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DZI
Държавни зрелостни изпити (Bulgarian State Matriculation Exams)
📝 Upper Secondary / University Admission In-person, written examinations for both the compulsory and chosen subjects. ⏱ Valid: A Diploma za sredno obrazovanie does not expire. Since 2008 (introduction of the centralized state matriculation format under its current DZI structure, following earlier post-1989 secondary-assessment reforms) ⚡ Regarded as more accessible in structure than most comparable European leaving exams given the minimal one-compulsory-subject requirement, though the practical difficulty for a university-bound student depends heavily…
🕐 Last updated: September 7, 2026
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Quick Summary

Bulgaria's DZI is the country's state matriculation exam, and its most distinctive structural feature is how minimal its compulsory requirement is — Bulgarian Language and Literature is the only subject every candidate must sit, with a second (and optionally third) subject left entirely to the student's own choice, a genuine outlier among European leaving exams that typically mandate three or more compulsory subjects. Both the compulsory and chosen subjects are graded independently on Bulgaria's 2-to-6 scale with no combined overall average calculated between them, and because many Bulgarian universities accept DZI results directly in place of a separate entrance exam, a student's chosen second subject can carry as much real competitive weight as a dedicated admission test would elsewhere. Administered once a year in May with an autumn resit option, DZI's practical stakes depend heavily on which specific subject a student selected to sit alongside the shared Bulgarian-language component, making that individual choice one of the most consequential decisions in the entire Bulgarian university-admission process.

📋 Exam Overview
🎯
Score Range
2 (lowest, fail) to 6 (highest) per subject, following Bulgaria's standard school grading scale.
💳
Fee
лв. 0 — no fee for students enrolled in Bulgarian public secondary schools sitting DZI during their graduation year.
📅
Valid For
A Diploma za sredno obrazovanie does not expire.
🖥
Mode
In-person, written examinations for both the compulsory and chosen subjects.
🗓
Frequency
Once a year in May, with a separate autumn resit session for students who failed or want to sit an additional subject
🏛
Conducted By
Ministerstvo na obrazovanieto i naukata (Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science), through regional education directorates
⚡
Difficulty
Regarded as more accessible in structure than most comparable European leaving exams given the minimal one-compulsory-subject requirement, though the practical difficulty for a university-bound student depends heavily on which competitive second subject their target program actually requires.
🌍 Accepted By
Accepted directly by many Bulgarian higher education institutions in place of a separate entrance exam, alongside universities that layer their own additional admission test on top of DZI results.
Bulgaria's leaving exam, unusually minimal among European matriculation systems — just one compulsory subject, Bulgarian Language and Literature, plus a single subject of the student's own choosing
👤 Who Should Take This Exam?
A student finishing Bulgarian secondary education sits DZI to earn the Diploma za sredno obrazovanie (secondary education diploma), the credential most Bulgarian universities reference directly for admission, often in place of a separate entrance exam. Unlike most European matriculation exams, which require three or more compulsory subjects, DZI has only one — Bulgarian Language and Literature — with a student choosing a single additional subject to sit, and optionally requesting a third. Because many Bulgarian higher education institutions accept DZI results directly rather than running their own entrance test, a student's choice of that one additional subject can meaningfully shape which university programs they're realistically positioned to apply for.
🎓 Education Level
Upper Secondary / University Admission
🌍 Accepted In
Bulgaria and recognized in other European countries for secondary-credential equivalency purposes.
📝 Exam Structure & Format
Question Types
A mix of multiple-choice, short-answer, and extended essay questions, with the exact proportion varying by subject.
Language / Medium
Bulgarian, with a foreign language available as the student's chosen second subject if selected.
Total Duration
The compulsory Bulgarian Language and Literature exam and the chosen subject exam each run around 4 hours.
Sections
One compulsory subject (Bulgarian Language and Literature) plus one subject of the student's choice, with an optional third subject a student can additionally request.
⚙️ More format details (timing, marking, equipment)See all ▾
Time Per Section
Both the compulsory and chosen subject exams generally run around 4 hours each.
Negative Marking
No
Calculator Allowed
Quantitative subjects like Mathematics allow a calculator, per the Ministry's stated policy for that specific exam.
Scratch Paper
Extra working paper is issued on request for subjects requiring extended written responses or calculations.
Breaks Allowed
The compulsory and chosen-subject exams are scheduled on separate days, so breaks fall between sessions rather than within either individual roughly 4-hour paper.
Home Edition
No — both exams take place in person at the student's own school or a designated regional centre.
📑 Section Details
Bulgarian Language and Literature is the only subject every candidate must sit; the second exam is entirely the student's own choice from a wide list including foreign languages, Mathematics, and various sciences and humanities subjects, and a student can optionally request a third exam beyond the required two. Because so much of DZI's actual content depends on that individual choice, two Bulgarian students' DZI experience can look substantially different even though both are sitting the same national exam.
🎯 Scoring System
Score Range
2 (lowest, fail) to 6 (highest) per subject, following Bulgaria's standard school grading scale.
Good / Passing Score
A grade of at least 3 (out of the 2-to-6 scale) on both the compulsory and chosen subject is required to pass and receive the Diploma za sredno obrazovanie.
How Scoring Works
Both the compulsory Bulgarian Language and Literature exam and the chosen second subject are graded independently on Bulgaria's 2-to-6 scale, where 6 is the top grade and 2 is a fail — there's no combined overall DZI average calculated across the two subjects the way some other countries' leaving exams produce one figure. Because each subject stands alone, a student's DZI result is really two separate numbers rather than a single admission score.
🏆 Minimum Scores for Top Universities
Bulgarian universities that accept DZI results directly set their own program-specific thresholds on the specific subjects relevant to that program, rather than one universal minimum. Competitive programs like Medicine have historically required scores close to the maximum on relevant science subjects given how many applicants clear the basic passing grade with room to spare.
📊 Section / sub-scoresSee all ▾
Writing
Assessed through the compulsory Bulgarian Language and Literature exam's written-response and essay components.
Grammar
Assessed within the Bulgarian Language and Literature exam and within a chosen foreign-language subject exam.
Quantitative
Assessed only if a student specifically chooses Mathematics as their second (or optional third) subject, since it isn't compulsory the way it is in most comparable European leaving exams.
Subject
The compulsory subject and the student's chosen subject each produce an independent grade on the 2-to-6 scale, with no subject's result folded into the other.
All Sub-Scores
The compulsory and chosen-subject scores are each recorded independently on the final diploma, with no combined overall figure calculated between them.
🔼 Score Improvement
The Ministry does not publish a standardized nationwide retake-improvement figure.
💳 Registration & Fees
Fee (USD)
лв. 0 — no fee for students enrolled in Bulgarian public secondary schools sitting DZI during their graduation year.
Fee (INR)
₹0 for a student's first sitting; a graduate resitting a subject in a later year faces a separate registration fee set by the Ministry.
Other
A graduate resitting a specific subject in a year after their original graduation pays a separate registration fee for that subject.
📝 Register Now →
📋 Policies (rescheduling, cancellation, verification, waivers)See all ▾
⏰ Register in Advance
Registration for the chosen second (and optional third) subject happens through the school in a student's final secondary year, ahead of the May exam period.
🔄 Rescheduling Policy
The Ministry sets exam dates nationally with no individual rescheduling; a documented medical emergency instead triggers a separate makeup-session process coordinated through the regional education directorate.
🔍 Score Verification
A formal re-check request lets a student have a specific exam paper's grading reviewed through the regional education directorate within a set post-results window.
📋 Score Audit
Uses the same regional re-check process available for formally disputing a specific exam's grading.
↩ Reinstatement Policy
No
📅 Exam Dates & Schedule
📆 Available Months
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
🔁 Frequency
Once a year in May, with a separate autumn resit session for students who failed or want to sit an additional subject
📊 Results Declared
About two weeks after the May exam period, results are typically published ahead of university application deadlines.
🔄 Retake Policy
Failing a subject, or simply wanting to add or improve one, opens the door to resitting in the autumn session or a later year, without needing to redo a subject already passed.
⏰ Register By
Registration for the chosen second (and optional third) subject happens through the school in a student's final secondary year, ahead of the May exam period.
✅ Eligibility & Access
🎂 Age Limit
Bulgaria places no age ceiling on DZI, though the typical candidate completes secondary school and sits it around 18-19.
🎓 Education Required
Completion of Bulgarian secondary education is required to sit DZI.
🛂 Citizenship
Completing the relevant Bulgarian secondary curriculum is what qualifies a candidate, regardless of nationality.
More on accommodations, ID, and special versionsSee all ▾
🪪 ID Required
Every exam session checks a school-issued or national identity document.
♿ Accessibility
Accommodations for a documented disability (extended time, adapted materials) get arranged jointly by the school and the regional education directorate.
🔀 Special Versions
A separate vocational secondary track leads to its own occupational qualification alongside DZI, with some vocational students additionally sitting DZI subjects specifically to gain university-admission eligibility.
📐 Subject Variants
A student's choice of second (and optional third) subject is entirely their own, drawn from a wide list spanning languages, sciences, and humanities, making DZI's actual content highly individualized despite its shared compulsory core.
🤝 Disability Accommodations
Regional education directorates coordinate extended time or an adapted format for a documented disability directly with the student's school.
🗓 Exam Day Guide
✅ What to Bring
Standard stationery and ID are the baseline; a calculator only comes into play for subjects like Mathematics that specifically require one.
🚫 Prohibited Items
Any electronic device, unauthorized notes, and anything a specific subject's own instructions don't explicitly permit.
📋 Exam Day Rules
Ministry guidelines set uniform identification checks and material restrictions, enforced consistently across exam centres nationwide.
After the exam: score reporting and deliverySee all ▾
⏱ Score Reporting
Typically within about two weeks of the May exam period.
📤 Score Sending
The Diploma za sredno obrazovanie itself, along with the DZI grades it records, is submitted by the student directly as part of university applications, since many Bulgarian institutions accept these results in place of a separate entrance exam.
🎓 Score Recipients
The student and their school get results first, and the student then submits their diploma directly to whichever Bulgarian university or program they apply to.
📚 Preparation Guide
🗓 Avg Prep Months
9 months
Because DZI requires only one compulsory subject, effective preparation concentrates heavily on whichever second subject a student chooses, since that choice — more than the shared Bulgarian Language and Literature component — is what actually shapes competitiveness for a specific university program. A student targeting a program that accepts DZI results directly should confirm that program's exact subject requirements well before finalizing their second-subject choice.
💡 Top Tips & Tricks
Because a student's actual university competitiveness rests heavily on their chosen second subject rather than the shared compulsory one, confirming a target program's specific subject and score requirements before finalizing that choice avoids preparing for a subject that won't actually serve the application. Since many institutions accept DZI directly in place of an entrance exam, treating DZI preparation with the same seriousness as a competitive entrance test — rather than as a simple formality — matters more in Bulgaria's system than in countries with a separate admission layer.
Full study plan, resources, and common mistakesSee all ▾
📅 Study Plan
Since only one subject is shared across every candidate, a study plan built around a student's specific chosen second subject — matched to their actual target university program's requirements — matters more here than broad preparation across many subjects the way multi-compulsory-subject systems require. Confirming a target program's exact subject and score expectations early enough to adjust the chosen subject, rather than committing based on general interest alone, is a genuinely consequential planning step given how much weight that single choice carries.
📖 Recommended Books
Ministry-approved secondary textbooks for each subject form the primary preparation base, supplemented by widely used Bulgarian revision guide series and past DZI papers.
🏫 Popular Prep Courses
Private tutoring (частни уроци) for a student's chosen second subject, particularly Mathematics and foreign languages, is widely used across Bulgaria alongside school-run revision sessions.
📱 Popular Prep Apps
Bulgarian-market platforms offering DZI-aligned practice questions for popular chosen subjects are commonly used alongside school-provided materials.
✅ Official Practice Tests
The Ministry's official portal provides past DZI papers for every subject offered. — Free — the Ministry's official past papers carry no cost.
🆓 Free Online Resources
The Ministry publishes official past DZI papers for every subject through its own portal, freely available to any student.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing a second subject based on general ease rather than a specific target program's actual requirements is a common and costly planning mistake, since DZI's minimal compulsory-subject structure puts unusually heavy weight on that one individual choice. Treating DZI as a lower-stakes formality, rather than recognizing that many universities use it directly in place of an entrance exam, is another frequent underestimation of what the exam actually determines.
💡 EduAtlasHub Exclusive Insights
🔍 Insider Tips
In the Bulgarian Literature section, always use the specific literary terms found in the national curriculum to maximize points in the essay section.
⭐ Unique Features
Requiring only one compulsory subject nationwide, with every other examined subject left entirely to the student's own choice, is a structural minimalism not widely shared among comparable European leaving exams, most of which mandate three or more compulsory subjects covering language, mathematics, and a foreign language together. Many Bulgarian universities' direct acceptance of DZI results in place of a separate entrance exam also gives the exam a functional weight closer to a combined leaving-certificate-and-entrance-exam than a simple graduation formality.
🎓 How This Score Impacts Your Application
Because many Bulgarian universities accept DZI results directly for admission rather than running a separate entrance exam, a student's chosen second-subject score can carry as much practical weight as a dedicated entrance test would elsewhere. This makes DZI's real-world impact highly dependent on which specific subject a student selected, rather than on the shared compulsory Bulgarian-language component alone.
More insights: country notes, comparisons, myths, examiner tipsSee all ▾
🌍 Country-Specific Notes
DZI is specific to Bulgaria's education system, and its minimal one-compulsory-subject structure — a genuine outlier among European matriculation exams, most of which require three or more compulsory subjects — reflects a deliberate design choice to concentrate assessment weight on a student's own chosen specialization.
⚖️ Comparison with Alternatives
Unlike Poland's Matura or Croatia's Državna matura, both of which require three compulsory subjects (a national language, mathematics, and a foreign language), Bulgaria's DZI mandates only Bulgarian Language and Literature, leaving every other examined subject to the student's own choice. Against Romania's Bacalaureat, which requires four separate Module E papers spanning a compulsory and chosen profile subject, DZI's two-subject structure (one compulsory, one chosen) is considerably more streamlined.
🆕 Recent Changes
Bulgaria has continued adjusting specific subject curricula and the list of available chosen subjects in recent cycles without altering DZI's fundamental one-compulsory-subject structure.
🔜 Upcoming Changes
No major structural changes to the one-compulsory-subject model or the 2-to-6 grading scale have been announced for upcoming cycles beyond routine annual curriculum updates.
🧐 Myths vs Facts
Assuming DZI requires multiple compulsory subjects the way most other European matriculation exams do is a natural but incorrect expectation — Bulgaria's version mandates only Bulgarian Language and Literature, with every other subject left to the student's choice. It's also easy to assume DZI functions purely as a graduation formality separate from university admission, but many Bulgarian institutions accept its results directly in place of a dedicated entrance exam, giving it real competitive weight.
📋 Post-Exam Steps
Once results are published, a student should check their target university program's specific DZI subject and score requirements before finalizing an application, since institutions vary in whether they accept DZI directly or layer their own additional test on top. A student who falls short on their chosen subject should consider the autumn resit session for that specific subject rather than assuming the original result is fixed.
🎯 Score Uses Beyond Admission
Bulgarian employers broadly treat the Diploma za sredno obrazovanie as the standard secondary-education credential outside university admission too, and its recognition in other European countries can support secondary-credential equivalency processes for Bulgarian graduates working or studying abroad.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the DZI score valid?+
The DZI score is valid for A Diploma za sredno obrazovanie does not expire..
How much does the DZI cost?+
лв. 0 — no fee for students enrolled in Bulgarian public secondary schools sitting DZI during their graduation year.
How often can I retake the DZI?+
Failing a subject, or simply wanting to add or improve one, opens the door to resitting in the autumn session or a later year, without needing to redo a subject already passed.
When are DZI results declared?+
About two weeks after the May exam period, results are typically published ahead of university application deadlines.
Which universities accept the DZI?+
Accepted directly by many Bulgarian higher education institutions in place of a separate entrance exam, alongside universities that layer their own additional admission test on top of DZI results.
Is a calculator allowed in the DZI?+
Quantitative subjects like Mathematics allow a calculator, per the Ministry's stated policy for that specific exam.
How should I prepare for the DZI?+
Because DZI requires only one compulsory subject, effective preparation concentrates heavily on whichever second subject a student chooses, since that choice — more than the shared Bulgarian Language and Literature…
📝
Register for DZI
Bulgaria's leaving exam, unusually minimal among European matriculation systems — just one compulsory subject, Bulgarian Language and Literature, plus a single subject of the student's own choosing
Register Now →
📊 Quick Facts
Official Site →
Conducted ByMinisterstvo na obrazovanieto i naukata (Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science), through regional education directorates
Year Started2008 (introduction of the centralized state matriculation format under its current DZI structure, following earlier post-1989 secondary-assessment reforms)
CategoryUpper Secondary / University Admission
Emailhttps://www.mon.bg/bg/12
Last UpdatedSeptember 7, 2026
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