The results of the last master's admission exam held on February 15 show that bachelors in the III specialty group scored relatively lower points compared to other groups.
The main reason for this difference is stated to be the predominance of mathematical logic questions in the exam and the difficulty these types of tasks pose for graduates in humanitarian fields.
On the other hand, while foreign language and informatics are taught in the school curriculum, logic as a subject is not included in textbooks and the general education system.
Modern.az reports that education expert Elchin Afandi spoke to AzEdu.az on the matter.
He noted that one side showing weak results while the other shows high results does not provide grounds to say that equal opportunities are created for every participant in the overall process. From this perspective, it is more appropriate to formulate questions in a balanced manner.
“I should note that the State Examination Center's master's admission exam resulted in a general analysis of the questions after bachelors, especially those who completed humanitarian-oriented specialties, reported difficulties. It was revealed that verbal questions were in the minority in the exam, with mathematically oriented questions predominantly.
Naturally, for participants in both directions to be able to answer the questions, I believe it would be appropriate to slightly increase the number of verbal questions or to increase the number of some visual tasks. A more favorable balance should be created for participants in both directions compared to mathematical logic questions. It is likely that the State Examination Center will take this factor into account in the second attempt exam to be held in May. Because one side showing weak results while the other shows high results does not allow us to say that equal opportunities are created for everyone in the overall process. Therefore, preparing balanced questions is more appropriate".
Since logic is included in master's, civil service, and “Yüksəliş” exams, it should be taught at least in the 11th grade or in all specialties of higher education:
“Regarding the other issue, as we know, logic as a subject is currently not taught in general education institutions. However, previously this subject was taught in schools. In recent years, logic has generally not been included in educational institutions. Only in some specialties of higher education institutions, where deemed necessary, for example, in law, social work, philosophy, and a number of other specialties - logic is taught.
But is logic taught at the higher education level in all specialties? Of course not. To solve this issue, I believe it might be appropriate to teach logic for one or two hours a week in general education institutions, at the upper secondary level, at least in the 11th grade. It is true that when such proposals are put forward, it is noted that in many countries around the world, admission procedures involve exams without teaching logic, and candidates' general intelligence level is checked.
However, the issue is that when general intelligence is checked, assessment is not based solely on mathematical logic; other skills are also taken into account. Although it may be possible to answer certain questions, difficulties arise in tasks that measure mathematical thinking. For this reason, I believe that certain steps should be taken regarding the subject of logic. Because this subject is included in both the master's program, the civil service admission process, and the “Yüksəliş” competition held in recent years. Therefore, the teaching of logic must be ensured in all specialties of higher education institutions. Whether starting from the first year or in the final year. Perhaps this way it will be possible to achieve a solution to the existing problem".
