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.