Israeli Education System

Education streams (Zeramim):

Step 3: Bagrut (Matriculation) Guidance

Mandatory Bagrut subjects:

Requirements for certificate:

• Pass all mandatory subjects (56+ out of 100)
• Minimum 21 total study units
• Certificate name: Te'udat Bagrut

5-unit bonuses for university admission:

• Mathematics 5 units: +35 bonus points
• English 5 units: +35 bonus points
• Science/Language 5 units: +25 bonus points each

Note: Bonus points vary by university. The values shown are approximate; always check specific university admission formulas.

Step 4: Psychometric Exam (PET) Information

Exam structure:

Overall score: 200-800 (average ~530)

Score interpretation:

Key facts:

• No limit on number of attempts (limit removed circa 2019)
• Available in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish
• Cost: ~500 NIS per sitting
• Popular prep courses: Kidum, Yoel Geva, Atid, Psagot

Step 5: University Admissions

Sekhem (composite admission score) calculation: Each university weights Bagrut and Psychometric differently:

• Typical: 40% Bagrut + 60% Psychometric (varies by program)
• Technion: 35% Bagrut + 65% Psychometric
• Tel Aviv University: 45% Bagrut + 55% Psychometric

Major universities:

Approximate admission thresholds (sekhem):

Step 6: Education Terminology Glossary

Examples

Example 1: Bagrut Planning

User says: "My daughter is starting 10th grade, what Bagrut subjects should she take?" Actions:

1. List mandatory subjects and minimum units
2. Ask about her interests and university goals
3. Recommend elective subjects and unit levels
4. Explain 5-unit bonus system for university
5. Calculate estimated units and university readiness Result: Personalized Bagrut subject plan with university admission context.

Example 2: Psychometric Preparation

User says: "I got 580 on the psychometric, what are my university options?" Actions:

1. Interpret score (slightly above average, ~55th percentile)
2. List eligible programs by university
3. Discuss retake strategy if higher score needed
4. Suggest preparation resources
5. Present alternative pathways (mechina, Open University) Result: Realistic program options with improvement plan.

Example 3: School Information

User says: "Find elementary schools in Ra'anana" Actions:

1. Query data.gov.il for schools in Ra'anana
2. Filter by elementary level (Yesodi)
3. Present list with stream (Mamlachti, Mamlachti-Dati), size
4. Note any RAMA assessment data if available Result: Structured school list for the requested city and level.

Bundled Resources

Scripts

• scripts/calculate_sekhem.py — Calculate weighted Bagrut averages with 5-unit bonus points, estimate university admission composite scores (sekhem) for specific universities, interpret psychometric exam scores with percentile rankings, and display admission thresholds for popular programs. Supports subcommands: bagrut, sekhem, psychometric, thresholds. Run: python scripts/calculate_sekhem.py --help

References

• references/education-glossary.md — Hebrew-English glossary of Israeli education terms covering system levels (gan through tichon), exam terminology (bagrut, yechidot limud, sekhem), education streams (mamlachti, charedi, aravi), mandatory Bagrut subject requirements, and all major universities with locations. Consult when translating education terms or explaining system structure.

Gotchas

• The Israeli school year runs from September 1 to June 30, not the US August-May schedule. Agents may apply US academic calendar conventions.
• Israeli high school matriculation exams (bagruyot) use a points system (yechidot limud, typically 3-5 units per subject). Agents may equate these to US AP exams or IB scores, which use different scales.
• The Israeli education system has multiple parallel tracks: State (mamlachti), State-Religious (mamlachti dati), Ultra-Orthodox (charedi), and Arab. Each has different curricula. Agents may assume a single national curriculum.
• Israeli universities have a separate admissions process from the US: SAT equivalent is the psychometric exam (psychometri), GPA is calculated differently (sechum bagrut), and army service (sherut tzva'i) is factored into admissions.

Troubleshooting

Issue: "School data not found"

Cause: City name may need Hebrew spelling, or dataset may be outdated Solution: Search in Hebrew. Check data.gov.il for the most recent education dataset.

Issue: "Sekhem calculation does not match university website"

Cause: Each university and program uses different weights and formulas Solution: This skill provides estimates. For exact sekhem, use the specific university's admissions calculator (usually available on their website during application period).

Issue: "Bagrut requirements changed"

Cause: Ministry of Education periodically updates requirements Solution: Check edu.gov.il for the most current Bagrut requirements. The core mandatory subjects are stable, but unit requirements and elective options may change.

Recommended MCP Servers

For live school data lookups and education datasets from data.gov.il, pair this skill with one of these MCP servers:

• data-gov-il -- Query Israel's open data portal (data.gov.il) for school listings, enrollment statistics, and RAMA assessment data. Ideal for structured API queries when you need specific datasets by city, sector, or school type.
• datagov-israel -- Alternative data.gov.il MCP with built-in data visualization support. Use when you need to present school data as charts or compare statistics across districts.39:["$","$L3f",null,{"content":"$40","frontMatter":{"name":"israeli-education-system","description":"Navigate the Israeli education system including Bagrut (matriculation) exams, psychometric entrance test (PET), university admissions, and Ministry of Education school data. Use when user asks about Israeli schools, Bagrut requirements, psychometric exam, "psichometri", Israeli university admissions, sekhem calculation, Israeli education levels, Hebrew education terms, or school data from Ministry of Education. Covers K-12 system, exam structure, and higher education admissions. Do NOT use for non-Israeli education systems or post-graduate academic research.","license":"MIT","allowed-tools":"Bash(python:*) WebFetch","compatibility":"Requires network access for school data queries. No API keys needed for public education data."}}]