Daftarsbmptn.com – The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) will hold an Academic Ability Test (TKA) for madrasah students and Islamic boarding school students. The TKA will be held simultaneously at 9,636 Islamic educational institutions.
The Director General of Islamic Education, Amien Suyitno, stated that the TKA is a strategic step in transforming Islamic education into a more competitive, measurable system, and on par with public schools.
“The TKA will be a new academic assessment instrument for madrasah students. The results of this test can also be used as an indicator for admission to state universities, especially those entering through the Achievement-Based National Selection,”
Said the Director General of Islamic Education, Amien Suyitno, while opening the 2025 Madrasah Robotics Competition (MRC) at the Main Atrium of Living World Kota Wisata Cibubur, Saturday (1/11/2025).
According to Suyitno, the TKA will replace the long-discontinued National Examination (UN). However, the TKA’s approach is much more modern. This test not only assesses memorization skills, but also measures students’ reasoning, analysis, critical thinking, and creativity.
“The TKA will focus on mastery of concepts and higher-order thinking skills. We want to ensure that madrasah graduates have abilities that are equal to, or even superior to, those of public school graduates,” he explained.
A total of 9,636 Islamic educational institutions are ready to participate, consisting of:
a. 8,969 Madrasah Aliyah (MA) with 445,184 participants (191,900 males, 253,284 females)
b. 5 Madrasah Aliyah Vocational (MAK) with 153 participants
c. 662 Islamic Boarding Schools (Pondok Pesantren) with 15,288 participants
Most institutions will administer the exam independently, while others will implement a system of sharing resources with nearby institutions.
“The enthusiasm of madrasas and Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) is extraordinary. This demonstrates a shared commitment to improving the quality of education and upholding fairness in academic assessment,” said Suyitno.
The 2025 Foreign Teacher Examination (TKA) will be held online. This digital exam will be held simultaneously in various regions across Indonesia.
“Digitizing this assessment is not only about efficiency, but also a step towards building a technology-based culture of integrity and accountability,” Suyitno emphasized.
The TKA schedule for Islamic educational institutions is as follows:
a. MA and MAK levels: Wave I on November 3-4, 2025, Wave II on November 5-6, 2025
b. Islamic Boarding Schools: November 8-9, 2025
Each exam day will consist of three sessions: Indonesian, Mathematics, English, and two elective subjects based on the students’ interests and majors.
To ensure the readiness of all educational institutions, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, is implementing a Data Synchronization System and Administration for the 2025 Main TKA Exam for SMA/SMK/MA/MAK/Package C/PKPPS Ulya levels, and equivalent educational institutions.
The synchronization schedule will be opened simultaneously for all waves:
a. Saturday, November 1, 2025: 8:00 AM – 11:59 PM WIB
b. Sunday, November 2, 2025: 8:00 AM – 11:59 PM WIB
This synchronization step is crucial to ensure that the entire system, including the network, question bank, and online exam tools, can function optimally on the main exam day.
The Director General emphasized that the TKA is not just an exam, but rather part of the reform of the national assessment system. Through the TKA, the quality of Islamic education can be mapped more objectively and data-driven.
“We want to ensure that every madrasah student and santri is assessed by the same standards, no longer relying on the subjectivity of the institution. From this, we can map the potential of Islamic education more accurately,” he said.
“The TKA is not just a number or grade. It’s about fairness, the futu re of madrasah students, and public trust in Islamic education,” he concluded.
TKA Regulations
Abdul Basit, Head of the Curriculum Subdirectorate at the Directorate of Madrasah Curriculum, Facilities, Institutions, and Student Affairs (KSKK), added that the TKA is used to measure academic achievement in specific subjects. The TKA complements the existing assessment system and does not replace assessments conducted by educational institutions.
“TKA results do not determine graduation from an educational institution; graduation is still determined by the educational institution,” he emphasized.
“TKA results are used as a consideration for selection to the next level of education and for equivalency between educational pathways,” he continued.
Abdul Basit explained that the implementation of the TKA is regulated by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Regulation Number 9 of 2025 concerning Academic Ability Tests. Article 13 of the Ministerial Regulation regulates the following matters:
(1) TKA results for elementary school/MI/equivalent can be one of the requirements in the selection process for new students entering junior high school/MTs/equivalent through the achievement pathway.
(2) TKA results for junior high school/MTS/equivalent can be one of the requirements in the selection process for new students entering senior high school/MA/equivalent and vocational high school/MAK through the achievement pathway.
(3) TKA results for SMA/MA/equivalent and SMK/MAK can be one of the considerations in the selection of new students at the higher education level.
(4) TKA results are used to equate the results of Non-Formal Education and Informal Education with the results of Formal Education.
(5) In addition to the purposes referred to in paragraphs (1) to (4), TKA results may be used for other academic selection purposes.
(6) Ministries, ministries that administer government affairs in the field of religion, and local governments may use TKA results as a reference for controlling and ensuring the quality of education in accordance with their authority.