Education in Montenegro: school stages, the state matura and university entry
A guide to schooling in Montenegro, the gymnasium and the state matura, how school marks work, and how students apply to university.
In short
Montenegro is a small country on the Adriatic coast, and its education system is organised nationally. The Ministry responsible for education sets the curricula and the rules for school-leaving exams, and a central body, the Examination Centre, prepares the national tests. Schooling is compulsory through primary school, and the language of teaching is Montenegrin. Pupils who want to go to university usually attend a gymnasium, a general secondary school that ends with the state matura. Vocational secondary schools prepare pupils for a profession and can also lead to further study. The country has been a candidate for membership of the European Union since 2010, and its university degrees follow the structure of the Bologna process, so a bachelor degree is followed by a master degree.
School stages
- Primary school (osnovna škola): Lasts nine years, usually from age six to about fifteen, and is compulsory. It is organised in three cycles of three years. Pupils study Montenegrin language and literature, mathematics, a foreign language, natural and social sciences, art, music and physical education.
- Secondary school (srednja škola): After primary school, pupils choose between a gymnasium and a vocational school. The gymnasium lasts four years and is the general academic route. Vocational schools last three or four years, depending on the profession, and combine general subjects with practical training.
- Higher education: Public and private institutions offer bachelor, master and doctoral studies. The University of Montenegro in Podgorica is the main public university, and several private universities and faculties also operate in the country.
The state matura and grading
Pupils at a gymnasium finish with the state matura (Državna matura, often written Drzavna matura without accents), a set of national exams. The Examination Centre (Ispitni centar) prepares and organises these exams, so the same tasks are used in every school. The exams cover compulsory subjects, such as Montenegrin language and literature and mathematics, together with subjects chosen by the pupil. The exact list of subjects, the length of each exam and the way results are combined are set by the Ministry and can change from year to year, so students should always check the current official notices.
In school, marks run from 1 to 5. A mark of 5 is excellent, and 1 is a failing mark, so pupils need at least 2 to pass a subject. Marks from the final years of secondary school can be taken into account when a faculty ranks its applicants, together with the results of the matura or an entrance test.
University admission
Admission to a university faculty is competitive for popular programmes. Each faculty publishes a call for applications that lists the number of places, the documents needed and the way applicants are ranked. In many cases the ranking uses the marks from secondary school and the result of the matura. Some programmes, such as the arts, sport or architecture, add an entrance exam or a test of talent. Applicants from abroad must have their secondary school certificate recognised, and programmes taught in Montenegrin require proof of the language, while some programmes are offered in English.
Beyond the matura
Many young people choose a vocational path. After a vocational school they can start work, take a professional exam in their field, or continue to higher education if the programme gives that right. In addition, young adults across the country prepare for the national driving licence theory exam (Vozački ispit, or vozacki-ispit-montenegro) to obtain their Category B driver qualification. Public institutions and some employers also use aptitude tests and general knowledge questions (gk-me) when they choose candidates, and knowing the basic facts about the country's history, geography and culture is often a part of this.
Languages and international students
Montenegrin is the official language, and the standard uses both the Latin and the Cyrillic alphabet, although the Latin one is more common in daily life. Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian and Croatian are also in official use, and schools in areas with a large Albanian-speaking population can teach in Albanian. Foreign students who plan to study in Montenegrin should expect a language test, and many choose a preparatory language course before they begin. Because the country is small, the main student cities are Podgorica, with the largest university, and the coastal towns, where several private faculties are located.
Practising on GetMyMockTest
These are practice questions we wrote for study. They are not the official exams, and we do not claim they match an exam's current format. Free practice for Montenegro:
- State Matura (drzavna-matura-montenegro): mathematics, Montenegrin language and literature, and history, with timed tests and flashcards.
- Driving theory (vozacki-ispit-montenegro): road signs, priority rules, and vehicle safety with timed practice tests and flashcards.
- Montenegrin general knowledge (gk-me): history and politics, geography and nature, and science, arts and culture, with a source given for each fact.