Muzaev: There are no plans to take the Unified State Exam in natural science subjects on computers
In Russia, there are no plans to transfer the Unified State Exam in chemistry, physics and mathematics to a computer format by analogy with computer science, said the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) Anzor Muzaev at the All-Russian meeting with parents.
“I’ll tell you straight away – it’s not planned. The transition to computer science took a lot of time; there simply wasn’t enough equipment everywhere. Switching to other subjects is not necessary,” he said.
Muzaev explained that in Russia they have moved away from tests when conducting the exam, while the computer format “for the most part implies this.”
“We must understand that the computer has limited capabilities, and then we will have to return to the old format with “guessing games.” This is what the Unified State Exam was criticized for,” the official emphasized.
The exam, according to Muzaev, is based on tasks with a detailed answer option. Perhaps in the future Rosobrnadzor will return to this, but not now, he concluded.
During the event, Muzaev also statedthat school graduates in 2024 will not expect major changes in the Unified State Examination. “Teachers, graduates and parents can prepare calmly. All the changes and fine adjustments that we are making for this year have already been announced in principle,” he said.
In Russia, starting from 2021, the Unified State Examination in computer science and ICT is taken on computers; before this, graduates wrote the exam paper on paper forms.
At the end of September, the Ministry of Education and Science determined the minimum Unified State Exam scores for admission to universities for the 2024/2025 academic year. According to the requirements, in Russian language and mathematics the threshold is set at 40 and 39 points, respectively, in physics – 39 points, social studies and history – 35 points, etc.
As previously reported, this year 17 Russian schoolchildren passed with 300 points in three subjects. Another 456 people received 200 points in two subjects, 7084 graduates received 100 points in one subject.
Russian Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov, speaking about the possible cancellation of the Unified State Exam on March 23, said that it is impossible to make immediate decisions in the field of education. According to him, any changes in education need to be carefully discussed. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin agreed with him. The system gives graduates a “social lift,” the head of government believes.
