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Key Facts: Érettségi Magyar Exam

The Hungarian Érettségi Magyar exam is a compulsory qualification established under 100/1997. (VI. 13.) Korm. rendelet and the NAT 2020 national curriculum.

The examination combines a 240-minute written component (100 points) and an oral examination (50 points), yielding a maximum total of 150 points (with potential orthography points).

A dual passing condition applies: candidates must achieve at least 25% overall and at least 12% in each separate part (Part I, Part II essay, and oral exam).

Since 2024, Part I of the written exam explicitly includes an irodalmi-nyelvi műveltségi teszt (literary and grammatical knowledge test) alongside non-fiction reading comprehension.

Part II of the written exam presents a choice between two essay types: a single-work analytical essay (műértelmező szöveg) or an overarching thematic/comparative essay (témakifejtő esszé).

Grading differs by level: grade 5 begins at 80% for középszint and 60% for emelt szint; both require 25% overall and at least 12% in each required part.

Official orthography evaluation is based strictly on 'A magyar helyesírás szabályai' (AkH.) 12th edition published by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA).

The exam is centrally designed by the Oktatási Hivatal and conducted nationwide in May and June of each academic year.

The Hungarian Érettségi Magyar exam is a compulsory school-leaving examination codified in Government Decree 100/1997 and NAT 2020, featuring a 240-minute written examination (text comprehension, grammar/literature test, and analytical essay) plus an oral exam, evaluated on a 1–5 grade scale with a 25% passing threshold.

Sample Érettségi Magyar Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Érettségi Magyar exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which manuscript preserves the 'Halotti beszéd és könyörgés' (Funeral Sermon and Prayer, c. 1192–1195), the earliest surviving continuous coherent text in the Hungarian language?
A.The Pray Codex (Pray-kódex)
B.The Képes Krónika (Chronicon Pictum)
C.The Leuven Codex (Leuveni kódex)
D.The Anonymus Gesta Hungarorum
Explanation: The 'Halotti beszéd és könyörgés' is preserved in the Pray Codex (fol. 154a), a Latin liturgical codex dated to roughly 1192–1195. It consists of two parts: a 26-line spoken sermon in Hungarian followed by a 6-line prayer, serving as the earliest surviving continuous text in Hungarian.
2The 'Ómagyar Mária-siralom' (Old Hungarian Lament of Mary, c. 1300) is recognized as the earliest surviving poem in Hungarian. What poetic and emotional characteristic is prominent in its opening line: 'Volek sirolm thudothlon, / sirolmol sepedyk'?
A.Quantitative dactylic hexameter meter imitating Virgil
B.Alliteration (betűrím) and dramatic motherly lamentation for Christ's suffering
C.Strict Petrarchan sonnet rhyme scheme (abba abba cde cde)
D.Satirical critique of ecclesiastical corruption
Explanation: The 'Ómagyar Mária-siralom' relies on accentual verse with frequent alliteration (e.g., 'sirolm... sirolmol sepedyk') and internal musical echoes, expressing the virgin mother's intimate, human grief (planctus genre) at the foot of the Cross.
3Which Renaissance humanist poet, who wrote in Neo-Latin at the court of King Matthias Corvinus, authored the famous farewell elegy 'Búcsú Váradtól' (Farewell to Várad)?
A.Bálint Balassi
B.Péter Bornemisza
C.Janus Pannonius
D.Miklós Zrínyi
Explanation: Janus Pannonius (1434–1472), nephew of Archbishop János Vitéz, was educated in Ferrara and Padua and became the premier Neo-Latin humanist poet of Hungary. In 'Búcsú Váradtól', written in hendecasyllabic meter with the recurring refrain 'Ite Camoenae', he bids farewell to the library, thermal baths, and King Ladislaus shrine of Várad.
4In Janus Pannonius's epigram 'Egy dunántúli mandulafáról' (On an Almond Tree in Transdanubia / De amygdalo in Pannonia nata), what does the early blooming almond tree symbolically represent?
A.A biblical parable urging farmers to exercise prudence during winter cultivation
B.The military victory of the Hungarian army over the invading Ottoman forces at Belgrade
C.King Matthias's coronation ceremony and the immediate peace brought to the kingdom
D.The poet himself, whose premature humanist genius bloomed in an unprepared, culturally cold winter land
Explanation: Janus Pannonius uses the almond tree blooming amidst the freezing Pannonian winter as an allegorical mirror for his own intellectual destiny: an isolated, precocious humanist blooming in an environment that is not yet ready to nurture such refinement, risking premature destruction.
5What is the formal structural definition of the classic 'Balassi stanza' (Balassi-strófa) invented by Bálint Balassi?
A.A 3-line stanza where each long line contains 19 syllables divided into 6+6+7, with internal rhymes giving an aab ccb ddb scheme
B.A 4-line stanza of felező tizenkettes (12 syllables divided 6+6) with an aabb rhyming scheme
C.An unrhymed 14-line sonnet composed entirely of dactylic hexameters
D.An 8-line stanza of iambic pentameter known as ottava rima (abababcc)
Explanation: The Balassi stanza consists of three long lines, each divided by caesuras into three units of 6, 6, and 7 syllables (totaling 19 syllables per line, or 57 syllables per stanza). When printed as a 9-line stanza, it exhibits the distinct rhyme pattern aab ccb ddb, with internal rhymes connecting the 6-syllable half-lines.
6In Bálint Balassi's masterwork 'Egy katonaének' (A Soldier's Song / 'Vitézek, mi lehet...'), how is the thematic structure of the poem architecturally organized?
A.A strictly linear chronological narrative describing a single 24-hour siege from dawn until nightfall
B.A symmetric 9-stanza composition where the central stanza (st. 5) elevates the ultimate sacrifice and moral greatness of the border-fortress soldiers (végvári vitézek)
C.A dramatic dialogue between a cowardly foreign mercenary and a heroic Hungarian captain
D.A penitential deathbed prayer asking forgiveness for military violence
Explanation: 'Egy katonaének' consists of 9 stanzas arranged in a balanced triadic structure: stanzas 1–4 praise nature, soldierly camaraderie, and battle readiness; the central 5th stanza depicts the tragic reality and heroism of battlefield death; stanzas 6–8 illustrate the hardships and honor of military life; and stanza 9 concludes with an emotional blessing.
7Miklós Zrínyi's monumental 17th-century Baroque epic 'Szigeti veszedelem' (Obsidio Szigetiana, 1651) opens by adopting classical epic conventions. Which convention is demonstrated in the opening line: 'Fegyvert s vitézt éneklek...'?
A.Deus ex machina resolving the military crisis without human agency
B.Stichomythia between rival commanders before the siege
C.Propositio (the declaration of the epic theme) imitating Virgil's Aeneid ('Arma virumque cano')
D.In media res omission of the background causes of the war
Explanation: 'Fegyvert s vitézt éneklek' is a direct translation and homage to the famous opening of Virgil's Aeneid ('Arma virumque cano'), representing the propositio (statement of theme) combined with the invocatio to the Christian Virgin Mary.
8What is the primary literary form and setting of Kelemen Mikes's 'Törökországi levelek' (Letters from Turkey)?
A.An official diplomatic treaty negotiated between Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II and the Ottoman Grand Vizier
B.A published theological disputation between Calvinists and Jesuits in Debrecen
C.A verse chronicle detailing the coronation of Maria Theresa in Pozsony
D.Fictitious epistolary prose addressed to an imaginary aunt ('édes Néném') written during the Rákóczi exile in Rodostó
Explanation: Kelemen Mikes (1690–1761) accompanied Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II into exile after the failed War of Independence. Between 1717 and 1758, he wrote 207 fictitious letters addressed to 'édes Néném' (Countess P. E.) in Constantinople and Rodostó, creating the foundation of Hungarian artistic essayistic prose.
9Mihály Csokonai Vitéz's poem 'A Reményhez' (To Hope, 1803) exemplifies the synthesis of which two major late-18th-century literary tendencies?
A.Rococo formal playfulness (musicality, trochaic lilt) and Sentimentalist grief (disillusionment over lost love)
B.High Classicist tragic hexameter and naturalist social criticism
C.Baroque religious mysticism and medieval asceticism
D.Surrealist automatic writing and avant-garde futurism
Explanation: 'A Reményhez' presents a masterly synthesis: its form exhibits Rococo elegance, delicate diminutive imagery, and lively trochaic rhythm, while its emotional content reflects the despair and melancholy of Sentimentalism following the forced marriage of his beloved Lilla (Julianna Vajda) to another man.
10In Mihály Csokonai Vitéz's comic epic 'Dorottya, vagyis a dámák diadala a fársángon' (Dorottya, or the Triumph of the Ladies at Carnival, 1798), what traditional epic device is parodied through the battle of spinster ladies?
A.The pastoral eclogue's shepherds singing competition
B.The epic battle scene (harci epizód) and divine council intervention
C.The Petrarchan lover climbing Mount Ventoux
D.The Shakespearean tragic hero's tragic downfall (hamartia)
Explanation: 'Dorottya' is a komikus eposz (mock-heroic epic) modeled on Pope's 'The Rape of the Lock' and Blumauer's travesties. It parodies classical epic machinery (eposzi kellékek), depicting elderly spinsters fighting eligible bachelors during Carnival over marriage, accompanied by mythological figures like Cytherea and Discordia.

About the Érettségi Magyar Exam

Magyar nyelv és irodalom is a compulsory Hungarian Érettségi subject. Both levels have 240 written minutes followed by a 15-minute középszint or 20-minute emelt oral. At középszint, the first 90 minutes cover text comprehension, language, and literature for 60 points; the next 150 minutes cover an interpretive or thematic composition and language quality for 40 points. The 50-point oral covers literature and Hungarian language. These 100 English MCQs preserve Hungarian terms and excerpts where needed but are not a translation or substitute for Hungarian reading, essay writing, literary analysis, and speaking.

Exam sponsor: Oktatási Hivatal (Educational Authority, Hungary). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Question count not published by the exam provider

Time Limit

240 minutes written + 15-minute oral (középszint); 240 minutes written + 20-minute oral (emelt szint)

Passing Score

At least 25% overall and at least 12% in both the written and oral parts. Középszint grades: 25–39% = 2, 40–59% = 3, 60–79% = 4, 80–100% = 5. Emelt szint grades: 25–32% = 2, 33–46% = 3, 47–59% = 4, 60–100% = 5.

Exam / Certification Fees

Free for qualifying students taking examinations toward their first school-leaving certificate, including the first remedial or replacement examination before receiving it. For fee-paying 2026 entries, the per-subject fee is HUF 48,000 at középszint and HUF 81,000 at emelt szint.

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25%

Hungarian Literary Classics

Medieval linguistic relics, Janus Pannonius, Bálint Balassi, Miklós Zrínyi, Enlightenment poetry (Csokonai, Berzsenyi), Reform Era drama and epics (Vörösmarty, Kölcsey, Katona József), and 19th-century national literature (Petőfi Sándor, Arany János, Jókai Mór, Mikszáth Kálmán).

20%

Modern & Contemporary Hungarian Literature

The Nyugat journal generations (Endre Ady, Mihály Babits, Dezső Kosztolányi, Zsigmond Móricz, Gyula Juhász, Árpád Tóth), interwar literature (Attila József, Miklós Radnóti, Sándor Márai), and post-WWII to contemporary authors (János Pilinszky, Ágnes Nemes Nagy, István Örkény, Imre Kertész).

20%

Grammar & Linguistics

Hungarian phonetics and phonology (vowel harmony, consonant assimilation, full and partial assimilation, degemination), morphology (root morphemes, képzők, jelek, ragok), syntax (simple and compound sentence parsing, subordinate clause conjunctions), and official orthography according to AkH. 12th edition.

15%

Text Comprehension & Stylistics

Reading comprehension methodology, macrostructure and microstructure of expository texts, rhetorical tropes (metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, allegory, personification, synesthesia), and stylistic analysis of verse and prose registers.

10%

World Literature & Literary Theory

Classical antiquity (Homer, Greek tragedy), European drama (Shakespeare, Molière), Enlightenment and Romanticism (Goethe), 19th-century European realism and modernism (Balzac, Tolstoy, Baudelaire, Kafka), and fundamental literary genres, metrics, and versification systems.

10%

Rhetoric & Communication

Classical canons of rhetoric (inventio, dispositio, elocutio, memoria, pronuntiatio), speech genres, persuasive argumentation structures, fallacy recognition, Roman Jakobson's communication model, and pragmatics.

Preparing for the Érettségi Magyar Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: At least 25% overall and at least 12% in both the written and oral parts. Középszint grades: 25–39% = 2, 40–59% = 3, 60–79% = 4, 80–100% = 5. Emelt szint grades: 25–32% = 2, 33–46% = 3, 47–59% = 4, 60–100% = 5.
  • Assessment: Question count not published by the exam provider
  • Time limit: 240 minutes written + 15-minute oral (középszint); 240 minutes written + 20-minute oral (emelt szint)
  • Exam / certification fees: Free for qualifying students taking examinations toward their first school-leaving certificate, including the first remedial or replacement examination before receiving it. For fee-paying 2026 entries, the per-subject fee is HUF 48,000 at középszint and HUF 81,000 at emelt szint. Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
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Érettségi Magyar: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the core 19th- and 20th-century Hungarian literary canon: spend focused review time on Petőfi Sándor, Arany János, Ady Endre, Babits Mihály, Kosztolányi Dezső, and József Attila, as their poetry and aesthetics form the backbone of both written tests and oral exam topic cards.
2Thoroughly review Hungarian phonological rules: be able to identify and differentiate complete assimilation (teljes hasonulás), partial assimilation of voicing (zöngésség szerinti részleges hasonulás), place of articulation assimilation (képzés helye szerinti hasonulás), sound coalescences (összeolvadás), and shortening/degemination (rövidülés).
3Practise time allocation for Part I: you have exactly 90 minutes for both the reading comprehension text and the literary-grammar test. Allocate approximately 50 minutes to the reading passage questions and 40 minutes to the linguistic and literary items.
4Review the 12th edition orthographic changes (AkH. 12.): pay special attention to compound words, hyphenation of multi-element compounds (6:3 rule), capitalization of institutions versus common nouns, and spelling of foreign loanwords.
5Internalize classical rhetorical figures: understand how metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, chiasmus, oxymoron, and synesthesia operate within lyric poetry, and learn to distinguish between conceptual tropes and syntactic figures of speech.
6Structure your analytical essays methodically: every literary analysis essay must feature a clear thesis (bevezetés), thematic and formal textual arguments supported by citations (tárgyalás), and a coherent conclusion reflecting on broader historical-literary context (befejezés).
7Practise with official past examination papers from oktatas.hu: solve at least five complete past papers from 2020–2025 to familiarize yourself with the exact phrasing and grading rubrics utilized by the Oktatási Hivatal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the legal framework governing the Hungarian Érettségi in Hungarian Language and Literature?

The examination is codified in Hungarian Government Decree 100/1997. (VI. 13.) Korm. rendelet, Annex 3, Section 1.1.1, and reflects the updated curriculum framework established under the 2020 National Core Curriculum (Nemzeti alaptanterv, NAT 2020) and the relevant Framework Curriculum (Kerettanterv).

How is the középszint (intermediate level) written exam structured under the updated requirements?

The középszint written examination lasts 240 minutes. The first 90 minutes combine text comprehension and language/literature tasks for 60 points. The next 150 minutes require either an interpretation or thematic composition, with language quality, for 40 points. The official requirement should be consulted for current length and task instructions.

What are the passing score requirements and grading thresholds?

Candidates need at least 25% overall and at least 12% in both the written and oral examination parts. Középszint grades are 25–39% = 2, 40–59% = 3, 60–79% = 4, and 80–100% = 5. Emelt szint grades are 25–32% = 2, 33–46% = 3, 47–59% = 4, and 60–100% = 5.

What does the oral examination (szóbeli vizsga) entail?

At középszint, the oral examination takes approximately 15 minutes (with a mandatory 30-minute preparation time) and is worth 50 points. The candidate draws two topics: one literature topic (worth 35 points, covering Hungarian or world literature authors, periods, and genres) and one Hungarian linguistics topic (worth 15 points, covering grammar, language history, rhetoric, or communication). At emelt szint, the oral exam lasts 20 minutes before a regional committee.

Which orthographic rules apply to the exam, and is spelling penalized?

The examination adheres strictly to the 12th edition of the Rules of Hungarian Orthography (A magyar helyesírás szabályai, AkH. 12. kiadás). In the written examination, orthography and layout are explicitly graded: poor spelling, incorrect punctuation, and illegible handwriting can result in point deductions from the candidate's written score.

What is the difference between középszint (intermediate) and emelt szint (advanced)?

Középszint is conducted at school level under the national requirements, while emelt szint is organized through the designated government examination system. The advanced examination requires more demanding textual, literary, and linguistic analysis. Higher-education programmes determine how results are used for admission.

Why is this practice question bank presented in English?

This is an independent English-language, four-option study bank that preserves Hungarian terms, authors, and excerpts when they are integral to the skill. It is not an official translation, comprehensive syllabus replica, or substitute for Hungarian reading, writing, literary analysis, and speaking.