In the fictional Harry Potter series, the Ordinary Wizarding Level, or O.W.L., is a test of magical ability in a particular field that the Ministry of Magic administers to all students at the end of their fifth year at Hogwarts. Hogwarts teachers heavily emphasize the importance of the tests, as they play an important role in determining each student's course of study for his or her remaining two years of school. The tests are spread out over a couple of weeks, and each subject has a theoretical as well as a practical part (except for History of Magic, which is only theory).

The analogy understood by British pupils is to the GCSEs which are taken at the same time.

Like the more advanced Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s), O.W.L.s are graded on the following scale:

• O for Outstanding, the highest grade
• E for Exceeds Expectations
• A for Acceptable, the highest passing grade
• P for Poor
• D for Dreadful
• T for Troll

Harry Potter takes his O.W.L.s in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the most recent book of the series, as of April 2005. He will receive his grades in the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In Order of the Phoenix, Harry is told that Professor McGonagall accepts only students who have achieved at least Exceeds Expectations on their O.W.L.s into her N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration classes. Professor Snape only accepts students who have achieved Outstanding on their Potions O.W.L.s into his N.E.W.T.-level classes.

See also

• N.E.W.T.s