In grade 9, the format of the state final assessment will be determined by how the specialised high school will be built - with or without competitive selection.

This was stated by Tetiana Vakulenko, Director of the Ukrainian Centre for Educational Quality Assessment, in an interview with Vchysya. Media". She emphasised that the introduction of the state examination in the form of external independent testing for ninth-graders is part of the NUS reform. It is expected that the tasks will be competency-based and will include detailed and oral answers. At the same time, there are no final details yet, as the assessment system must keep pace with the curricula that are currently being developed for grades 5-9.

According to Vakulenko, if there is no selection for lyceums, the STA will primarily serve as a feedback and developmental tool for students. If competitive admission to academic lyceums is introduced, the results of the external independent evaluation may become part of the competitive selection process.

As early as 2026, it is planned to test tasks in language, literature and mathematics for about 2,000 9th grade students.