No fundamental systemic changes to NMT planned – Vakulenko
No fundamental systemic changes will be introduced to the 2026 National Multisubject Test (NMT).
Tetiana Vakulenko, Director General of the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA), said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
“We understand the conditions under which Ukrainian teenagers are studying, and introducing fundamental systemic changes to the test content would effectively create unequal conditions for those participants who do not have access to up-to-date information, have not had such access recently, and may not even learn about these changes because they are located in areas with no electricity, water, or heating. Therefore, there will be no fundamental changes,” Vakulenko said.
She noted that the Ministry of Education and Science, in the draft admission procedure for higher education institutions, proposed raising the pass/fail threshold by one point for Ukrainian language and the history of Ukraine.
However, according to her, this change should not affect well-prepared applicants.
“We are analyzing data from last year’s admission campaign. In fact, this increase does not affect reasonably well-prepared applicants in any way, because the absolute majority of applicants pass this threshold in these subjects even if it is raised by one point, as proposed. If this model had been applied last year, fewer than 1% of test participants would have failed these subjects,” Vakulenko said.
When asked about strengthening temporary examination centers with additional equipment to conduct the NMT amid possible power and internet outages, Vakulenko said this responsibility lies with the founders of educational institutions and local education authorities.
“The UCEQA does not provide additional equipment on site. This is handled by the founders of educational institutions and education departments. Of course, we will appeal to the government to support the institutions that work with us and help them get through this period as smoothly as possible,” Vakulenko said.
At the same time, she added that if an applicant is unable to take the NMT during the main session, they will be able to do so during the additional session.
“The additional session has always existed and will continue to exist. This is how we ensure the opportunity to take the assessment for those who, for some reason, cannot do so during the main session. If necessary, there will also be a third session – we will not leave anyone behind. Up to and including 2025, a third session has never been needed, because no one was left without results after the additional session,” Vakulenko said.
She recalled that the NMT was held in 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion began; in 2024, during power outages; and in 2025, despite massive shelling.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Ministry of Education and Science has published for public discussion a draft Procedure for Admission to Higher Education Institutions in 2026. Among the proposed changes are an increase in the threshold score for two NMT subjects and a reduction in the number of applications an applicant may submit from 15 to 12.