More than 140,000 secondary school pupils will be sitting exams across three year levels, years 11-13, to gain NCEA credits.
The exams period runs until December 2.
It is the first time in three years that pupils are sitting NCEA exams in relatively normal circumstances, free from Covid-19 restrictions.
Schools are again allowed to award extra credits due to the challenges pupils faced during the pandemic.
Secondary Principals’ Association president Vaughan Couillault said pupils’ preparations for exams had been far superior compared with the past few years.
"It feels a little bit more like business as usual ... A lot more like pre-Covid in terms of set up and how things look and feel," Mr Couillault said.
The addition of learning recognition credits also provided a bit of a relief for pupils, he said.
Mr Couillault said for every five credits earned throughout the year pupils would automatically be awarded one recognition credit if they needed them.
"It’s a wait-and-see until the results come out. Some students won’t need them they will get the credits they need without the learning recognition credits, others might so it really just acknowledges the significant disruption at the start of the year."
For year 13 pupils this exam period represented the first and only year taking NCEA exams without Covid-19 restrictions.
Mr Couillault said teachers and the education system were nervous about the impact Covid-19 disruptions might have on pupils’ numeracy and literacy capabilities.
However, it was not clear whether this impact would manifest in this year’s NCEA results or further down the track, he said.
