In the autumn of 2026, Ukraine will conduct a pilot test of a new model for the External Independent Evaluation (ZNO). Approximately 2,000 tenth graders will participate. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing an interview with Tetyana Vakulenko, Director of the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA).

Who will participate in the testing

The pilot phase will involve 10th-grade students who have already completed basic secondary education — that is, those who have finished 9th grade. This is the first step toward implementing an updated knowledge assessment system, which in the future could become the basis for university admission without additional entrance exams.

Which subjects will be tested

During the pilot, knowledge in two educational areas will be assessed: language and literature, and mathematics. In the future, the model is planned to be expanded to include tasks from natural sciences, history, and foreign languages.

Online platform and assessment format

A special online platform will be used to conduct the ZNO. Tasks will be posted and results uploaded through it. However, access to individual results will be available only to the school — at other levels, only aggregated data will be applied.

The ZNO model will combine electronic and paper formats:

  • In electronic form, students will complete tasks that can be checked automatically — for example, multiple-choice tests or short-answer questions.
  • Extended written answers, personal statements, and tasks requiring a demonstration of the solution process will be completed on paper. Such works will be evaluated by teachers.

Prospects and future plans

According to Tetyana Vakulenko, the ZNO model for 12th-grade graduates is still under development, as the senior specialized school has not yet begun its work. However, it is already known that all graduates will take the language-literature and mathematics areas at the basic level, while specialized subjects will be taken at an advanced level, in accordance with the chosen direction of study.

In the future, the results of such a ZNO should be sufficient for admission to higher education institutions without additional entrance exams. For graduates of previous years, to whom the new model does not apply, a separate entrance test of general academic competencies may be introduced. It will serve as a tool for university admission but will not constitute the state final certification.

Context: Return of ZNO after a pause

Recall that the ZNO for 9th-grade students was suspended due to the full-scale war and the New Ukrainian School reform. Currently, the country is preparing for its return: before launch, the new ZNO format will undergo several stages of piloting and testing.

Previously, RBC-Ukraine reported that ZNO is a mandatory assessment of student learning outcomes after 4th and 9th grades. The Ministry of Education and Science plans to digitize this process by creating a unified platform for conducting ZNO, storing results, and automating their processing.