03.08.2026 · 5 min
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The full NMT 2026 guide: subjects, threshold scores and prep.
In 2025 the NMT was taken by 317,091 participants — 10% more than the year before (UCEQA, 2025). The test remains the only entrance exam for the overwhelming majority of specialties. The NMT 2026 format has not changed: 4 subjects, 2 blocks of 120 minutes, computer-based testing at temporary examination centres.
This guide brings together in one place everything you need to know: the dates, the structure of the test, the threshold scores, the 2025 statistics and a preparation strategy. We rely exclusively on official sources — the UCEQA and the Ministry of Education and Science.
Not registered yet? Read the .
TL;DR: The NMT 2026 consists of 4 subjects in 1 day: Ukrainian language, mathematics, history of Ukraine and an elective subject. Registration runs from 5 March to 2 April. The main session is 20 May – 25 June. In 2025, 11.7% of participants failed to clear the threshold in mathematics (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). Preparation is best built from your weak subjects towards your strong ones.
The number of NMT participants has grown from 206,000 in 2022 to 317,091 in 2025 (UCEQA, 2025) — a rise of 54% in three years. The NMT is the national multi-subject test that replaced the EIT in 2022 and became the only entrance exam for most bachelor’s programs in Ukraine.
Why is the NMT fundamentally different from the EIT? The main difference is that all four subjects are taken in one day. The EIT used to run over several weeks, with each subject sat separately. Now an applicant gets their results in every subject at once.
The growth in participant numbers over four years:
| Year | Number of participants | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 206,000 | — |
| 2023 | 258,000 | +25% |
| 2024 | 287,000 | +11% |
| 2025 | 317,091 | +10% |
The NMT result is a competitive score from 100 to 200 that determines your chances of a state-funded place. In 2025, 83,344 state-funded places were distributed across bachelor’s programs and medical master’s programs (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). The competition grows every year.
The NMT 2026 consists of 4 subjects split into 2 blocks of 120 minutes with a 20-minute break between them (UCEQA, 2026). The time within each block is yours to allocate: you decide how many minutes to spend on each subject.
The fourth subject is chosen by the applicant. The options are: biology, geography, physics, chemistry, a foreign language (English, German, French, Spanish) or Ukrainian literature.
The test is taken on a computer at a temporary examination centre. In 2025 there were 7,742 examination centres at 1,188 educational institutions (UCEQA, 2025). Rough paper is handed out and collected for each block separately.
More on choosing your fourth subject in the article how to choose your NMT elective subject 2026.
Registration for the main NMT 2026 session opens on 5 March and runs to 2 April, and the main session runs from 20 May to 25 June (UCEQA, 2026). Below is the full timeline with all the critical dates.
Important. The test date is not chosen by the applicant — it is assigned by the UCEQA. The test scores (the number of correct answers) appear on screen as soon as you finish. The competitive score comes later.
In our experience, most problems arise from missing the deadline for changing subjects (7 April). Choose your elective subject by 2 April, but leave yourself 5 days to think it over.
In 2025, 312,490 people registered for the main session, but more than 4,500 registrations were rejected (UCEQA, 2025). To avoid problems, register in good time and check your documents in advance.
Registration goes through your personal account on the UCEQA site or through the Diia app. We have prepared a separate step-by-step registration guide with all the details.
The test is open to everyone: school leavers, students in years 10 and 11, college and technical school graduates, and anyone completing their complete general secondary education. Citizenship makes no difference.
In 2025, 36.7% of participants chose English as their elective subject, and the fewest — only 2.8% — chose physics (UCEQA, 2025). The choice of fourth subject directly affects which specialties you can apply to.
Why is physics chosen least? Statistically it is the hardest subject: 10.3% of participants failed to clear the threshold (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). But if you are planning a technical specialty, physics is often compulsory.
An interesting pattern: the subjects with fewer participants (physics, chemistry) have lower average scores, but also less competition. If you know physics well, your competitive score carries more weight because there are fewer rivals.
A detailed analysis of each option is in the article how to choose your NMT elective subject 2026.
Threshold scores are the minimum number of test points you have to score for your NMT result to count at all. In 2025, 11.7% of participants failed to clear the threshold in mathematics (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). If your result is below the threshold, you get a competitive score of 100 in that subject.
Do not confuse the threshold test score with the minimum competitive score. To apply for a state-funded place you need a competitive score of at least 130 points. For medicine, law and international relations the bar is higher — 150 points.
To work out what competitive score your test scores will give you, use the competitive score calculator.
The average NMT 2025 score ranged from 132.3 (mathematics) to 155.5 (German), and the top result — 200 points — was achieved by 2,414 participants in at least one subject (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). This data will help you judge your chances.
Source: UCEQA, 2025.
A perfect result is rare. In 2025, 2,414 people scored 200 in one subject, 250 in two, 31 in three, and only 3 participants got 200 in all four (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025).
What does that mean for you? Mathematics and physics are the hardest subjects by average score. If you are taking them, allow more preparation time for them specifically.
The main NMT 2026 session abroad takes place in 50 cities across 30 countries, and the additional one in 22 cities across 11 countries, with around 24,000 places prepared in all (UCEQA, 2026). In 2025 testing abroad was organized at 104 centres in 55 cities across 33 countries.
Turnout abroad in 2025 was 84.98%, lower than the turnout in Ukraine — 91.86% (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). The explanation is logistical: not everyone registered was able to reach a centre.
The most places abroad — roughly 6,000 — are in Germany (UCEQA, 2026). That makes sense: Germany took in more Ukrainian refugees than any other EU country.
The procedure is identical to the Ukrainian one: computer-based testing, the same tasks, the same time frames. The only difference is the time zone.
The NMT 2026 lets you use the reference materials for mathematics and physics right in the testing interface — the formulas are available on screen as you work (UCEQA, 2026). Learning every formula by heart is not necessary.
In the event of an air raid alert the test is paused. Participants go to a shelter. Once the all-clear sounds, the test continues from where it stopped — the time does not count against you.
The moratorium on the new Ukrainian spelling rules ended in 2025. The NMT 2026 tasks follow the spelling rules of 2019 that are currently in force.
NMT results cannot be appealed. An appeal can only be lodged against a refusal to register or against a breach of the testing procedure — not against the number of points.
The UCEQA does not run paid practice tests, for security reasons. Demonstration versions are available free of charge on the sites of the VSHO and the Lviv regional assessment centre.
Mathematics has the highest share of below-threshold results — 11.7% — and geography the lowest, at just 0.07% (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). Your preparation strategy should take the difficulty of each subject into account.
The average score is 132.3, the lowest of any subject. Recommendations:
The average score is 146.3. Everyone takes this subject, so preparation is essential. Pay attention to the 2019 spelling rules. Practise the spelling and punctuation tasks.
The average score is 141.6. The subject requires memorizing a large volume of facts: dates, events, figures. Build timelines and work with maps.
Choose your fourth subject not by how easy it is but by the requirements of the specialty you want. Geography has the lowest share of below-threshold results (0.07%), but it does not suit technical fields.
The most effective strategy is to give 40% of your time to your weakest subject, 30% to the second hardest, and 15% each to the remaining two. Raising 120 to 140 is far easier than raising 170 to 180.
To gauge what competitive score you need for the specialty you want, use the .
Abitly is a free platform that the UCEQA recommended in its official webinar of 4 March 2026 as a tool for choosing your fourth subject wisely. Here is what is available:
All the tools are free and need no registration.
Four subjects: Ukrainian language, mathematics, history of Ukraine and one elective. The test takes place in one day, in two blocks of 120 minutes. All 317,091 participants in 2025 sat exactly this format (UCEQA, 2025).
Yes, but only until 7 April 2026. After that date changes are impossible. Registration is open from 5 March to 2 April, so you have a maximum of 5 extra days to think it over. More in the .
The minimum competitive score for applying to a state-funded place is 130 points. For the medicine, law and international relations specialties it is 150 points. That is the minimum for applying, not a guarantee of enrollment. You can check how competitive your score is with the .
No. There is no way to appeal your test results. You can only appeal a refusal to register or a breach of procedure during the test. The test scores appear on screen as soon as you finish, and the competitive score is published by 3 July.
The 2026 main session is in 50 cities across 30 countries, and the additional one in 22 cities across 11 countries. The most places — roughly 6,000 — are in Germany (UCEQA, 2026). The total number of places abroad is around 24,000.
The reference materials for mathematics and physics are available right in the testing interface. Your own crib sheets, textbooks and electronic devices are not allowed. Rough paper is handed out by the organizers for each block separately.
The UCEQA does not run paid practice tests — this is down to security risks. Demonstration versions are available free of charge on the sites of the VSHO and the Lviv regional assessment centre. For extra practice, use the .
The NMT 2026 is four subjects in one day, and preparation has to be systematic. Mathematics remains the hardest subject: the average score in 2025 was just 132.3 and 11.7% of participants failed to clear the threshold. Plan your preparation from your weak subjects towards your strong ones.
Do not miss the key dates: registration closes on 2 April, changing subjects on 7 April. The main session starts on 20 May.
The competition is growing: 317,091 people took part in 2025, and that trend will continue. Use the free preparation tools: the , the and the .
Registration and choosing subjects:
Tools:
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