Provincial examinations are province-wide examinations, held in April, June, August, and January, for students between the grades of 10 to 12, most commonly known in the province of British Columbia, but also taken in other provinces in Canada. Most students write these exams in January and June, based on the two semester system in British Columbia. A variety of practice resources are available for students, through both official and non-official outlets.
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While the exams were initially exclusive to subjects at the grade 12 level, reforms in the education system in 2004 introduced a series of mandatory provincial examinations at the grade 10 level and one at the grade 11 level (Social Studies 11).
In grade 10 and 11, the provincial exams are worth 20% of a student's final mark, whereas the grade 12 exam is worth 40% of a student's final mark.
At the grade 12 level, only the English 12 provincial exam is mandatory for secondary school completion and acquiring the Dogwood Diploma; the remaining exams are optional. The reforms in 2004 additionally specified a student must also successfully complete the provincial exams at the grade 10 and 11 level to obtain the Dogwood Diploma.
Provincial exams (excluding the mandatory English 12 exam) are no longer required by most universities when grade 12 marks are considered assessing a student's acceptance average. However, different universities have different policies regarding the marks one receives from provincial exams; for example, some universities will only take into account one's provincial exam mark if it improves their grade, while other universities mandate that provincial exam marks will be blended with class marks in consideration, should a student choose to take the provincial exam.
Provincial exams are also useful for students trying to improve their grade 12 marks, or apply for scholarships.
Recently there has been deliberation on whether British Columbia should abandon the provincial exams, which the neighbouring province of Alberta has already done.
Beginning in September 2009, the University of British Columbia no longer requires provincial exams for admission, except the ones required for the Dogwood Diploma.