State Graduation (in Albanian Matura Shtetërore) is a system regarding final exams that young adults (aged 17, 18, or 19) take at the end of their secondary education in Albania.
It was created by the Albanian Ministry of Education and Science in 2006, as a project that would avoid the corruption, lack of control, and favoritism[1] that had characterized the prior aptitude examination system, Matura.
These last two exams are chosen by the student from a pool of subjects (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, English, History-Geography, and Sociology-Economy-Philosophy).
However, this system has been much criticized for the high level of difficulty, subjectivity (in Literature), and strict grading, resulting in low scoring averages.
For example, in the second Literature exam, which took place on Saturday, June 9, 2007, only fifteen 10s (the highest possible score) were received in the entire republic (out of 30,000 students).