Frequently Asked Questions

Abitti is the digital test system used to sit the Finnish matriculation examination. It gives every candidate a fair, secure and reliable computer-based test environment.

On a test day, candidates bring their laptop and start it using the dedicated candidate application, which locks out the computer's usual files and programmes. The laptop connects to a closed exam network with no internet access. This network links the candidates' computers to a group of exam-room servers, which distribute the questions and materials and store the answers as they're submitted.

The system is built to tolerate faults: if a server or network component fails, it can be replaced or restarted without candidates losing the answers they've already given. Security relies on both technical restrictions, which block access to forbidden content and functions, and monitoring, which flags attempts at cheating that can't be blocked outright.

A new version, Abitti 2, will replace the old system that relied on USB sticks from the autumn 2026 examinations onwards.

Your request for administrative review must clearly identify the tasks or other parts of the test concerned and explain what error you believe was made in the assessment. You must also explain why you believe an error occurred and how it should be corrected. You do not need to copy the test question or your answer into the request form, as the person handling the request can access them directly through the system. See the attachment for an example of the information that a request for administrative review may contain:

Please note that a request for administrative review must relate to an error made by the Board during the assessment process. The assessment will not be revised unless such an error has occurred. Therefore, simply stating that your total score was close to the threshold for the next grade or that the score awarded does not reflect your actual level of competence is not grounds for administrative review. A request for administrative review cannot be directed at the assessment of the test as a whole; the alleged error must be identified and justified. The Board determines which aspects of a response are awarded points and which lead to points being deducted.

No appeal may be made against a decision regarding a request for administrative review (Matriculation Examination Act 502/2019, section 23).

A separate request for administrative review must be submitted for each test. For this purpose, the tests in reading literacy and writing skills in the mother tongue and literature are treated as one single test, so you may request the administrative review of both in the same application. A single request for administrative review may cover more than one matter relating to the test concerned. In your request, list all the matters in that test for which you are seeking administrative review and provide grounds for each of them. If you are requesting the administrative review of two tests, you must submit two separate requests for administrative review.

Information about any revised grade or total score will be available to Finnish higher education institutions and other educational institutions once the outcome of the request for administrative review has been issued. If you have applied to an institution that takes matriculation examination results into account and the application period has already closed, please contact the institution directly to confirm how you should proceed.

Further information about requests for administrative review is available in subchapter 1.7.7 of the Board’s General Regulations and Guidelines.

Many factors affect the time required to process a request for administrative review. Processing may take up to six weeks or longer. The Matriculation Examination Board is unable to take account of requests concerning the processing schedule of individual requests for an administrative review. As a result, candidates who have submitted requests for administrative review of the same test may receive notification of the outcome at different times.

Validating of a Certificate of the Matriculation can be done in the Digital and Population Data Services agency's web service. Read the instructions for validation here.

Candidates will receive their Matriculation Examination Certificates at the end of the examination period after passing all four compulsory tests. From June 2023, the certificates will be available in digital format (pdf-file) in addition to the paper certificate. Digital certificates are validated by a digital signature by the Matriculation Examination Board.

More about the certificates here.

A person who has successfully completed the matriculation examination in English may supplement their examination with tests in English. A person who has completed the matriculation examination in another language may also supplement their examination with tests in English. However, the education provider is not obliged to offer this opportunity to a candidate who has completed the examination in another language.