The results of the admission examination for the master's level of higher education institutions, conducted by the State Examination Center on February 15, 2026, comprising a total of 95 tasks, including closed and codable open-ended questions, were announced yesterday.
The students who achieved the highest results with 91 points and were awarded the title of national first place winners were Elvina Aliyeva and Zahid Abdullayev.
The Modern.az website interviewed both successful students and learned about their impressions regarding their success stories.
In a statement to our website, Elvina Aliyeva, a student specializing in Information Security at Baku Higher Oil School, stated that the main secret of her success was systematic and continuous preparation.
“I have never relied solely on ‘studying a lot’; I have always progressed with a proper plan and the right strategy. I set specific rules for myself: a certain number of hours of preparation every day, mandatory revision, analysis of mistakes, and targeted work on weak areas... Alongside these, motivation was, of course, very important for me. During this period, I always received continuous support from my teachers, family, and colleagues.”
According to our interviewee, the exam was exciting for her:
“Overall, I think the exam was neither too easy nor too difficu< to be honest, I also made some careless mistakes. Yes, there were time-consuming questions, but since I had worked on many practice tests beforehand, I had learned to manage my time effectively. Therefore, I did not have any time-related problems. As for the subjects, English was easy for me because I already had a foundation in it, but logic and informatics were quite challenging, as they required special attention.”
E. Aliyeva also stated that she trusted herself and her efforts:
“I wouldn't say I felt completely confident that I would be the national first place winner, because no one can guarantee that beforehand.
Experiencing this feeling now is very different; on one hand, I feel pride, and on the other, responsibility. Because this result is not only a joy for me but also for those who believed in me and supported me. At the same time, it shows me that hard work truly pays off.”
According to the national first place winner, everyone's preparation method should be suitable and unique to them:
“For me, this was a planned approach; I noted in advance what subject I would study each day. Additionally, continuous revision was very beneficial for me. I believe I achieved this result thanks to my teachers and monthly mock exams.
Regarding studying abroad, I can say that I do not have plans to study outside the country. I intend to continue my master's studies in Azerbaijan, in my current field of Information Security, at my current university, Baku Higher Oil School.
My main advice to young people is to compete with yourselves, not with others. Everyone's circumstances, pace, and opportunities are different. The main thing is to make progress, even if just a little, every day. And additionally, I think it's about being systematic. You might sometimes lose motivation, you might get discouraged, but studying regularly will yield its rewards. And finally, believe in yourselves. The result is beautiful, but it is the daily effort that creates the result,” E. Aliyeva noted.
Zahid Abdullayev, a student specializing in Process Automation at Baku Higher Oil School, stated in an interview with our website that he also achieved a high score of 671 points during his applicant days:
“Although this was a high score, it was almost a standard result for Baku Higher Oil School, where I was admitted. This is because most of the students studying there were young people who had achieved high accomplishments during their school years and were accustomed to being first. This environment inevitably encourages one to constantly develop. When everyone around you is strong, you also start working harder on yourself. Healthy competition forms among students, and everyone competes both with others and with themselves. My student years also passed this way. I learned a lot from my peers, and at the same time, I tried to contribute something to them with my own knowledge and experience.”
According to our interviewee, this approach also yielded results in the master's examination:
I would like to emphasize that the teaching staff, study materials, and individual approach were quite effective for me. My results also showed that I performed above average in the exam. Frankly, I would not consider the level of questions in the exam difficult. The main issue was the time factor. Especially in the logic section, there were many time-consuming tasks, and I believe this was the main difficulty for most applicants. That is, the questions were not complex, they simply required time.”
Zahid Abdullayev stated that, unlike Elvina Aliyeva, who also achieved a high success rate, he did not experience any particular excitement during the exam:
“Because continuously passing difficult exams at the university had already become a habit. I was simply focused on solving the questions. I expected a high result because I believed that my efforts would be rewarded. However, I did not go into the exam with the claim that I would be first. The first place was an additional and unexpected joy for me. Currently, the feelings I experience most regarding this success are pride and responsibility.”
Our interviewee also noted that he had a special method during the preparation process:
“I worked more on the topics where I was weak. Additionally, while preparing for the exam, I always worked with a partner. Joint preparation both increases motivation and significantly impacts the consolidation of knowledge. I have been using this method for several exams now, and I see its results.”
Z. Abdullayev also stated that he had considered studying abroad and had applied to several countries.
“I have even been one of the winners of the Azerbaijan-China intergovernmental scholarship program. One of my main choices is “Zhejiang University” in China. It is one of the world's leading universities for electrical and electronics engineering, and I am already in communication with a professor there. In addition, I am awaiting the results of the programs I applied to in other countries.
If I have to stay in the country, my main choice will still be Baku Higher Oil School. Finally, my advice to young people is to be purposeful. If your goal is concrete and clear, it will give you the strength to continue even when you are tired. Hard work does not go unrewarded,” he said.
