Parents are being advised to talk it through with teens who are disappointed with their results today.

Around 165,000 students will be able to log on to the NZQA website today to see how they went in their final exams.

There are three levels of NCEA certificate and to achieve each level students must gain a defined number of credits which they can get through assignments and exams.

Parents Centre co-chair Josie Pagani told Tim Dower it's important to have an open and honest discussion with students who may be feeling overwhelmed by the important day.

"Days like this for parents are just awful. All you want are for your kids to be happy and rewarded. You can feel like you are ageing in dog years during times like this."

Pagani says parents need to make sure their teens understand the next stage will be tough and they need to keep working hard to succeed in life.

"Kids with glowing results need to stay motivated for the next stage in their life. One of the things I have taught my kids is to have a game plan and talk it through. Every scenario is not a disaster, even if they are flunking out and not getting the results they need."

With the current NCEA system raising many questions by those in the education industry who believe it is to easy for students to pass exams, Pagani believes it is vital for parents to be right across the format so they fully understand it.

"One of the problems for many parents is that NCEA is really complicated. If you are doing it yourself, there are a lot of questions which need to be asked. With so many different types of credits which need to be achieved to pass, it is an extra layer of confusion for many to get their heads around."

Students who are off to university will also be hoping they achieve University Entrance (UE) - the minimum requirement to go to a New Zealand university.

LISTEN ABOVE AS JOSIE PAGANI SPEAKS TO TIM DOWER