Over 749,000 Iraqi students to sit middle-school exams on Saturday

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Ministry of Education said 749,454 students will take the 2025-2026 middle-school general examinations on Saturday, with the tests scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m. across the country. Of the total, 662,320 are enrolled in academic programs and 87,134 in vocational programs, including students studying abroad. The ministry said the exams will be held at 5,085 centers nationwide, of which 4,278 are designated for academic students and 807 for vocational students. It added that coordination is underway with security, health and electricity authorities to secure the centers and ensure basic services are maintained during the testing period. According to the ministry, anti-cheating devices have been activated in exam halls and inspection measures have been stepped up. No further operational details were immediately available.