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External assessment

Learn more about the external assessments NZQA runs, including end-of-year NCEA exams

We run external assessments for National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1, 2 and 3 and New Zealand Scholarship.

Most NCEA and Scholarship exams happen in November and December. A 3-hour exam session can assess up to 3 external achievement standards in a single subject.

For some NCEA subjects, students need to submit a portfolio of work that is assessed at the end of the school year.

Portfolios for external assessment

Moving from paper-based to digital exams

Assessment is traditionally paper-based, but we're moving towards digital assessments that students sit on a computer.

New Zealand schools increasingly use digital teaching and learning methods. Digital assessment reflects this.

About digital external assessment

Exam and assessment timetables

You can find dates for end-of-year exams and other external assessments on the timetable pages: 

Find exam and assessment dates

How external assessment works

Rules for external assessment

In term 4, students will get a copy of the rules and instructions for candidates, which they must agree to follow.

The rules make sure that assessment is fair for all students, and that their work is original and authentic. 

Rules for students taking assessments

What happens if you break the rules

We investigate potential breaches of the exam and assessment rules:

Breaches of external assessment

Support for students doing assessments

Resources for students doing assessments

Find information for students who are preparing for assessments

Go to the Student assessment hub

When a student can't sit an assessment

Candidates might be able to apply for a derived grade

Find out about derived grades

Help for students during an assessment

Students with known difficulties or disabilities can apply for Special Assessment Conditions

Find out about Special Assessment Conditions

Preparing for digital assessment

Information and resources to help students prepare for digital assessment

Doing digital assessments

What students can do after an assessment

Getting assessment materials back

Students can get some assessment materials back after the assessment

Find out what assessment material is returned

Accessing marked digital and scanned paper exams online

Students can login to MyNZQA to access their marked assessments

Find out how to access marked assessments

NCEA reviews and reconsiderations

Students can apply for a review or a reconsideration of an assessment result

NCEA reviews and reconsiderations

Scholarship reviews and reconsiderations

Students can apply for a review or a reconsideration of an assessment result

Scholarship reviews and reconsiderations

Get more information or give us feedback