Rosobrnadzor revealed the popular items of the exam in 2025
In 2025, the popularity of chemistry and profile mathematics increased among the exam. This follows from the data of Rosobrnadzor, which was studied by Kommersant. Leading positions retain social studies and computer science. For more serious changes in the choice of exams, experts should pass for several years: ideally, schoolchildren must decide what to hand over on the exam, a few years before the graduation class.
Rosobrnadzor, at the request of Kommersant, provided data on the number of applications for submitting the exam in 2025.
To receive a certificate, eleventh graders must pass the exam in the Russian language and mathematics: these are two mandatory items. The rest are needed to submit an application to the university. A certain set of exams is established for each specialty. In addition to eleventh graders, the exam is handed over, for example, college graduates and those who did not have enough points scored in previous years. Applications for the exam this year were accepted strictly until February 1.
According to Rosobrnadzor, it is clear that this year the profile mathematics turned out to be more popular than the basic (the profile is handed over if this item is needed for admission to the university; in other cases, it is enough to pass the base). The popularity of chemistry has also increased significantly – the subject rose immediately to two positions (see drawing), overtaking history and foreign languages.
There were no changes among other items. The most popular subject of choice remains social studies necessary for admission to social and humanitarian, and not to engineering specialties. Moreover, among the subjects necessary for techies, computer science, as before, overtakes physics.
Recall that in 2020, the Ministry of Education and Science allowed the applicants to independently choose which subject to hand over in technical directions – physics or computer science. After that, students’ interest in physics fell sharply, and the rector of technical universities began to complain about the lack of knowledge of this subject among students. Officials tried to level an imbalance. The rules of admission to universities were changed (see “Kommersant” dated September 23, 2024), and in the reception campaign of this year, physics has become a mandatory exam for some specialties without the opportunity to replace it with informatics. This, however, judging by statistics, has not yet been reflected in the popularity of the subject.
“The IT-sphere is still very high-paid,” recalls the head of the department of literature “New Gazing” Vadim Hardin. “The possibility of good earnings and remote work (including abroad) is important factors that motivate applicants to choose professions related to informatics.” The growth of the popularity of chemistry reflects the trend of the last few years, the expert notes: “New directions are emerging in medicine, genetics, pharmacology – this makes graduates choose such an object.” The same trend is noted by the professor of the Institute of Education of the Higher School of Economics, Irina Abankina. “The trend for the surrender of chemistry has been outlined several years ago – and interest in this subject continues to grow quite actively, although it is still not as fast as it happened in due time with informatics,” she notes.
“The surrender of social science opens up the possibility of entering a wide range of specialties, therefore it remains so in demand among graduates,” explains Elena Elena Elena, the director of the educational products of the EdTech-company EDTECHA.
The expert believes that the increase in budget places in engineering specialties and the changed rules of entering universities will affect the popularity of technical subjects, but the results will be noticeable only in a few years. “It is difficult to decide to take physics in the 11th grade, if difficulties arose with the subject-many guys have already formed a vision of themselves as humanitaria or techies,” Madame Viszen believes. “In order to choose technical items on the exam, you need to think in advance about the relevant professions and hand over the OGE in the same subjects.”
The preferences of nine -graders in the choice of OGE since last year, by the way, have not changed: these data “Kommersant” was also provided by Rosobrnadzor. Recall that in most regions to obtain a certificate, graduating from high school should pass the Russian language, mathematics and two subjects of choice. The most popular variable subject is social studies. The second place is occupied by geography, which, by the way, is the most unpopular subject of the exam. Irina Abankina explains that in the format of the OGE this subject has a “social bias and thematically echoes social studies”, therefore it is actively chosen for surrender. “In addition, nine -graders often decide to take objects that seem to them the easiest, since further training does not directly depend on the choice of the exam,” the expert explains. “Geography is just such an subject.” At the same time, Mrs. Abankina notes that the efforts of the authorities in the career guidance of schoolchildren are increasingly motivating them to choose the same objects for the OGE and the exam: “These are positive progress, because such an educational track is most effective.”
