HPL: Hogwarts Academics

Academics

On this page:	Related information:
schedule of classes by year First Year Second Year Third Year Fourth Year Fifth Year Sixth Year Seventh Year Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s) Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s)	classes instructors textbooks class schedules essays British Schooling in the 1970s A Hogwarts Education: Well Rounded or Not? N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s: an explanation for non-British folks Teachers and Curriculum: Would You Want This For Your Child? Textbooks at Hogwarts See also individual classes' pages for links to subject-specific essays.

schedule of classes by year

First Year:

classes:

June: finals (exams)

Second Year

Same classes as first year. During the Easter holidays, students choose two or more additional classes for year 3.
partial list:

June: finals (exams)

Third Year

Same classes as second year, add two new subjects. Students may drop an elective class if they wish but they are required to continue with the core classes begun in first year.

June: finals (exams)

Fourth Year

Same classes as third year, begin preparing for O.W.L.s. Students may drop an elective class if they wish but they are required to continue with the core classes begun in first year.

June: finals (exams)

Fifth Year

Same classes as fourth year. Students may drop an elective class if they wish but they are required to continue with the core classes begin in first year.

June: Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s)

Sixth Year:

Students don't know what their classes for sixth year will be until after they receive the results of their O.W.L.s. Once they have their O.W.L. results, the students know whether they have achieved the required grades to get into the classes they're interested in for sixth year. On the first day of term, each student meets with his or her Head of House to determine which classes he or she can take. If the student did not pass an O.W.L., he or she discusses options with the Head of House.

If a student achieved the required O.W.L. in a particular subject (which varies from teacher to teacher), he or she may continue in that subject, but is not required to do so. For example, several (well, all, as far as we know) of Harry's year opted to drop out of Care of Magical Creatures, much to Hagrid's dismay.

June: finals (exams)

Seventh Year:

We won't know what the classes are for seventh year until the book comes out, although it is likely that seventh years concentrate on taking classes in their chosen fields.

June: Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s)

Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s)

At the end of fifth year, each student sits an Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) for each of the classes he or she takes. These are standardized tests administered by the Wizarding Examinations Authority; the teachers may proctor exams outside their own subjects but do not attend the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) in their own subjects.

Each O.W.L. has a theory portion, and for applicable classes a separate practical portion is given, so that many O.W.L.s are in two parts, although only one O.W.L. score is given for each subject. See the individual classes for the details of the material covered in the individual exams.

Pass Grades	Outstanding (O) Exceeds Expectations (E) Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades	Poor (P) Dreadful (D) Troll (T)

Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s)

At the end of seventh year, each student sits a Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.) for each of the classes he or she takes. These are standardized tests administered by the Wizarding Examinations Authority, given at the same time and apparently in the same way that O.W.L.s are given to fifth-year students.