PLATTSBURGH — This week is critical — and stressful — for New York state high-school students.

Regents exams, part of a graduation requirements, are under way, and no matter how students fared in particular classes, they need to pass the tests to earn diplomas.

The tests are given to students seeking high-school Regents credit through the State Education Department and are prepared by New York teachers.

FIRST TEST: 1865

The State Board of Regents created an entrance exam for students to attend high school that was first administered in 1865, while the first Regents exam was June 1878.

For a time, the state offered 42 tests, with vocational exams appearing in the 1920s and 1930s, only to be dropped by 1970.

Today, the exams include English language arts, foreign languages, social studies, science and math.

Students must pass five Regents exams to earn a high-school diploma.

“If they don’t, they are given other times to take it,” said Jerry Griffin, principal of Franklin Academy in Malone. “They are offered again in August and again in January.”

Those who pass additional tests in math, science and a foreign language, above the required tests, can obtain an Advanced Regents Diploma.

“But that is changing and could be up to nine exams,” explained Beekmantown High School counselor Jennifer Duffy.

LONG TESTS

Regents exams occur every January, June and August, though the majority are scheduled for June.