The number of students sitting the Leaving, Applied and Junior Cert examinations has increased by 6 percent compared to the last time a full set of exams was run in 2019.
More than 131 thousand students are starting their exams this morning.
Over 1,600 local students will be sitting the Leaving Certificate this morning.
634 students in Longford, 568 in Roscommon and 487 teenagers in Leitrim are preparing for English paper one just after 9am today.
28 Longford and Leitrim students will also be sitting the leaving cert Applied - as well as 12 in Roscommon.
The Junior Cert also takes place for the first time in two years today- with 1908 teens sitting their first state exams in local schools across the Shannonside region including 720 in Longford, 649 in Roscommon and 539 in Leitrim.
Leaving Certificate candidates with Covid19 or with symptoms of Covid-19, will have access to a deferred sitting of the examination this year.
