Junior Scholarship Exam 2025 Kicks Off December 21

The Junior Scholarship Examination 2025 is set to begin on December 21, with results expected to be announced on January 31, 2026. This was confirmed on Tuesday (September 16) by sources from the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.

It was also informed that the list of examinees and exam centers, based on upazilas, must be submitted to the board by district committees by September 30.

Online form submission will take place from October 5 to October 9, with the final date for fee payment through Sonali Seba being October 12. Question paper distribution and verification will occur from October 26 to November 13. Question papers will be handed over to representatives of district administrators between November 16 and November 23.

Admit cards for examinees will be published on the board’s website on December 10. The tentative date for result publication is set for January 31, 2026.

Earlier, on September 14, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board released the question pattern and mark distribution for the Junior Scholarship Examination. The exam will cover Bangla, English, Mathematics, Science, and Bangladesh and Global Studies. Bangla, English, and Mathematics will each carry 100 marks, while Science and Bangladesh and Global Studies will carry 50 marks each, totaling 400 marks. Each exam will have a duration of 3 hours.

On September 3, the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education published the Junior Scholarship Examination Policy 2025. According to the policy, up to 25 percent of 8th-grade students (based on the cumulative evaluation results of all terms in 7th grade) from secondary or lower secondary schools can participate in the exam. The National Steering Committee may revise this percentage as needed.

Students will be awarded two types of scholarships: Talentpool and General. An additional 30 minutes will be provided for examinees with special needs. Fifty percent of all scholarships are reserved for male students and 50 percent for female students. However, if eligible candidates are not found for the allocated quota, male scholarships may be awarded to female students and vice versa.

The policy further states that if a student transfers to another school for 8th grade with a clearance certificate, they will be allowed to participate in the Junior Scholarship Examination. In such cases, their name must be included in the merit list based on their performance at their previous institution.