Schoolchildren consider Russian language the most difficult exam of the Unified State Exam and the Basic State Exam

According to a study by the Umskul platform, Russian is the most difficult subject for 27 percent of ninth-graders and every fifth eleventh-grader taking the OGE and USE, respectively.

According to the portal, graduates spend an average of three to four hours a day preparing for exams, and more than half of them experience severe emotional burnout.

Mathematics and social studies are also among the difficult subjects. According to respondents, success in the exam is 85 percent dependent on the quality of preparation and the amount of knowledge. Luck (48 percent) and stress level (43 percent) are also named as important factors. Good rest and sleep, music or podcasts, as well as conversations with friends and family help high school students cope with their worries (61 percent, 58 percent, and 47 percent, respectively). Parental support is more important (41 percent) than support from friends, Gazeta.ru reports.

The main period for taking the Basic State Exam (BSE) began in Russia on May 21. Students in grades 9 are allowed to take the exam. The number of subjects and the score they get determines whether the student will move on to high school (grades 10 and 11) or continue their education in college. What has changed in the BSE in 2025 and how a student can prepare for the exam psychologically — in the material from Vechernyaya Moskva.