Ukrainian schoolchildren pass NMT — a national multi-subject test. According to the results of passing the exam, applicants will be able to enter higher educational institutions.
For the third year in a row, the full-scale invasion has made adjustments to the preparation of national testing. Previously, students took the ZNO – an external independent assessment, but due to the security situation and the difficulty of conducting the exam, the Ministry of Education and Science introduced a new format. Students complete all subjects in one day.
Features of NMT-2024
This year’s testing takes place during the main and additional sessions, namely May 14 – June 25 and July 11 – 19.
Applicants are tested in four subjects (three compulsory and one optional) on one day in temporary examination centers.
All schoolchildren must pass the Ukrainian language, mathematics and the history of Ukraine. Optional subjects are Ukrainian literature, one of the foreign (English, German, French, Spanish) languages, physics, chemistry, biology and geography.
According to Tetyana Vakulenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Evaluation of the Quality of Education, the most popular subject was English.
“The English language is the undisputed leader. It is followed by geography, biology and Ukrainian literature with rather high indicators. Unfortunately, physics and chemistry remain unpopular among participants. Other foreign languages - German, French and Spanish – are also in low demand,” Tetyana Vakulenko shares on the broadcast of the Yedyni Novyni telethon.
In 2024, the multitest lasts 240 minutes and takes place in two stages. During the first 120 minutes, entrants complete tasks in the Ukrainian language and mathematics. After a 20-minute break, the participants of the multitest perform tasks on the history of Ukraine and the chosen subject.
The situation in Dnipropetrovsk region
This year’s graduates take the multi-subject test in shelters. This decision was made by the authorities of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast so that students would not be distracted by air raid signals. We inquired about the impressions of eleventh-graders who had just passed the NMT.
Passing exams in shelters is a very convenient innovation. There is no need to be nervous that the exam will have to be taken in an additional session, says eleventh-grader Marina.
The girl was disturbed by the fact that she was writing NMT in the shelter of the school, where children were at the same time.
“Maybe they had a camp. – says the girl. – It was very difficult to concentrate. You just don’t know where you’re going, there’s a lot of noise.”
The entrant Daria was luckier, because her shelter was large, so the children who were also there did not interfere with her writing. According to the girl, there was even a generator in the shelter in case of a power outage. Despite this, there were still difficulties during writing.
“Among all the students in the classroom, only my laptop turned off twice, but the instructor calmed me down and added 10 minutes that I lost”Darya said.
The instructors make sure that every eleventh-grader is able to pass the multi-subject test.
“We check the presence of the student, his documents, correct seating. We also follow the order of conducting the NMT procedure, record the beginning and end of testing. – says this year’s instructor Kateryna. “There are almost no difficulties, except of a technical nature, the IT specialist copes with them perfectly.”
Nevertheless, eleventh-graders had questions about the organization of the process. Graduate Maryna notes that the most important problem of the test was its duration. The girl believes that it would be better to take the exam in a few days. After all, despite the break, she was exhausted and it was difficult to assemble the last subject. Doubts and anxiety due to fatigue begin to dominate and prevent concentration.
However, for the graduate Alyona, everything was the opposite:
“At first I thought it was something impossible – four hours of testing, but when I actually got there, the time flew by very quickly,” says the girl, “it’s good that there was a break.” We were taken to the hall of the school, we could use the phone, talk to eleventh-graders who were also writing the test.”
Daria had a slightly different situation, the inspectors took her out to the yard together with other test participants. There they could have a snack, but they could not use electronic devices. That is why the girl shared with the entrants her impression of the first block.
In general, the girls are almost completely satisfied with their results. However, they have their own personal opinions about NMT.
“I did everything as I prepared, except for English. I have been studying English for a long time, but I did not write the exam very well,” – says Darya.
What’s more, Marina added, she once again made sure that the results of the NMT, in fact, do not accurately reflect your knowledge. Stress, anxiety and other external factors prevent concentration. The girl says that she always had good results on trial tests and generally knew the material well, but according to the results, everything is different:
“I wrote all the mock tests with scores above 187, so I expected a high score in the Ukrainian language. As a result, I wrote it at 177. I understand that this is not my level, – says the girl, – my teacher says that I know the Ukrainian language much better. Therefore, the points obtained do not mean anything”.
But the graduate Alyona thinks: it is very good that she finally passed the multi-subject test. Now the girl is deciding which university to enter, and she considers it a big plus that she knows her score right away. It is now easier for her to decide on a higher education institution.
It is worth noting that this year’s admission campaign starts on July 1. Participation in the interview or creative competition can be registered from July 3 to July 25 inclusive. They will be held until July 31 inclusive. By August 9, 2024, enrollment recommendations will be provided and lists of those recommended for the contract will be made public. The final enrollment will be completed by August 30.
Valery Shalyakhina
