Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the AI-based education company ETS say they are developing a new university admissions exam, the Admissions Insight Test (AIT), as part of a partnership launched in November 2025 to modernize the country’s national admissions system.
Officials say the test is also meant to support the international recognition of results in future.
“The Admissions Insight Test represents a decisive step forward for Kazakhstan’s higher education system,” said Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education. “By building this new admissions exam in partnership with ETS, we are strengthening trust, fairness, and global alignment in how students enter our universities. This work positions Kazakhstan to lead in education innovation while ensuring our students are prepared for success in a rapidly changing, international, and AI-driven world.”
ETS, which is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey with offices worldwide, said the AIT would be modular. “Subject Modules” would align with the school curriculum and a student’s intended field of study. Separate “Skills Based Tests” would measure critical thinking, academic writing and research skills, communication, quantitative and digital literacy, and creative or design thinking.
The ETS Research Institute is expected to work alongside Kazakhstan’s education leaders and National Testing Center specialists, using AI and advanced analytics to streamline development and deepen the insights universities get from results.
Kazakhstan already uses nationwide testing as a central gateway into university, and policymakers have linked admissions changes to a broader push to become a regional education hub.
“Around the world, governments are rethinking how education systems measure readiness for the future and they are turning to ETS because trust, rigor, and global expertise matter,” said Kadriye Ercikan, Senior Vice President of Global Research at ETS. “Our work with Kazakhstan reflects the same responsibility we bring to partnerships with education systems worldwide: applying the strongest measurement science, responsible innovation, and AI-enabled approaches to help countries build assessment systems that are fair, credible, and internationally respected.”
The project sits alongside Kazakhstan’s higher education transformation and its decision to join OpenAI’s Education for Countries program as officials look to prepare students for an AI-shaped economy.
