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Most provinces will kick off prelims in late August or early September.
Prelim exams start from next month. Image used for illustration; iStock
Schools across South Africa open on Tuesday, 22 July, 2025, marking the beginning of the third academic term.
The countdown to the National Senior Certificate exams begins, provincial education departments (PEDs) have confirmed the starting dates for the preparatory examinations (prelims) for matriculants.
When prelims begin in your province
The start dates for the 2025 preparatory exams vary slightly across the country. Most provinces will start in late August or early September, giving Grade 12 pupils just over a month to prepare.
Here are the confirmed dates:
- Eastern Cape: 25 August – 23 September;
- North West: 27 August – 25 September;
- Gauteng: 29 August – 26 September;
- Northern Cape: 29 August – 30 September;
- Limpopo: 2 September – 26 September;
- Mpumalanga: 2 September – 30 September;
- Free State: 2 September – 2 October;
- Western Cape: 5 September – 26 September; and
- KwaZulu-Natal: 8 September – 2 October.
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Prelims not national
While many consider the preparatory exams a national benchmark, the department of basic education clarified that the exams are not nationally standardised.
“The preparatory examination is not a national examination but is managed by the nine provincial education departments,” the department said.
In most provinces, question papers are set at the provincial head office, but in the Western Cape, schools are responsible for developing their papers.
“Where question papers are set by the provincial head office, they are printed and packed provincially and distributed to schools on the morning of the examinations,” said the department.
The scripts are marked by teachers at the school, using provincial guidelines, and marks are then captured on digital systems – the South African School Administration System for eight provinces and Centralised Education Management Information System in the Western Cape.
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