Taking the Al-Azhar Written Entrance Exams

Schedule of Exams

There are two written exams a day, each taking one and a half hours.  The following is the schedule of exams for previous years, generally the same schedule is followed each year.

Exam Taking Tips

Here is some advice on taking the exams compiled from previous students and teachers in Egypt.

• Bring your passport, blue pens, and a ruler.  Paper will be provided, similar to the blue books that are used for college exams in the US.
• Draw margins on the sheets.  They are lined but no margins, and margins make it look neater.  Use a ruler or your passport.
• Too many corrections don't look very good.  If you need to correct, just draw a line through the mistake.
• Fill up the paper.  There are plenty of sheets.  Write on one side of each paper only.  Spread out your answers instead of cramming everything into a few lines.
• Answer each question on a different piece of paper.  You can answer all of the parts of a compound question on a single sheet.
• In Arabic it is preferred to use flowery language, as opposed to be English where we like things to be straight to the point.
• End the exam in a style similar to the Azharis (like in the Wadih books), saying "والله تعالى أعلى وأعلم" or something similar, and if possible copy other parts of their style.  Begin with the basmalah.
• Quote Qur'an and Hadith as evidence even if it is just part of the ayah or hadith.  But be very careful not to make mistakes when quoting.  If you are not sure don't write it down.  Citing the Surah is better but is not necessary.
• Write neatly.  The graders do not have much time to grade the exams so they probably will not spend their time trying to figure out what you wrote.  First impressions are important.
• Answer all of the questions to the best of your ability.  Usually it is not best to leave entire questions blank.

Results

The results usually come out one week after the last exam.  A student can be placed into the third year of middle school, the first year of high school, the second year of high school, or the third year of high school.  Few students get placed into the third year of high school, although most Western students tend to place into the second or third year of high school.

It is unknown how many points are required to get into each year of high school (each exam is 40 points).  A student's total score is not posted, only the year the student has placed into is posted.  Based on previous students' experiences, a student must do well on the exams to place into the last year of high school.