9th grade students' views about the exam of transition from primary to secondary education

The purpose of the study is to analyse the opinions of the 9th grade students related to the exams of passing primary education to secondary education (centralized common exams) which are applied during the period of passing primary education to secondary education. During the study, quantitative method was used within the frame of descriptive model. The population of the survey was formed by 2715 9th grade students which received their education in state schools during the period of 2015-2016 academic years, in Ereğli district of Zonguldak. The sample of the survey was formed by 1022 students. A questionnaire was prepared by the researcher with the aim of identifying the opinions of the students about the exams. Questionnaires were filled by the 9th grade students. Obtained results are analysed with the packaged software SPSS (statistical package of the social sciences). During the analysis process, chi-square test and frequency-percentage analysis values are included, in order to identify if there were meaningful discrepancies among some personality variables or not. According to the obtained results, it was confirmed that there are certain meaningful discrepancies in terms of some variables. It was concluded that most of the student opinions are positive about TEOG (the exam of passing from primary education to secondary education) but some adverse opinions emerged, too. Some of the positive opinions are exams' being applied in two terms and sessions, make-up exams, reduced stress level thanks to the chance of taking the exam in their own school and the coherence between school syllabus and exam questions. Some of the adverse opinions, on the other hand, were that; system didn't hinder the tendency to the extra scholastic sources and influence negatively the artistic, cultural and sportive activities. Cultural, sportive and artistic activities should be involved in the evaluation process.