Girls have once again outperformed boys in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations, both in terms of pass rate and the number of top scorers achieving GPA-5.

According to the results published on Thursday, the pass rate among female students stood at 71.03 percent, while the rate for male students was 65.88 percent.

Girls also led significantly in the number of GPA-5 achievers. Out of the 139,032 students who secured the highest grade, 73,616 were girls, compared to 65,416 boys — a gap of 8,200 in favour of girls.

Professor Dr Khandoker Ehsanul Kabir, chairman of the Dhaka Education Board and head of the Bangladesh Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, announced the results at a press briefing held at his office Thursday.

The results were simultaneously published by all 11 education boards, including the nine general education boards, the Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board, and the Bangladesh Technical Education Board, at 2pm.

This year, a total of 1,904,086 students from 30,088 educational institutions appeared for the SSC and equivalent exams. Of them, 951,697 were boys and 952,389 were girls.

Out of the total examinees, 1,303,426 students passed, marking an overall pass rate of 68.45 percent. The total number of GPA-5 achievers dropped from 182,129 last year to 139,032 this year.

This year’s SSC and equivalent examinations were conducted nationwide starting from April 10, with written exams concluding on May 13, followed by practical tests held from May 15 to 22.

As in the previous year, the exams were administered based on the full syllabus, with standard mark allocations and regular duration for each subject.

Girls have now been ahead of boys in terms of pass rates for the eighth consecutive year. In 2024, the pass rates were 84.47 percent for girls and 81.57 percent for boys. That year, 98,776 girls and 83,253 boys obtained GPA-5s. 

This year, 427 expatriate students participated in the SSC and equivalent exams from eight overseas centres, of whom 373 passed, resulting in a pass rate of 87.35 percent.

In the nine general education boards, a total of 1,479,310 candidates sat for the exams, with 1,006,554 successfully passing. The overall pass rate for these boards stands at 68.4 percent, and 125,018 students secured a GPA-5.

Under the Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board, 195,115 candidates passed out of all examinees, reflecting a pass rate of 68.09 percent. Among them, 9,066 students achieved a GPA-5.

In the Bangladesh Technical Education Board, 117,757 candidates passed out of 138,204, producing a pass rate of 73.63 percent, while 4,948 students obtained a GPA-5.

Here is the breakdown of pass rates by education board:

• Dhaka: 67.51%

• Rajshahi: 77.63%

• Cumilla: 63.60%

• Jashore: 73.69%

• Chattogram: 72.07%

• Barisal: 56.38%

• Sylhet: 68.57%

• Dinajpur: 67.03%

• Mymensingh: 58.22%

• Madrasa Board: 68.09%

• Technical Board: 73.63%

This year, 984 educational institutions achieved a 100 percent pass rate.

Students can access their results via SMS, the websites of their respective education boards, or through their educational institutions.

Unlike previous years, no ceremonial handover of result summaries and statistics to the Prime Minister took place before publication this year.

The SSC and equivalent exams were held nationwide from April 10, with written exams ending on May 13, followed by practicals from May 15 to 22. As in the previous year, the examinations were conducted under the full syllabus, with standard mark distribution and duration.