Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, 香港中學會考) was a standardised examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students' five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), awarding the Hong Kong Certificate of Education secondary school leaving qualification. The examination has been discontinued in 2012 and its roles are now replaced by the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education as part of educational reforms in Hong Kong.

Students usually took the HKCEE at the end of their five-year period of secondary school in Hong Kong; it was compulsory for students who wanted to pursue further education. However some students take individual examinations, to increase their chance of continuing their study or fulfilling certain requirements in tertiary education programs.

2010 was the final year in which school candidates were accepted. There were 127,162 candidates entered for the examination. 90,063 of them were school candidates and 37,099 were private candidates.

The HKCEE was conducted from late February to June, but major subjects were taken between mid-April and May, after the major subjects examination in HKALE were completed, by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). For oral examinations, they were conducted in late May to early July.

Examination results were released in early August, traditionally on the following Wednesday after the first-round admission of JUPAS had been released. There were 39 subjects available in the HKCEE. Most day school candidates took 6 to 8 subjects in the HKCEE, with 10 being the upper limit. Apart from Chinese and English which were taken by almost every school candidate, and language-specific subjects (French, Chinese History (Chinese only), Buddhist Studies (Chinese only), Literature in English (English only), Putonghua (Chinese only) and Word Processing & Business Communication (English only), all subjects can be taken in either Chinese or English. The same standards are applied in marking and grading regardless of the choice of language, and the language medium is not recorded on the results notices or certificates. It is, however, recorded on the admission forms.

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