Matura Shtetërore
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ExploreAbout this exam
Matura Shtetërore (MSH) is the Albanian national school-leaving examination for students completing upper secondary education. It is organised and administered by QSHA - Qendra e Shërbimeve Arsimore, the agency created by Council of Ministers decision no. 371 of 26 April 2017, whose stated responsibilities include the Matura Shtetërore, the development of national examinations, the State Exam for regulated professions and administration of the state database. QSHA describes itself as a technical, professional and supporting body for assessment and examination policy; it is not an examining board that a private candidate deals with directly.
The exam is built around three compulsory papers plus one elective. D1 covers Gjuhë shqipe dhe letërsi, D2 covers Matematikë, and D3 covers a foreign language, with QSHA publishing separate marking schemes for English, Italian, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Turkish at B1 and, for English, Italian and French, B2 as well. The elective (provimi me zgjedhje) draws on subjects such as Fizikë, Kimi, Qytetari-Psikologji, Sociologji-Filozofi, Ekonomi, Gjeografi, Histori and Biologji. Papers are issued in variants (A, B) and separate materials exist for gjimnaz and professional-school candidates.
The best preparation route is the material QSHA itself publishes: model papers, tests, marking schemes and solutions for each subject, plus the orientation programmes issued ahead of each cycle. Work through the published scheme for your own subject so you know how marks are allocated, then practise under timed conditions.
What you'll study
About Matura Shtetërore preparation
Which papers do I have to sit in Matura Shtetërore?
The published materials for a Matura cycle group the papers as D1 Gjuhë shqipe dhe letërsi, D2 Matematikë, D3 Gjuhë e huaj and the elective paper (provimi me zgjedhje). QSHA releases a separate test and marking scheme for each of these. Check the current cycle's page for the definitive list before you plan your revision.
Which foreign languages can I take for D3?
QSHA publishes D3 marking schemes for Anglisht, Italisht, Frëngjisht, Gjermanisht, Rusisht, Spanjisht and Turqisht. English, Italian and French appear at both B1 and B2, while German, Russian, Spanish and Turkish appear at B1 in the published lists. Availability can change between cycles, so confirm your language on the current MSH page.
What elective subjects are available?
The elective papers published by QSHA cover Fizikë, Kimi, Qytetari-Psikologji, Sociologji-Filozofi, Ekonomi, Gjeografi, Histori and Biologji. Each has its own test and marking scheme, often in more than one variant. The set of electives offered is set per cycle, so verify yours on the year-specific page.
Is the exam the same for gymnasium and professional-school students?
No. QSHA publishes separate materials for gjimnaz candidates and for professional (profesionale) candidates - for example, distinct variants A and B and distinct marking schemes for Gjuhë shqipe dhe letërsi and for Matematikë. Make sure the papers and schemes you download match your school type, otherwise your practice will not reflect the real paper.
Can I sit the exam in a second session if something goes wrong?
QSHA publishes a separate set of results under 'sesioni i dytë' for MSH, with results broken out per paper (Gjuhë shqipe dhe letërsi, Matematikë, Gjuhë e huaj and the elective) for that session. That confirms a second session exists and is scored separately. Eligibility conditions and deadlines are set in the official notices, so read those before relying on it.
What is the hardest part of the exam in practice?
Most marks are lost not on knowledge but on format: candidates do not know how the marking scheme allocates points, so they write too much on low-value items and too little on high-value ones. The published skema e vlerësimit for your subject shows exactly where marks sit, and QSHA also releases worked solutions you can compare against.
In what order should I prepare?
Start with the orientation programme (programet orientuese) for your cycle, which sets out what the paper assumes. Then work the published model or test paper for your subject, mark yourself strictly against the official scheme, and only afterwards go back to content gaps. Doing past papers before reading the scheme wastes the papers.
Where do I find official information and results?
Everything is published on the QSHA site, qsha.gov.al. The Matura Shtetërore section lists, per year, notifications, orientation programmes, tests and marking schemes, and results. QSHA also posts service notices there, so check the Njoftime area for schedule changes. QSHA's address is Bulevardi "Zhan D'Ark", Nr. 23, Tiranë, and complaints go to [email protected].
Is the exam being digitised?
QSHA has issued a notice about a digitised exam session, announcing that the session planned for 15.10.2026 at 13:00 would instead be held on 23.10.2026 at 12:30. That notice concerns a specific scheduled session; whether your own papers are sat on paper or on screen should be confirmed from the current cycle's official notices, not assumed.