The Baccalaureate Examination is an examination done by the fourth-year fraters at the end of every particular academic year, to fulfil the minimum requirements for a Degree in Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University of Rome to which our seminary is affiliated. The themes for the examination are sent from the pontifical Urbaniana University, and are used in a cycle of three years, after which the themes are changed and the next three years’ cycle will have other themes. The BA examination is normally, both written and oral.

The examination is only on three principal courses which are: Sacred Scripture, Dogmatic Theology and Moral Theology. Candidates do prepare all the theses given and on the examination session, they choose one of the prepared theses, one from Sacred Scripture, one from Moral Theology and one from Dogmatic Theology. This selection is done in only two irreversible chances in case the first choice does not favor, and the question picked is to be attempted by all the candidates sitting for that examination.

After the written BA examination, there follows an Oral Examination to each candidate, one after another. In this, the candidate enters the special prepared room where he meets all the six lecturers, two from each course. The candidate attempts questions, one of his choice from each of the principle courses, one after another, then the lecturers begin to question the candidate from different angles of one course after another.

On 13^th May 2023, 49 Fourth Year Fraters sat for this examination. Among them, 18 did Sacred Scripture, 30 did Dogmatic Theology and 2 did Moral Theology. The examination was, as normal, done for 5 full hours, from 9:00am to 2:00pm. The invigilators were six in the examination room, two from each course included in the examination. Only emergency exits were allowed on the part of the candidates. The candidates were supplied with drinking water to keep them comfortable in the examination. Oral examination was from 18^th to 23^rd May 2023, where each candidate had a chance to attempt all the three principal courses for about 30mns, one after another picking from each of the courses one question by luck, approximately 10mns for each course, and 15mns for free questioning by the lecturers.

The papers are marked by the lecturers of the respective courses in the seminary. Both the marks and the answer-sheets, Oral Examination results together with the continuous academic assessment of every candidate, are sent to the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, for a general assessment and awarding each candidate depending on the results found. The grades of the pass-marks are as follows: 96.00-100.00(Summa Cum Laude Probatus), 90.00-95.99(Magna Cum Laude Probatus), 80.00-89.99 (Cum Laude Probatus), 70.00-79.99 (Bene Probatus), 60.00-69.99 (Probatus). The results of this examination are expected to be given out by the Pontifical Urbaniana University in the next academic year, 2023/2024.

Reported by Frt. Godfrey Fredrick Mkwe