Will Mathematics Remain a Mandatory Subject on the NMT: Supporters of Changes Lacked Backing

The discussion about the list of mandatory subjects for the National Multisubject Test (NMT) has been ongoing for several months and has become one of the most resonant topics in the field of education. Some applicants and parents insist on revising the current admission rules, believing that mandatory testing in certain disciplines creates excessive pressure on graduates. At the same time, the government and the Ministry of Education and Science consistently advocate for maintaining the current NMT model. Another attempt to influence the approach to the admission campaign was an electronic petition calling to make mathematics an elective subject, but it did not receive the necessary support.

The initiative to cancel the mandatory NMT in mathematics did not gather the required number of votes

The petition to the government calling for the cancellation of the mandatory National Multisubject Test (NMT) in mathematics in 2027 did not collect the required number of votes for consideration. As of June 21, the appeal gathered only 13.3 thousand signatures out of the required 25 thousand.

The petition stated that mandatory mathematics creates excessive pressure on graduates, especially those planning to enter humanities, social sciences, pedagogical, or creative specialties.

"Recent years clearly show that mandatory mathematics in the NMT creates excessive pressure on graduates, especially those planning to pursue education in humanities, social sciences, pedagogical, or creative specialties. Many applicants who demonstrate high results in Ukrainian language, history, literature, foreign languages, or other subjects cannot fully realize their potential due to low scores specifically in mathematics, which often is unrelated to their future profession," the appeal said.

The petition author also claimed that the mandatory nature of mathematics leads to unequal admission conditions, as not all students have the same mathematical abilities, and additional tutoring does not always help achieve the necessary result.

Moreover, according to the author, intensive preparation for the mathematics test often becomes a source of severe stress and anxiety for graduates.

"At the same time, intensive preparation for the mathematics test becomes a source of severe stress, anxiety, and even depressive states for many, negatively affecting mental health, motivation to study, and overall success in the final school year," the petition noted.

In this regard, the author proposed making mathematics an elective subject within the NMT.

Which subjects are currently mandatory for the NMT

Currently, the National Multisubject Test is conducted according to the model used during the previous admission campaign.

Applicants take four subjects: Ukrainian language, mathematics, history of Ukraine, and one elective subject. Among the elective disciplines are foreign language, biology, geography, physics, chemistry, or Ukrainian literature.

Testing takes place within one day with the possibility of additional sessions in certain cases.

Bill to move mathematics to elective subjects

The issue of mandatory mathematics has recently been actively discussed not only among applicants but also at the parliamentary level.

A bill No. 15254-1 has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada proposing to make mathematics an elective subject during admission to higher education institutions.

However, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Education and Science currently do not support this idea.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko previously stated that there is currently no possibility to move mathematics to the category of elective subjects.

The same position was voiced by the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi.

The Ministry of Education emphasizes that mathematics and the history of Ukraine should remain mandatory components of the NMT, as they allow assessing the basic level of applicants' knowledge.

Simultaneously, signatures are being collected to cancel mandatory NMT in the history of Ukraine

Amid discussions about mathematics, a separate electronic petition was also submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers calling to reconsider the status of another mandatory subject — the history of Ukraine.

The authors of the appeal propose to cancel mandatory NMT in the history of Ukraine, as well as external independent evaluation in this subject if the ZNO system returns starting from 2027.

In their opinion, the need to take four subjects simultaneously creates additional pressure on graduates. They note that due to lower results in history, some applicants lose competitive positions during admission even with high scores in profile subjects.

The petition authors also claim that the large volume of material for preparing for the history of Ukraine test often causes stress and emotional exhaustion among students.

At the same time, they emphasize that they do not deny the importance of the history of Ukraine as an academic discipline and a component of national consciousness formation. In their view, in-depth study of history can be carried out at higher education institutions.

The petition No. 41/010126-26ep proposes to make the history of Ukraine an elective subject within the NMT, leaving only Ukrainian language and mathematics mandatory.

The government is preparing new admission rules for 2027

It was previously reported that due to security risks related to martial law, the government proposes to change the rules for conducting the admission campaign and exempt schoolchildren from the state final certification.

For this purpose, bill No. 15254 "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding State Final Certification and the 2027 Admission Campaign" has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

The explanations to the legislative changes state that the document aims to ensure a flexible and safe mechanism for conducting the admission campaign under martial law and possible security threats in 2027.

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