Te'udat Bagrut (, lit. "maturity certificate", Arabic: شهادة بجروت) is a certificate that attests that a student has successfully passed Israel's high school matriculation examination. Bagrut is a prerequisite for higher education in Israel. Overview A Bagrut certificate is awarded by the Israeli Ministry of Education to students who pass the ministry's required written (and in some cases oral) subject-matter examinations with a passing mark (55% or higher) in each exam. The Bagrut certificate however should not be confused with a high school diploma (te'udat g'mar tichon, ، Arabic: شهادة انهاء الثانويّة), which is a certificate awarded by the Ministry of Education attesting that a student has completed 12 years of study. Bagrut scores are one of the criteria examined in applications to elite military units and Israeli academic institutions. Other criteria include students' high school grades and the Psychometric Entrance Test. Bagrut exams are frequently compared to the New York State Regents Examinations, the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) tests, the British A-levels, the German Abitur, and the European Matura. Bagrut exams Bagrut examinations assess knowledge on subjects studied in high school. The process of matriculation in Israel is supervised by the country's Ministry of Education. The exams of all compulsory subjects and most elective subjects are designed and written by the Ministry, thereby creating a standard measure of the students' knowledge throughout the country. In academically oriented high schools, the last two years of studies are geared to preparing students for the bagrut exams. Compulsory subjects 3–5 units of English language (written and oral) and literature 3–5 units of Mathematics 2 units Civics 2 units General and Israeli history 2 units Hebrew/Arabic and translated world literature (+Jewish thought in state religious schools) At least one 5-unit elective, such as geography, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, Arabic, French, social sciences, expanded physical education etc. It is also possible to expand a 2 unit discipline to 5 units, or to write an academic-style thesis worth 5 units in a certain discipline. School dependent subjects Religious Scriptures: State schools – 2 units Hebrew Bible State religious schools – 3 units Hebrew Bible, 3 units Oral Torah and Talmud Arab schools – 1 unit Muslim, Christian or Druze culture and heritage ("religion and heritage" for Christians) Language Hebrew-language schools – 2 units Hebrew grammar and composition Arabic-language schools – 3 units Arabic grammar and composition, 3 units Hebrew grammar and composition Internal