Should Exams Conducted by Public Administration Bodies Be Subject to Judicial Review? Case of the Polish Matriculation Exam

Łukasz Kierznowski

doi:10.47078/2026.1.157-173

Authors

Łukasz Kierznowski Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Bialystok, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5319-9330

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47078/2026.1.157-173

Keywords:

state exams, public administration exams, judicial review, matriculation exam, university admission

Abstract

The legal systems of various states establish a range of examinations conducted by public administration authorities, administrative institutions, professional self-governing bodies and other entities in public administration. However, the existence of various examinations within administrative law raises questions regarding the judicial review of such examinations. This problem appeared in Polish law, which was addressed very inconsistently; judicial review was allowed for some exams, while control over others was excluded. The article addresses the issue of judicial review of examinations in Polish administrative law, focusing on the controversial example of the matriculation examination (matura) in the context of the admissibility of challenging examination procedures before the administrative courts.

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