Debate over testing practices: Are applicants facing exam questions not covered in the curriculum?

State exams for admission to professional and higher education institutions in Uzbekistan began on July 14. According to applicants who took the test in law, questions were asked that deviated from the prescribed literature.

Applicants claim that questions were given from laws and codes that were not recommended by the Agency for Assessing Knowledge and Skills.

"For example, what is the penalty for showing disrespect to the anthem of the Republic of Karakalpakstan? This information is not in the book. When I looked up the law on the anthem, the penalty is a fine of up to 25 times the minimum wage or up to 3 years of corrective labor. Another test asked at what time the anthem is played during the presidential election and referendum. Another asked about financial control bodies,” wrote one of the applicants.

Additionally, such complaints are circulating on social media. In one complaint, it was mentioned that questions were asked about laws concerning state symbols (when the flag is raised, the time the anthem is played, etc.) and the state budget.

A lawyer who took the test also wrote that he was surprised by the questions. “The questions tormented me. Annoyingly, I was asked about the amount of the fine for violating the rules of using the metro. A student from a province doesn’t know or use the metro, so how would they know the fine? Moreover, even professor-level lawyers don't memorize the sanctions,” he wrote.

An employee of an educational center, whose comments spread on social media, reported that out of 30 questions given to their law applicants, 15 were from the Administrative and Criminal Codes, and this happened to other applicants as well.

As complaints increased, the Agency for Assessing Knowledge and Skills issued an official statement. The agency reminded that the list of recommended textbooks and educational materials had been posted on their website in advance.

Additionally, the agency stated that there were no deviations from the current state education standards and curricula.

However, lawyer Khushnudbek Khudoyberdiev called the agency’s statement "a lie and nonsense."

“On the agency’s website, there are only 5 sources listed as recommended literature for law, 4 of which are textbooks and 1 is the Constitution of Uzbekistan. The agency has no right to ask questions that are not found in these sources,” he wrote.

Furthermore, the statement mentioned that when compiling questions, if changes were made to legal documents, the original source — the lex.uz site — would be consulted. Khudoyberdiev believes the agency is misinterpreting this clause.

“The note says that questions are compiled taking into account the latest changes and additions. But this does not mean we have the right to compile questions from any normative legal document. It simply means that when compiling questions from the above 5 sources, we consider legislative changes. BMBA’s actions lack legal grounds and should be deemed a violation of the law,” he wrote.

Additionally, the agency stated that it is correct to ask about the penalty prescribed in the Criminal Code (CC) and Administrative Responsibility Code (ARC) for a specific offense in a question. In response, the lawyer noted that penalties are not memorized even by law school students and are not asked in the exams and certifications of judges and agency employees.

“We give such foolish questions to our youth and then are surprised when our students rank last in international exams like PISA. In fact, this test system, which includes such questions, is turning our youth into zombies and killing their logical thinking,” he wrote.