Aromatawai ā-waho

External assessment

Learn more about the external assessments NZQA runs, including end-of-year NCEA exams

We run external assessments for:

  • National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1, 2 and 3
  • New Zealand Scholarship.

Assessment by portfolio

For some NCEA subjects, students need to submit a portfolio of work that is assessed at the end of the school year.

Portfolios for external assessment

End-of-year exams

Most NCEA exams happen in November and December each year.

A 3-hour session can assess up to 3 external achievement standards in a single NCEA subject.

Marking external assessments

NZQA will mark external assessments by:

Grade score marking

We are moving from paper-based to digital exams

Assessment has traditionally been paper-based, but we are introducing digital assessment that students can sit using a computer.

This reflects that New Zealand schools are increasingly using digitally enabled teaching and learning. 

How external assessment works

About digital external assessment

Some external assessments are available digitally, and some will only be digital.

Find more information at:

About digital external assessment

Student resources for digital external assessment

Find past digital external assessments (external link)

Preparing for digital assessments as a student

Digital exams device check

Rules and instructions

In term 4, students will get a copy of the ‘Rules and instructions for Candidates’, which they must agree to follow.

These rules ensure assessment conditions for all students are fair and that their work is original and authentic. 

You can download a copy, in English or te reo Māori, from 18 October 2023.

Rules for students taking assessments

Candidate information sheet 2023 [PDF, 219 KB]

Puka Pārongo Kaitono 2023 [PDF, 283 KB]

What happens if you break these rules

NZQA has a process to investigate potential breaches of the external examination rules:

Breaches of External Assessment

Get more information or give us feedback