Students graduating basic school this year will have to take their final exams — a requirement for graduation — before they have finished covering all of the material for their stage of education. As a result, Harno intends to inform students about which topics will not be included in the exam, ETV news broadcast "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

"In previous years, basic school exams have begun at the start of summer, in early June," said Alge Ilosaar, director of Harno's Assessment Center. "This year, however, basic schools will begin in April already. With this, we hope to reduce the use of separate [high school] entrance exams and bolster trust in basic school exam results as the basis for admissions."

Due to cuts to Harno's budget, schools themselves will be responsible for proctoring these exams. Eliminating external proctors will save approximately €100,000.

"This academic year, Harno's budget no longer includes funds for hiring external external graders, except for Estonian as a second language at both the basic school and state exam levels," Ilosaar added.

Students taking state exams will still have to work on their handwriting this year and next, as exams will still have to be completed on paper, but starting in 2027, Estonian and English language exams will be going digital.

The math state exam, meanwhile, will take longer to make the switch.

"The current technological state of [the math exam] isn't good enough yet," the Assessment Center chief acknowledged. "We don't want to create a simpler test for a high-stakes exam."

To date, e-exams have been tested on a sample group of around 1,000 students, but before giving them the green light, Harno wants to ensure that all students have had the chance to practice taking an e-exam.

Preparations are also underway to enable artificial intelligence (AI) to assess exam responses in the future.

"This is a global challenge — countries everywhere are seeking solutions to determine when this will be possible," Ilosaar said. "As far as I know, one of the most advanced AIs is currently capable of grading about 80 percent of the material."

PISA test back this spring

Also to begin on the last day of March this year is PISA testing, which takes place every three years.

Estonian students have consistently ranked among the top performers in the PISA results worldwide, but this year, a record 91 countries will be participating in the test.

Gunda Tire, head of international studies at Harno, said that the primary focus of the PISA assessment varies slightly each time it is administered, and this year, the main focus will be on natural sciences.

"It includes environmental topics and sustainable development issues," Tire added.

The results of this year's PISA testing will be published next year.

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