40 · 0.35 = 14 points.
In short
- Exam – up to 100 pts: Polish × 0.35, mathematics × 0.35, foreign language × 0.3.
- Marks – up to 72 pts: Polish, mathematics, and 2 subjects chosen by the school.
- Distinction – 7 pts for a school report with distinction.
- Achievements – up to 18 pts for competitions and contests listed on the school report.
- Volunteering – 3 pts for social activity listed on the school report.
- Total – maximum 200 pts.
Calculate your points
How to convert your Polish 8th-grade exam result into points?
The exam result for each subject is given as a percentage. The percentage for Polish and for maths is multiplied by 0.35, and the percentage for the foreign language by 0.3. Therefore, the maximum you can get is 35 + 35 + 30 = 100 points.
| Subject | Result | Calculation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polish | 60% | 60 · 0.35 | 21 |
| Maths | 40% | 40 · 0.35 | 14 |
| Foreign language | 50% | 50 · 0.3 | 15 |
| Total for the exam | 50 | ||
In practice, this means: every percentage in maths is worth 0.35 of a point. If you raise your result from 40% to 60%, you gain 7 admission points – exactly the same as for a school report with distinction.
How many points do school report marks give?
Marks from four subjects count: Polish, maths, and two compulsory subjects chosen for a given class by the headteacher (e.g. biology and chemistry in a biology-chemistry class). There is a fixed number of points for each mark.
| Mark | Points |
|---|---|
| excellent (celujący) | 18 |
| very good (bardzo dobry) | 17 |
| good (dobry) | 14 |
| satisfactory (dostateczny) | 8 |
| acceptable (dopuszczający) | 2 |
In practice, this means: the highest increase, 6 points each, comes from raising a mark from acceptable to satisfactory, and from satisfactory to good. Moving from very good to excellent gives only 1 point.
What are additional points given for?
- School report with distinction – 7 points.
- Special achievements entered on the school report (subject competitions, sports and artistic tournaments) – a maximum of 18 points in total.
- Social activity, including volunteering, entered on the school report – 3 points.
How many points for competitions and tournaments?
It depends on the rank of the competition and the place achieved: finalist status in a nationwide or supra-voivodeship subject competition gives 10 points, while sports or artistic achievements range from 1 point (district level) to 4 points (international level). Regardless of the number of achievements, the total cannot exceed 18 points.
What if you were exempt from the exam?
If you are exempt from the exam (e.g. due to illness) – entirely or for a single subject – your marks in those subjects are converted into points. For Polish and maths: excellent 35, very good 30, good 25, satisfactory 15, acceptable 10 points. For a foreign language: excellent 30, very good 25, good 20, satisfactory 10, acceptable 5 points.
How many points do you need to get in?
There is no single threshold for the whole of Poland. Each school admits candidates starting from the highest number of points downwards until all places are filled. The score of the last admitted student sets the threshold for a given class in a given year.
In practice, this means: check the thresholds of chosen schools from the last 2–3 years (published by schools and municipal admission websites) and compare them with your calculator result. Maths and Polish carry the most weight (each percentage point is worth 0.35 of a point), and every 10 percent in maths is 3.5 points.
Parents’ questions
How many points for general upper-secondary school (liceum) does the Polish 8th-grade exam (egzamin ósmoklasisty) give?
How many points are given for an excellent, very good, and good mark?
Is there a passing threshold for the Polish 8th-grade exam (egzamin ósmoklasisty)?
How many points do you need to get into a general upper-secondary school (liceum)?
What does 1 percentage point more on the mathematics exam give you?
Read next
Sources
- Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji z dnia 3 kwietnia 2025 r. w sprawie przeprowadzania postępowania rekrutacyjnego oraz postępowania uzupełniającego – Dziennik Ustaw (Journal of Laws) 2025, item 464 (amended: Dz.U. 2026, item 1008), 3.04.2025. Conversion factors: exam (§ 3), marks (§ 4), distinction (§ 5), achievements (§ 6), volunteering (§ 7), exam exemptions (§ 8).
- Prawo oświatowe, art. 134 – standardyprawa.pl. Admission criteria; two subjects are determined by the school headteacher.
- Ustawa o systemie oświaty, rozdział 3b – lexlege.pl. The exam result does not affect finishing school.
- Sprawozdanie z egzaminu ósmoklasisty 2025 – matematyka – Central Examination Board (CKE) / Regional Examination Board in Poznań (OKE), 2025. Mathematics exam paper (arkusz): maximum 30 points.
The rules apply to admissions to the 1st grade of public general upper-secondary schools (liceum), technical upper-secondary schools, and sectoral vocational schools (szkoła branżowa). Check the details (e.g., which two subjects count, the test in bilingual and sports classes) in the admissions regulations of your chosen school.
Found a mistake or outdated information? Write to: [email protected].