On March 9, this year's first graduation exam for the 11-year secondary education level was held. After the exam, opinions are being voiced on social networks and among applicants that some of the questions were relatively difficult. This brings to the forefront the question of how this year's results will affect the overall score indicators. In response to claims about the difficulty of the exam, the State Examination Center stated that whether an exam is easy or difficult is a relative matter. Against the backdrop of discussions, the possibility of whether the average statistical score will change compared to previous years, as well as a potential increase or decrease in passing scores for individual specialty groups, becomes a subject of discussion.
Speaking to Modern.az on the topic, education researcher Elmin Nuri stated that, based on his observations over the years, he has almost never encountered opinions such as “the exam was easy,” “the exam questions were appropriate,” or “the exam was favorable” after an exam. According to him, after graduation, block, or master's exams, opinions such as “the exam was difficult,” “the questions were more time-consuming,” or “the tasks were complex” are usually voiced.
“Experience shows that even if such dissatisfactions are voiced on the day of the exam, after the results are announced, it becomes clear that a large number of applicants achieve high scores – in the range of 250-300 points. Even a record number of applicants scoring 300 points are registered. After this, opinions such as “the exam wasn't that difficult” begin to be voiced.”
E. Nuri believes that it is not appropriate to rush to draw definitive conclusions at the current stage:
“The second stage of the graduation exams is still ahead, and the answers have not yet been announced. The overall picture will become clearer after the results are declared.”
The researcher added that making graduation exams excessively difficult is also not possible from a procedural point of view:
“It is well-known that block exams are more complex than graduation exams. Making graduation exams excessively difficult can lead to a disruption of a certain balance in the admission process and problems in specialty selection. Therefore, the difficulty level of the questions usually does not significantly differ compared to previous years.”
According to him, in some cases, what applicants perceive as difficulty is related to the presentation format of the questions:
“Some open-ended questions are presented in a slightly different format than in previous years. Since applicants primarily work on mock tests and questions from previous years, encountering a question format they are not accustomed to is both time-consuming and creates psychological tension. However, in terms of content, no question deviates from the content standards established for the subjects.”
In conclusion, he emphasized that it is too early to say what this year's results will be:
“Because only the first stage has taken place, and the second stage is still ahead. Moreover, it is not yet known what the results of the block exams will be. For example, last year's block exams were quite difficult. How it will be this year will only be known after the results are announced. According to initial estimates, the overall score burden in this year's university admission process will not significantly differ from last year,” E. Nuri noted.
It should be noted that over 58,000 11th-grade students participated in the graduation exams. According to the information, the students' results are expected to be announced within the next 7 weeks.
