OGE 2027 in Russia: what changes for ninth-graders and what is still a draft

FIPI’s draft papers for the 2027 ninth-grade exams

The OGE 2027 in Russia is the exam that closes ninth grade, the end of what Russian law calls basic general education. OGE stands for the main state exam, and it is the usual form of the state final attestation that every ninth-grader in an accredited school has to pass. The papers are written by FIPI, the Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements. The system as a whole is run by Rosobrnadzor, the federal service that supervises education.

In late August 2026, FIPI posted the codifiers, specifications and demo versions for 2027 in 14 subjects. Its own page calls them draft documents and invited comments until 30 September 2026. As of 15 October 2026 the page still labels them as drafts, so details may yet move before the final versions appear. RBC reported on 26 August 2026, citing Rosobrnadzor’s press service, that the changes to history and social studies are meant to bring the papers in line with the new state textbooks.

Three layers are worth keeping apart. The rules of the exam are confirmed: they sit in the Procedure approved by joint order No. 232/551 of the education ministry and Rosobrnadzor, dated 4 April 2023. The content of the 2027 papers is a draft. The 2027 timetable and score scales have not been published, and no official date has been given for them.

Four exams: Russian, maths and two subjects of your choice

Paragraph 8 of the Procedure sets the frame: four exams, two of them compulsory, Russian and mathematics, and two chosen by the student. The choice comes from FIPI’s subject list: physics, chemistry, computer science, biology, history, geography, social studies, literature and a foreign language, which can be English, German, French or Spanish. Rosobrnadzor says the application naming the chosen subjects goes to the school by 1 March inclusive.

Admission has two conditions under paragraph 7 of the Procedure: no academic debt and a pass in the oral interview in Russian. Rosobrnadzor also notes that the ninth-grade attestation is held in Russia and abroad. For 2026 its page lists exam sites in 58 countries. Families abroad face the same 1 March deadline for choosing subjects.

History, social studies and Russian: the papers that change

FIPI summarised the plan in a two-page document titled Planned changes in the OGE 2027 papers. It says the corrections follow an analysis of the 2026 results and recent changes in legislation. For biology, geography, foreign languages, computer science, literature, mathematics, physics and chemistry, the table says plainly that there are no changes. The maths paper therefore stays as it was.

History loses task 21 in the 2026 numbering because of changes in the federal standard for basic education, so a paper has 23 tasks instead of 24 and the maximum primary score falls from 37 to 35. Social studies changes more: 20 tasks instead of 24, a maximum of 32 instead of 37, a changed task order, one question instead of three on the photograph analysis task, worth 2 points instead of 3, a new extended answer task numbered 17, and three text-based tasks instead of four. Both demo papers gain an appendix that lists the textbook paragraphs behind each task.

The Russian paper keeps its structure. The change is in the essays, tasks 13.1, 13.2 and 13.3: explaining every example taken from the source text becomes a compulsory requirement. The criterion for examples and explanations rises from 3 to 4 points, so the essay is worth 8 instead of 7 and the whole paper 38 instead of 37.

The oral interview in Russian that decides admission

Before any written exam, ninth-graders sit the final interview in Russian, a short oral test marked only as a pass or a fail. FIPI’s page states that it takes place on the second Wednesday of February, with extra dates on the second working Wednesday of March and the third Monday of April. On the 2027 calendar that rule points to 10 February, 10 March and 19 April. The binding dates come from the regional authority, so these are the rule applied to the calendar, not an announcement.

The 2027 draft shortens the interview from four tasks to three. The detailed retelling of a text is dropped as a purely reproductive exercise, while elements of selective retelling move into a new task 2, a conversation about the text the student has just read. It replaces the old dialogue on everyday topics, the number of questions grows from three to five, and the task is worth 5 points. Preparation time with the text rises from 2 to 5 minutes and for the monologue from 1 to 2 minutes, while the total per student stays at about 15 to 16 minutes.

Task 3, the monologue, now spells out its length: no more than three minutes and at least ten sentences. Factual accuracy of speech is no longer a separate criterion, and the maximum falls from 20 to 17 points. The draft specification in FIPI’s archive sets the pass at 10 points or more. Until the final version appears, that threshold is a draft too.

The 2027 OGE timetable is not published yet

As of 15 October 2026 there is no official timetable for 2027. The schedule section of Rosobrnadzor’s site still carries the 2026 timetable. Exam dates are set each year by a joint order of the Ministry of Education and Rosobrnadzor; FIPI’s list of legal documents shows that the 2026 order was dated 7 November 2025. Dates for 2027 that circulate online before such an order appears are guesses.

For orientation only, here is how 2026 looked in Rosobrnadzor’s published schedule. The early period ran from 21 April to 18 May. The main period opened on 2 June with mathematics, Russian followed on 9 June, and reserve days ran to 6 July. The September period began on 3 September with maths, Russian came on 7 September, and the last reserve days were 21 and 22 September. The Procedure also says the early period cannot start before 20 April.

From primary points to a mark between 2 and 5

A paper is first scored in primary points. Under paragraph 26 of the Procedure, the regional education authority sets the minimum number of points and converts the total into the familiar five-point scale; Rosobrnadzor issues recommendations that regions use. The mark 3 is the minimum that confirms a student has mastered the programme.

For 2026 the recommendations came in Rosobrnadzor’s letter No. 02-20 of 25 February 2026. A 3 in Russian needed 15 of 37 points. In maths it needed 8 of 31, with at least 2 of them from the geometry tasks, numbered 15 to 19 and 23 to 25; with fewer geometry points the mark was a 2. For a 4 or a 5 in Russian the letter also asked for a minimum of literacy points, 6 and 9 respectively.

No such letter exists for 2027 yet. The Russian paper is planned to grow to 38 points, while history and social studies shrink. The 2027 scales therefore cannot simply copy the 2026 ones. Until Rosobrnadzor and the regions publish new figures, any table of 2027 thresholds is an estimate.

Passing, retakes and the basic education certificate

Paragraph 80 of the Procedure says results are satisfactory, and the attestation passed, when the student reaches the minimum number of primary points in each subject taken. A student with unsatisfactory results in no more than two subjects may retake them on the reserve days of the same period. With more than two, the next chance is the additional period, which cannot start before 1 September, and the application is due at least two weeks before it opens. A student who still does not pass may try again no earlier than the following year.

The certificate itself rests on the federal law on education. Article 60 says that people who pass the state final attestation receive documents on education, and that basic general education is confirmed by a certificate of basic general education. The legal database Legalacts.ru shows the law in its edition of 4 August 2026 and the Procedure in its edition of 7 May 2026. Some students, such as those with disabilities who may sit a different exam form, follow special rules. Check your own case with the school or the regional authority.

What to check this autumn and what is still to come

Start with the papers that do not change. Maths and seven other subjects keep their format. The existing demo versions and FIPI’s open task bank remain good practice for them. For history, social studies and Russian, use the 2027 drafts with FIPI’s list of changes beside them, so that old habits do not cost points.

Next, fix the calendar items you control. Settle the two electives early, because the application is due by 1 March. Plan for the oral interview in early February and confirm the day in your region’s order. Last year’s interview practice sets cover only part of the new format.

Then watch for three announcements. FIPI will replace the drafts with the final 2027 papers. The Ministry of Education and Rosobrnadzor will sign the joint order with the 2027 timetable; last year’s was dated in November. Rosobrnadzor will send new score recommendations, which in 2026 arrived in late February. Until each appears on an official site, the OGE 2027 in Russia stays partly a draft.