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OVERVIEW AND COMPARISON OF MATRICULATION EXAMINATION 

OF FINLAND AND UNIFIED NATIONAL TESTING OF KAZAKHSTAN 

Zhaxybayeva Zh.Zh. 

Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Chemistry and Biology in Ust-Kamenogorsk  

Republic of Kazakhstan 

Аңдатпа 

Осы  мақала  Финляндияның  матрикуляциялық  емтиханы  мен  Қазақстан 

Республикасының Бірыңғай ұлттық тестілеу емтихандарына шолу жасап, салыстыру 

жүргізуге  арналған. 

Осы  екі  емтихандардың  үдерісі,  формасы  мен  мазмұны  өзгеше.  Осы 

мақалада  Финляндияның  емтихан  тапсыру  тəжірибесін  Қазақстанда  пайдалану 

мүмкіншіліктері айтылған. 

Аннотация 

Данная статья посвящена описанию и сравнению выпускных экзаменов, таких 

как  матрикуляционный  экзамен  Финляндии  и  Единое  национальное  тестирование 

Республики Казахстан. 

Существует множество различий в процессе, форме и содержании 

этих экзаменов. В статье предлагаются пути адаптации опыта Финляндии по сдаче экзаменов 

в Казахстане.  

Abstract 

This article is devoted to an overview and comparison of two school leaving exams: Finnish 

Matriculation Examination and Unified National Testing of Kazakhstan. There is a great difference 

in the process, form and content of these examinations. The article suggests some ways of adapting 

Finnish examination practice in Kazakhstan.

 

The final certifying examination is very significant and life-changing event in every school 

graduate’s life. Major part of school leavers learn and seek for all knowledge to get prepared for this 

decisive examination and do their best taking it. Their parents and teachers are helping them, 

waiting for exams too and getting nervous as the day comes closer. This picture can be seen in any 

country where we find upper secondary schools. However these examinations have various names 

forms and content in different countries. For example, in Britain it is called A-Level, in Germany 

and Austria – Abitur, in Russia – Unified State Examination, in France – Baccalaureat, in Finland – 

Finnish Matriculation Examination, in Kazakhstan – Unified National Testing. In spite of different 

names, the aim of the exams is similar and can be stated like ‘to check objectively graduates’ 

knowledge, abilities and logic’. In this article we will overview and compare two types of school 

leaving exams. They are Finnish Matriculation Examination and Unified National Testing of 

Kazakhstan. 

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Firstly we will overview the Finnish Matriculation Examination which has long history which 

started in 1852. At first examinations were taken at Universities twice a year. Examinations 

included written tests in the mother tongue and Latin or another foreign language also there was an 

oral test in subjects according to the curriculum of the university. Every student who passed the 

exam was included into the university register as a student [5, p.3]. Later the written part of exams 

were decided to be taken at secondary schools whereas the oral part which included mathematics, 

religion, languages and history were still taken at universities.  There is an interesting fact that 

before 1901 Matriculation examination could be taken by male students but female students had to 

ask for permission to take an exam. At first they asked for permission from the Russian Emperor 

and then from vice chancellor of the university. As far as a vice chancellor always let girls take an 

exam this permission was cancelled.  

The turning point in the history of Matriculation examination was 1921. This year the exam 

stopped to be a graduation and university entrance exam simultaneously also at that time the oral 

part of exam was taken away. It continued till World War II. As far as it was unreasonable to ask 

the soldiers fighting for Finnish independence to spend a lot of time for examination, it was decided 

to declare all the last year students as graduates without taking exams during the period of 1940-

1943[5, p.4]. Then in 1947 the examination form and content changed and remains more or less the 

same today. Mainly subjects altered, now  obligatory tests were mother tongue, second national 

language, foreign language, either Mathematics or one subject from general battery of tests. At this 

time the number of graduates who passed the exam but could not enter university was half of the 

entire amount. People criticized the examination and students got stress. They thought that the 

examination was too broad; some thought that it controlled the whole secondary schools and their 

study process. But the Matriculation Examination was not cancelled, moreover it was developed. 

So, in 1970 some new features were introduced to the examination: grading system changed from 

four grades to six and the mother tongue test could be taken twice [5, p.5]. So as time passed the 

examination system was developed and step by step it acquired the modern content and form. 

Now we will consider content of Finnish Matriculation Examination. This examination is 

taken by graduates of upper secondary schools which in Finland are called “lukios”. Exams are 

taken at schools and are supervised by one member of Matriculation Examination Board and local 

teachers. Examination is held twice a year: in spring (February-March) and in autumn (September). 

Students can retake a failed exam twice. The obligatory subject is mother tongue for everyone, and 

other three subjects can be chosen among second national language, foreign language, Mathematics 

and one subject from the general battery of tests.It is allowed to take more than four subjects if a 

student wants. On average, students take five tests, however there are students who take even ten 

tests [5, p.1]. But one of these subjects must be of advanced level.  

There are definite rules and obligations for each subject. As I have said Mother tongue is 

obligatory for every student. In Finland in most cases the mother tongue is Finnish, Swedish or 

Saami. If a student’s native language is not one of the previously said languages, he or she can 

replace the mother tongue test with the Finnish or Swedish language test [4, p.1]. The mother 

tongue test in Finnish and Swedish consists of textual skill section and essay but Saami language 

test comprises only essay. To pass second national language and foreign language tests a student 

has to do listening, reading tests and writing. During the Mathematics examination a student has to 

complete ten questions. The general studies battery includes tests in Evangelical Lutheran religion, 

Orthodox religion, Ethics, philosophy, psychology, biology, chemistry, geography, history, social 

studies, physics, health insurance [4, p.2]. During these tests, students answer from six to eight test 

items depending on subject. 

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These  days  the  graduate  having  passed  Matriculation  examination  has  an  opportunity  to  take 

exams at University. It means that a person gets a chance to change his or her life for the better, to 

get higher education. However its significance was much higher in the past. Before 1921 

Matriculation examination automatically had turned a passed graduate into a student of University. 

Also the number of students was very small compared to today’s number. That is why at that time 

the passed graduate was very famous and supposed to be one of the cleverest students in the 

country. Moreover these graduates were interviewed, placed into newspapers and magazines. [5, 

p.6]. As in the past, these days students get a traditional white and blue student cap; pay their

respects at cenotaphs built for soldiers who died protecting Finland; present their mothers a gift; 

have a party at school and then at the restaurant in the evening. So, people celebrate this event to 

make it memorable because it is supposed to be one of the most important events in person’s life. 

For many years the Matriculation Examination has been taken in written form but this 

tendency is going to be changed. Since 2016 some tests will be introduced in electronic form. 

Students will take exams at computers, laptops or even IPads. First subjects to be modified are 

geography, philosophy, the German language. Then step by step other subjects will be included into 

this list. And at last, it is planned that mathematics examination will have developed into electronic 

form by 2019. 

Now let me pay attention to Unified National Test of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Unified 

National Test is one of the forms of final certifying examination of secondary school graduates 

which  also  goes  for  entrance  examination  in  university  or  other  educational  institution  offering 

higher education. The test is held once a year during the first two weeks of June at examination 

conducting locations. In most cases these places are buildings of universities. At regional and city 

Boards of education the UNT centres are organized the members of which must arrange all the 

organizational work, inform students and other concerned people on the exam form, content and 

other matters and coordinate the work concerning  the  usage  of  mobile  phones,  metal  detectors, 

video monitoring during examination (General rules of holding UNT). 

A graduate has to take tests in five subjects and four of them are obligatory. Compulsory 

subjects  are  Native  Language  (Kazakh  or  Russian),  Mathematics,  History  of  Kazakhstan,  the 

second language (Kazakh or Russian) depending on the study language. The fifth subject should be 

chosen by a student very carefully because it defines the field of study at university. A graduate 

must take one subject from the following list: World History, Kazakh or Russian Literature, Foreign 

Languages,  Geography,  Biology,  Chemistry,  Physics.  Test  on  every  subject  contains  25  multiple-

choice test questions. All in all there are 125 questions for five subjects which should be answered 

during 210 minutes. In 2013 a graduate was supposed to be passed the examination if he or she got 60 

points  out  of  125  (ru.wikipedia.org).  Unless  a  graduate  scores  minimal  amount  of  points  (for 

example 60) he or she will not be accepted to university but there is a chance to study at technical 

schools or colleges. I think the meaning of the word “college” should be explained. In Kazakhstan 

“college”  means  secondary  specialized  educational  institution  which  takes  the  position  between 

upper secondary schooland higher educational institution. 

During  Unified  National  Testing  much  attention  is  paid  to  discipline  and  rules.  According  to 

exam rules every student is given a book with tests where he or she can find tests for every subject 

and an answer sheet which must be filled in neatly and carefully. The questions in each book are 

different  due  to  variants.  For  examination  each  graduate  has  to  bring  entrance  ticket,  identity  card, 

pen, pencil and water if they need it. Students are allowed to take only Mendeleev’s periodic table if 

their fifth subject is Chemistry. If graduates are noticed to use a calculator, a mobile phone, cheat 

notes or any other device they are expelled and lose the right to enter university this year. Instead of 

UNT expelled student takes a traditional examination at school and gets only a school diploma [2, 

p.5].  

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These  students  have  a  chance  to  enter  colleges  or  try  to  enter  university  next  year  by  taking 

Complex Testing.

Having taken Unified National Testing a graduate has conflicting emotions like relief, anxiety 

and hope for good results. UNT results are usually known in the evening of the examination day. 

After  three  days  from  the  date  of  exam  a  graduate  gets  a  certificate  where  subjects,  date  and 

points  are  indicated.  This  certificate  defines  the  graduate’s  future  whether  he  or  she  can  get  an 

educational grant to study on free basis at the university or his parents will have to pay for his or 

her education. If parents are not financially able to pay for education, a graduate has to try to get 

an educational college grant or study there paying an educational fee. Educational fee of college 

is approximately three times lower than of university. 

After a graduate takes the certificate, in the second half of June all the schools officially hand 

over Diplomas of Graduation. Marks in the above mentioned subjects are put in Diploma 

subsequent to the results of UNT. This day is celebrated by graduates, parents and teachers at 

school during official part in the morning and magnificent party in the evening. All the students, 

especially girls, get prepared for this party months before. They search for and buy or visit a 

dressmaker for evening dresses and other accessories. This day is memorable for every graduate. It 

is supposed to be a farewell party and a sign of new, adult life.  

All the information given above is an overview for Finnish Matriculation Examination and 

Unified National Testing (UNT) of Kazakhstan. Further we will compare two different but in the 

same time similar kinds of examination. 

Both examinations are taken by upper secondary school graduates. As I have mentioned UNT 

is a school-leaving examination and simultaneously an entrance examination in higher educational 

establishments whereas Matriculation examination is only school-leaving examination now. 

However in the past Matriculation examination was conducted at universities which aimed to select 

the cleverest students to admit there. As years moved on, this examination changed a lot and lost its 

primary aim. UNT is very young compared to the Matriculation examination of Finland. For the 

first time it was conducted in 2004 before we had had two different exams for Final Certifying 

Examination and Entrance Examination. These examinations were replaced by UNT. With the help 

of UNT it became possible to evaluate graduates’ knowledge objectively because it had a role of 

external quality control of education. This examination gives the opportunity to improve efficiency 

of the process of education quality management [3, p.1]. As everything changes over time and 

different events I believe that in future UNT will be improved, moreover it is improving these days. 

For example, this year UNT will lose its quality of an entrance examination in universities and 

graduates will have to take Entrant’s Complex Testing.  

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According to Matriculation examination students have to take four tests whereas at UNT 

students take five tests. The difference is in number but in real life Finnish students also take 5 and 

even more tests [5, p.1]. If we consider subjects, both examinations cover Mother tongue, second 

language, Mathematics and at least one subject from general battery of tests. But a significant 

difference can be noticed in content of these tests. To my mind Finnish students have a better 

opportunity because they can choose a test level in most subjects though he or she has to choose one 

high level test. UNT does not suppose different levels to choose but the questions in every test are 

organized according to level of complexity. Also in Finnish examination tests there are various 

forms of taking the tests for every subject. For example, Mother tongue test includes textual skill 

section and writing an essay, Second national language and foreign language tests check graduate’s 

listening, reading and writing skills according to chosen levels, Mathematics has 10 questions to 

answer and general battery of subjects has up to ten questions [4, p.2]. To my mind different forms 

and levels of testing is better because it gives the opportunity thoroughly and individually evaluate 

student’s knowledge and skills. Having said “individually” I meant writing essays and open 

question answers because they give a clearer picture of graduate’s level of literacy, coherence, logic 

and thinking abilities. 

Everyone who has read the overview of both tests noticed that there is a great difference in the 

process of examination. As you have read above Matriculation examination is taken twice a year 

and a graduate can take the tests at different time. Also if the test is failed a student can retake it 

twice. But Unified National Testing can be taken only once and all the subjects are tested at one 

time during 210 minutes. This is very stressful though graduates take mock examinations 

approximately 4-6 times during the last year of education. But some students like the process of 

UNT because they kill two birds with one stone and wait for results.  

There are some examples of opportunities to adapt from the Matriculation examination of 

Finland into the examination of Kazakhstan:  

1) Finnish students can take examination on more than 4 compulsory subjects if they want.

And most of them take 5-6 subjects, but also there are students who take up to 10 subjects, which 

give students an opportunity to have optional subjects if they change their mind to apply for the 

profession they have chosen before. They can choose the best result among the passed subjects to 

use with the aim to enter a higher educational institution. Also they have more chances to be 

accepted to university. 

2) The matriculation examination can be taken in 3 periods: in spring, in autumn, again in

spring. This way a student can divide subject examinations into different periods, plan their work 

and prepare for tests step by step. Taking all subject tests during 210 minutes at once at UNT is very 

stressful for graduates. It would be better to give students the chance to divide the final attestation 

examination in two periods: winter, spring. 

3) Conducting examination in two periods lets failed tests retake during the next period.

4) In Finland curriculum admits and lets the teaching staff use other ways of course, subject

assessment for immigrant students with linguistic difficulties, students with diagnosed impairments 

and comparable difficulties, such as dyslexia. These students are given an opportunity to use special 

arrangements and show their competences in a way other than in writing, i.e. in a way they can [6, 

p.31]. But in Kazakhstan students who have diagnosed disabilities of different kinds; group 1 and 2

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physically handicapped students; participants of summer competitions, i.e. candidates of 

Republican team taking part in international subject Olympiads and scientific competitions are 

released of taking final attestation examination. This way they feel discriminated and unmotivated. I 

suppose we should offer them other kinds of examination where they are able to show their 

competences. And if two periodic examination taking form is accepted, it would be easier to 

involve these students into final attestation. 

5) Finns allow their graduates to use “Nspire” functional calculators solving trigonometrical,

integral based and other heavy tasks, Mendeleyev’s periodic table and reference books during 

examination. It would be very helpful and supportive to let our students use simple calculators and 

formula.  

Here I have restricted some numbers because of possible obstacles they can meet in 

Kazakhstan. For example, about the number of periods: not three but two. The numbers are 

decreased because organizing every period needs financial support, but students’ well-being is more 

valuable than money. 

As we have noticed historical events, society influences on Final Certifying Examination of 

every country. The examinations we have overviewed and compared today are the results of their 

country history, educational management issues, society needs and world practice. Each of these 

examinations has its pros and cons. The matriculation examination system is graduate friendly but 

time and finance consuming for the state whereas UNT is good for educational management, “two 

in one” (final certifying and entrance examination) but very stressful for graduates. In spite of these 

weak points these forms of examinations are working and giving results. Surely they have some 

weak points but I believe they will be eliminated and the systems of final certifying will find their 

“golden mean”. 

References 

1. В 2013 году  в  Казахстане  впервые  будет  aпрoбировано  двухэтапное  ЕНТ -

http://www.uchi.kz/kta (15.04.2013).

2. Правилапроведенияединогонациональноготестирования. Official site of Gymnasium92 -

http://kargoo.gov.kz/content/view/68/321313121 (05.06.2014).

3. Система  работы  по  подготовке  к  ЕНТ. Official site of Pavlodar Education Board -

goo.kz/loader/load/10000 (07.06.2014).

4. The Finnish Matriculation Examination. Ylioppilastutkintosuomessa - http:

//www.ylioppilastutkinto.fi/en/ (07.06.2014).

5. Tina Harju. The Finnish Matriculation Examination: an Essential Part of Finnish Education

since 1852. University of Tampere, 2013 - http: //www15.uta.fi/FAST/FIN/A14PAPS/th-

exam.pdf  (04.06.2014).

6. National core curriculum for upper secondary schools 2003, Finnish National Board of

Education, Finland -

http://www.oph.fi/english/curricula_and_qualifications/general_upper_secondary_education

(07.06.2014)

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