Largest Number of Perfect Scores Earned in the Capitol

Thursday, 8 July 2010

In July, external independent testing (EIT) ended for those who wish to enroll in establishments of higher education (HEI).  EIT was composed of two phases: the main session and a special session for those who were unable to attend the main session (nearly 4 thousand individuals participated).  In total, nearly 1.3 million tests were taken in 8 subjects. 

If one was to compare this year’s EIT results to last year’s, then the average grades in Ukrainian Language and Literature and Mathematics improved and the average grades in Ukrainian History dropped slightly.  85% of those who registered took the tests.  This is a lower percentage than last year and is connected to changes made to HEI admission requirements.   

At this time appeals are still being reviewed. 

5690 appeals were submitted which amounts to 0.4% of tests.   The largest number of appeals were submitted for Ukrainian Language and Literature (3181), Mathematics (980), and foreign languages (700).  During the first two meetings of the Appeals Commissions 234 of 710 appeals were reviewed.   The majority of the reviewed appeals dealt with the test taker not indicating the number of their test booklet and for being disqualified from testing.  As an example, one hopeful freshman from Donetsk who scored a perfect 200 was able to have the result of his test made valid.  At this time each individual who tested can view their results on their personal web page.  In order to submit EIT scores with an HEI application, the applicant must print out their results and submit them together with their original certificate to the admission commission of the HEI to which they are applying.  The Admission Commissions will compare all results submitted with applications to the results noted in a secure database.   The HEI admission campaign opens on July 14th. 

Civilian Audit 

EIT was monitored by a large number of civic observers, mostly from the Committee of Voters of Ukraine and the Civic Network OPORA.  According to their evaluations, this year’s EIT was better organized than in past years and test site workers were more efficient and confident.  Nonetheless participants violated the rules: the most common violations were tardiness (11%) and using assistive materials (in 4% of sites).  There were also instances where impersonators attempted to test for a registered individual despite photographs being attached to the certificates this year.  Among the main reasons for tests being invalidated were students not being attentive and forgetting to indicate the number of their test booklet or transcribing it incorrectly onto their answer sheet.  For this reason civic monitors recommended that a more detailed informational campaign including the rules and regulations for undergoing EIT be conducted among hopeful freshmen. 

Gifted Children—Yes! 

A perfect score of 200 points was earned by 883 hopeful freshmen in at least one subject.  The majority of these tests takers were from Kyiv (133) and the L’viv region (92).  Fifty eight individuals obtained a perfect score in two subjects; the Donets’k region and Kyiv each produced 6 such students, and 12 were from the L’viv region).  There were also some who obtained perfect scores in three subjects from Kyiv, and the Donets’k and L’viv regions.  In Kyiv these gifted children were graduates from the Ukrainian Humanitarian Lyceum of the Kyiv National University of Taras Shevchenko.  “Students from the Ukrainian Humanitarian Lyceum obtain high marks in testing,” noted the Director of the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA), Ihor Likarchuk.  Perfect scores in EIT were also obtained by graduates from the Lesya Ukrayinka Gymnasium #117, the Ivano Franko specialized school #92, the Synoozerna Gymnasium #257, and from the Polytechnic Lyceum NTUU of KPI in the Solom’yanka district.    

The National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy is already working on attracting students with the highest EIT scores.   “This is the only HEI that requested a list of hopeful freshmen who obtained high grades in EIT in order to offer them admissions to their departments and a spot in their dormitories,” continued Mr. Likarchuk.  “Other HEIs did not make such requests, so apparently it is all the same to them which students they accept,”  He also noted that all of last year’s graduates who obtained the highest scores are currently studying in HEIs and are doing well.