Kazakhstan may move away from traditional UNT as new international test is developed

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan is preparing to introduce a new format of the Unified National Testing (UNT), giving applicants the choice between the current national exam and a new internationally recognized test.
Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek announced that the country is developing an exam that will allow Kazakh students to apply to any university worldwide. The project is still in the early stages and will take time to implement.
Nurbek stressed that parents and students should not worry: nothing will change in 2025 or 2026.

“Our test developers want this to be a universally recognized university admissions test. According to our preliminary plan, we will spend at least another year creating it. Applicants will then be able to choose: take the traditional UNT to enter Kazakh universities, or take the new test, which will be recognized abroad. This will begin no earlier than 2027,” he said.

To implement the project, Kazakh specialists will undergo training at the headquarters of Educational Testing Service (ETS) — the organization behind global exams such as TOEFL and GRE.
Nurbek explained that some foreign universities “do not fully trust” the current Kazakh UNT, making an international-standard exam essential. The transition will be gradual and designed with the needs of students, parents and schools in mind.
The traditional UNT will continue until there is no longer a need for it.

“If more students start opting for the new test and say they don’t need the UNT anymore, then the need for the traditional exam may fade,” he noted.

The new exam will differ significantly from the UNT. While the current test assesses knowledge based strictly on the school curriculum, the new international test will measure:

logical and critical thinking;
functional literacy;
social engagement;
broader “life skills,” not just memorized content.

The initiative follows President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s meeting in the U.S. with ETS CEO Amit Sevak, after which Kazakhstan announced the creation of a joint working group to overhaul the methodology and content of the UNT.