National Scholarship Test

The main goal of the National Testing project is to provide equal access to the higher educational institutions based on the results of the transparent, honest and independent testing. The National Scholarship Test mesures the ability of  school graduates to study in University.

An important part of any reform in education area is the appropriate legal base. Representatives of the project  think that all necessary conditions have been created for the successful implementation of the Project. In 2002, the Project has received a Presidential decree on testing. A year later, in 2003, the decree was quite detailed and even called for the monitoring of the enrollment process at institutions of higher education by the NGO community. On March  30, 2004, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic issued a decree No. 114 “On further development of the process of awarding state educational grants, conducting the National Scholarship Test and enrollment in higher education institutions”, in which the newly created independent testing organization (Center for Educational Assessment and Teaching Methods) was commissioned to conduct the NST in partnership with the American Councils for International Education in 2004-2005. Finally, the National Scholarship Test is conducted in accordance with Kyrgyz legislation and is supported by the Government of Kyrgyzstan.

The general goals of the National Testing are seen in the following:

• conducting an independent and objective high stakes, norm-referenced test;
• creating an adequate measurement tool meeting all modern requirements and designed specifically for Kyrgyzstan;
• applying a unified mesurement scale to all test-takers throughout the country;
• discriminating between weak and strong students and providing access to higher education to the strongest, regardless of the geographic origin and social background;
• fighting corruption in higher education through the provision of a high stakes, norm-referenced test to determine scholarship placement.

The National Scholarship Test was developed by the CEATM and  based on the modern achievements of  testology. The test identifies the students that are most likely to be successful in universities. National Scholarship Test is available in three languages: Kyrgyz, Russian, and Uzbek with the equal difficulty of all test variations. On the test, students must show critical thinking, problem-solving skills and ability to apply knowledge received in school.

The results of monitoring conducted among the first year students have proved the test to be valid and highly reliable. The rectors of higher education institutions note that students enrolled by their National Scholarship Test scores are successful in their studying. The test was very successful in the conditions of our Republic and turned out to be a very effective measurement tool, able to discriminate well between weak and strong students.