Over 9,600 Romanian teachers to sit definitive exam on 14 July, results expected on 21 July

The exam in numbers

More than 10,000 teachers initially registered for the 2026 session of the national definitivat exam, but only those who fulfilled all methodological requirements (over 9,600) will sit the written test on Tuesday, 14 July. The exam will be held in 42 centres, one in each county and in Bucharest.

Candidates must have completed at least one year of teaching practice in their specialty, received a "Good" or "Very Good" rating for the current school year, and achieved an arithmetic average of at least 8 from two classroom inspections and the professional portfolio evaluation, with no individual score below 7.

The exam covers 106 disciplines. The subjects with the highest numbers of candidates are: preschool education teacher in Romanian (2,506 candidates), primary education teacher in Romanian (1,902 candidates), childcare educator in Romanian (576 candidates), special psychopedagogy (544 candidates), and physical education and sport (506 candidates).

Exam day conditions and security

Access to exam centres will be permitted between 7:30 and 8:00, based on a valid identity document. Candidates may present an identity card, provisional identity card, identity bulletin, or a valid passport if the others are unavailable.

The written test will begin at 9:00 and will last four hours. In special circumstances, the working time may be extended by one or two hours. This applies, for example, to blind candidates, those with low vision or certain visual impairments, or when the test is conducted by dictation from a candidate with certain disabilities to an assistant teacher from a different specialty.

All rooms used for the written test, as well as spaces where examination, evaluation, and appeal committees operate, will be audio-video monitored. The National Centre for Curriculum and Evaluation will prepare the subjects for all 106 disciplines, translate them into national minority languages at candidates' request, and prepare the evaluation scales.

Results timeline and top specialisations

After the written test concludes, the subjects and evaluation scales will be posted at 15:00 on the dedicated website and on noticeboards at exam centres.

The written papers will be evaluated digitally in nationally constituted centres organised by discipline. The minimum pass mark for the exam is 8.

The five most sought-after specialisations reflect the structure of Romania's pre-university teaching workforce. Preschool and primary education together account for 4,408 candidates, representing roughly 46% of the total expected participants.

What passing means for a career

Teachers who pass the exam acquire the right to practise in pre-university education. Passing the definitivat marks the transition from debutant teacher status to that of a certified permanent teacher and opens a path of ascending professional development.

By obtaining the definitivat in education, teaching staff move beyond the debutant stage and gain the possibility to enter an ascending route of professionalisation.

The definitivat can be taken free of charge a maximum of three times, according to the legislation in force. The final results, once displayed, will be validated by ministerial order between 30 July and 18 August 2026.