The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a decision that changes the approach to school-leaving exams: starting in 2025, the State Final Examination (SFE) will no longer be mandatory. It will be replaced by the National Multisubject Test (NMT), which will become the only way to assess the knowledge of graduates seeking to enter universities. This reform is aimed at simplifying the exam preparation process, reducing the workload of students and meeting modern educational requirements. Below are the reasons, features and benefits of the innovation, as well as what graduates of 2025 should know.
Why the State Examination was cancelled
In recent years, the State Examination has been the subject of debate, as graduates had to take several final exams at the same time: state certification, external independent evaluation, and, starting in 2022, NMT. The Ministry of Education and Science emphasises that the abolition of the State Examination will significantly reduce the psychological burden on students, as it eliminates the duplication of final exams.
In addition, the educational and social conditions in Ukraine today require optimisation of the assessment process. In a time of war, when some schools are working online and a significant number of children are studying abroad, a comprehensive test of knowledge in the form of the NMT seems to be a more flexible and adaptable tool suitable for different learning environments.
What is the National Multisubject Test (NMT) and why has it become the mainstream test?
The NMT is a standardised test designed to comprehensively test the knowledge of graduates. It was first introduced in 2022 as a temporary replacement for the External Independent Testing (EIT), but the experience of NMT has shown that it is fully capable of performing the functions of the main assessment tool.
Features of the NMT:
- Multisubjectivity. The NMT includes several disciplines at once, which avoids the need to pass individual subjects.
- Comprehensiveness. The test covers important school subjects, including the Ukrainian language, mathematics, history of Ukraine, as well as one subject of the student’s choice. This allows you to get a comprehensive assessment of the knowledge required for admission.
- Adaptability. The NMT format is designed to simplify organisational issues for students and schools as much as possible, as well as to make preparation more effective.
Subjects included in NMT 2025:
- Ukrainian language is a mandatory component that assesses the level of proficiency in the state language.
- Mathematics – required to assess analytical and logical skills.
- History of Ukraine is an important element that allows you to maintain awareness of national history.
- The subject of choice can be a foreign language, biology, physics or chemistry, depending on the future specialisation, which allows you to adapt your training to a specific area.
Benefits of switching to NMT
- Reduced stress for students. The abolition of the State Examination means that students can focus on preparing for a single test that includes the main disciplines. This will help to avoid overloading when it comes to preparing for several different final exams.
- Transparency and objectivity. The NMT format allows for an objective assessment of knowledge, as all tests are standardised. This guarantees transparency of results and equality of opportunity for all graduates, regardless of where they studied.
- Flexibility. The option to choose a fourth subject gives graduates freedom in their studies – they can choose a discipline that meets their future needs. This is especially important for those who plan to enter highly specialised faculties that require specific academic training.
- Optimisation for educational needs. Due to its multi-subject nature, the NMT takes less time than several separate tests, which is a significant advantage for graduates who, given the situation in Ukraine, often find themselves in difficult circumstances.
What graduates of 2025 need to know
Preparing for the NMT requires a strategy developed in advance. Since the test will be the main admission criterion, graduates should:
- Start preparing early. Given that the NMT covers several disciplines, it is important to work on each in advance. For example, courses in the Ukrainian language, mathematics, and history of Ukraine can be taken gradually to achieve better results at the end of the year.
- Choose a fourth subject in advance. The choice of the subject of choice depends on the specialisation to which the applicant aspires. For example, it is useful to choose biology for medical or biological specialities, and physics or chemistry for technical specialities.
- Use additional preparation materials. Many schools and platforms provide free resources for preparing for the NMT, including online courses, textbooks, and video tutorials. Preparation from different sources will allow you to better understand the material.
- Take into account modern educational resources. It is possible to prepare not only according to the school curriculum, but also to use a variety of online resources that provide access to tests, trial NMTs and other materials that correspond to the programme.
The decision to abolish the State External Independent Testing and introduce NMT as the only tool for assessing knowledge is a step towards simplifying the educational system. This approach will allow students to concentrate on their studies, reduce their workload, increase their flexibility in choosing a specialisation that meets their needs, and ensure an objective assessment of knowledge that meets modern educational requirements. Graduates of 2025 should prepare for these changes in advance in order to confidently pass the test and enter their desired educational institution.
