SSC exams to begin Jan 7, HSC June 6 next year

The government has set January 7 for the 2027 SSC and equivalent examinations and June 6 for the HSC exams, as it seeks to align the public examination calendar more closely with the start of the academic year.

At a press conference in the Secretariat yesterday, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced the dates. He said the SSC exams would end on February 6, while the HSC tests would continue until July 13.

“Our ultimate goal is to gradually hold SSC and HSC exams in December to save students’ academic time,” he said.

Milon said the 2027 schedule was finalised after discussions with students, teachers, and stakeholders.

According to the proposed SSC routine, the exams will begin at 10:00am on January 7 with Bangla first paper and the written tests will finish on February 6. Practical exams for music and other subjects must be completed by February 11.

The proposed HSC routine shows that the tests will begin with Bangla first paper on June 6. Morning exams will be held from 10:00am to 1:00pm, while afternoon exams will run from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. HSC practical exams end by July 18.

Milon said public exams often disrupt regular classes because educational institutions remain closed during the tests. “To address this, the government has planned to build one multipurpose examination hall in every upazila.”

Responding to a question, the minister said the government is working to amend the law to allow evaluation of answer scripts. At present, students can only apply for re-scrutiny, which checks mark counting errors or whether any answer remains unmarked.

Before the pandemic, SSC exams were usually held in February and HSC in April. The SSC exams of 2020 began on February 1, but the HSC exams that year could not be held.

The tests were delayed in 2021 and 2022, and both were held on shortened syllabuses with reduced marks due to learning losses.

In 2023, the SSC tests began in late April, while the HSC started in mid-August.

The SSC calendar briefly moved back towards the old pattern in 2024, with exams beginning in February. But the HSC tests commenced on June 30.

The delay continued in 2025, when the SSC exams began on April 10 and the HSC on June 26. This year, the SSC exams started on April 21, while the HSC tests are slated for July 2.