8,340 students participated in the 2025 National MQK CBT Selection.
Jakarta (Ministry of Religion) — The initial selection stage of the 8th National Musabaqah Qira’atil Kutub (MQK) using a Computer-Based Test (CBT) was attended by 8,340 students from 1,061 Islamic boarding schools across Indonesia.
The participation rate in the National MQK CBT selection reached 95 percent, leaving 418 students who were registered but did not take part in the selection.
Basnang Said, Director of Islamic Boarding Schools at the Directorate General of Islamic Education, stated that the implementation of CBT is a significant milestone in the modernization of the Islamic boarding school scientific selection system. He stated that the inclusion of technology in the MQK selection demonstrates the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ commitment to making Islamic boarding schools not only centers for the development of heritage but also institutions that adapt to changing times.
“The students’ enthusiasm in taking this computer-based test demonstrates their commitment to mastering the yellow texts (turats) using modern and measurable methods. The MQK (Qualifying for the Islamic Jurisprudence) is a prestigious event for scholars of the yellow texts, and this selection is the gateway to achieving this. We want to ensure that the selection process is objective and covers all regions,” Basnang said in Jakarta on Friday (June 22, 2025).
He added that MQK is not merely a book reading competition, but also a space for Islamic boarding schools to prove their authority in maintaining the authority of classical Islamic knowledge based on sanad, tafaqquh, and a deep understanding of the text.
“This isn’t just about the competition, but about preserving the tradition of Islamic scholarship that has been rooted for hundreds of years in the Indonesian archipelago. With CBT, we want to see the future of Islamic students who are proficient in reading the scriptures and are proficient in using technology,” he added.
Yusi Damayanti, the person in charge of the 8th National MQK (MQK National Qualifying Test), stated that the CBT (Competitive Test) for the National MQK ran smoothly, orderly, and participatory. She stated that the online selection process enabled students from all over Indonesia, including those in the 3T (underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost) regions, to participate actively and equally.
“The composition of the participants, which consisted of 4,365 boys, 3,827 girls, and 148 mixed-race participants, demonstrated broad and even participation. Encouragingly, the female students performed exceptionally. They passed various exam codes with satisfactory results, even achieving perfect scores in some areas. This is proof that our Islamic boarding schools are increasingly providing equal space and opportunities for female students to develop,” said Yusi.
He also highlighted the importance of the CBT as a preliminary measure before entering the next selection stage. “The CBT is not just an administrative selection. It’s a process to select the best participants based on academic ability and understanding of the turats. We designed the questions in a tiered and standardized manner, and we are very pleased to see the students successfully completing them, even achieving perfect scores across seven exam codes,” he explained.
Perfect Score
It was recorded that seven exam codes were successfully solved by students with a perfect score (100), namely: Ula-Fiqh, Ula-Nahwu, Ulya-Nahwu, Ulya-Tafsir-Ilmu Tafsir, Ulya-Tauhid, Wustha-Hadis, and Wustha-Nahwu. Participants with perfect scores came from various provinces, with a predominance from Aceh, Central Java, West Kalimantan, and North Sumatra.
Central Java province achieved the highest number of exam code variations, with a score of 100, while West Java recorded the highest number of participants, with 1,421 students. East Java also had the highest average score, with an average score of 67.46, indicating the consistently maintained quality of education in the yellow book (kitab kuning) in the region.
The 2025 National MQK CBT selection is clear evidence that Islamic boarding schools not only preserve their classical scholarly heritage but also continue to dynamically navigate the digital era. This phase will be followed by further selection and the offline implementation of the National MQK in the coming months. (MS)
