Italy’s Maturità 2026: Over 527,000 students prepare for revamped high school exit exam with new oral format and mandatory participation

Countdown to the new Maturità

On Thursday 18 June at 8:30, 527,607 final-year high-school students across Italy will face the first written test of a radically reformed exit exam. The reform, known as the Valditara reform after Education and Merit Minister Giuseppe Valditara, restores the historic name “Maturità” in place of “Esame di Stato” and rewrites the exam’s philosophy to emphasise personal growth, autonomy and civic responsibility alongside academic knowledge. A total of 13,989 commissions will oversee 27,884 classes; 273,854 candidates come from licei, 167,136 from technical institutes and 86,617 from professional schools.

Written exams lay the foundation

The written phase opens with the national Italian test, offering seven tracks from which each student selects one. Candidates have six hours to complete the paper and may not leave before three hours have passed. The following day, 19 June, brings the second written test, which is tailored to each course of study — ranging from Latin at the classical lyceum to technical disciplines at vocational institutes.

Oral exam overhaul: four subjects, mandatory participation

Under the new rules the oral commission shrinks from seven to five members (two internal, two external and a president) and concentrates on only four pre-announced subjects, replacing the old system that could cover the entire fifth-year syllabus. The oral starts not with a surprise prompt but with the candidate’s own reflection on their educational path, supported by the Student Curriculum that collects evidence of school-work experiences, digital skills and civic education activities.

The most striking change is the abolition of the so-called “scena muta” — the former loophole that let students with a sufficient credit score coast through the oral in silence. From this year, refusing to engage actively results in automatic failure, regardless of accumulated credits.

The school doesn’t just measure what you memorised, but who you became in five years.

Evaluating personal growth and maturity

For the first time the grading grid awards up to 5 out of the oral’s 20 points for the candidate’s “degree of personal maturation, autonomy and responsibility.” Alongside subject knowledge, the exam now systematically considers participation in work-based learning, digital competence development and extracurricular commitment. The final score still totals 100 points, with the oral worth 20, but the discretionary bonus points are reduced from 5 to 3, tightening the pathway to top marks.

The shadow of AI in preparation

A survey cited by Rai news indicates that 77% of maturandi have used artificial intelligence to prepare — mainly to draft personal reflections, compile the Student Curriculum or create materials linked to the oral exam. While AI has become a study companion, the new exam’s emphasis on autonomous judgment and personal authenticity poses a different challenge: students will have to demonstrate their own voice in a setting that rewards genuine individual growth rather than algorithmically polished outputs. The reform also introduces a digital diploma, modernising the final credential.