Diploma Exams
Updated: October 22, 2025
Alberta Education administers diploma exams several times throughout the year.
The Grade 12 Diploma Exam Program has three main purposes:
- to certify the level of individual student achievement in selected Grade 12 courses
- to ensure that province-wide standards of achievement are maintained
- to report individual and group results
Changes to diploma exams
With instructional time in schools disrupted due to the teacher strike, the November 2025 diploma exams will now be optional for students. Students who wish to write a diploma exam may request to do so, and their school boards will accommodate the request.
The optional diploma exams apply to all schools throughout the province. These exams will still take place on the currently scheduled dates.
Students who choose not to write the November diploma exams can still complete their courses and graduate on time. Their final grade will be based entirely on the school-awarded mark provided by their teacher.
Choosing not to write the November diploma exams will not affect a student’s ability to apply to, be accepted by, or attend post-secondary institutions after graduation.
No changes have been made to the January and June diplomas and provincial achievement tests.
Diploma Exams Schedule, Deadlines, and Important Information
Students must present photo ID when taking diploma exams and bring their own writing materials, such as pens, HB pencils, and one approved calculator.
- Diploma Exams Schedule 2025-2026
- Deadlines to register or rewrite diploma exams
- 2025-2026 Calculator Information and Rules for Mathematics and Science Diploma Exams
- Student results are available on myPass approximately three weeks after writing diploma exams.
Assessment and Practice Tests
Parents, caregivers, and students can review how the exams are assessed and access practice tests. Click on the links below for more information.
Questions?
For complete information about Diploma Exams, please click here.