The pass rate in the Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent exams dropped to 85.95 percent in 2022 from a record 95.26 percent a year earlier.

The results of the exams, which students in Class 12 take ahead of starting university, were announced on Wednesday.

Over 1.2 million students took part in the exams, which were delayed by a combination of the coronavirus pandemic and deadly floods in the northeast.

Summaries of the results were handed over to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the morning. Education Minister Dipu Moni later outlined the highlights of the results at a media briefing at the International Mother Language Institute.