About the Programme

About PISA

PISA — the Programme for International Student Assessment — is the world's largest comparative study of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students.

What is PISA?

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is an international study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Since 2000 it has been held every three years and has become the leading global benchmark for the quality of school education.

PISA does not test how well students have memorised the school curriculum. Instead, it evaluates whether 15-year-olds can apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems they may face in real life.

Goals of the study

Assess applied skills

Measure how students use knowledge in real-world contexts, not just recall facts.

Enable comparison

Compare the performance of education systems across more than 80 countries and economies.

Inform policy

Provide evidence to support data-driven decisions and reforms in education.

Organiser — the OECD

PISA is developed and coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an international body that brings together countries to share experience and develop standards in economic and social policy, including education.

Core assessment domains

Reading Literacy

Understanding, using and reflecting on written texts.

Mathematical Literacy

Reasoning mathematically and applying mathematics to solve problems.

Scientific Literacy

Explaining phenomena scientifically and interpreting data and evidence.

In addition to the three core domains, PISA collects information on students' well-being, motivation and learning environment.

History of Tajikistan's participation

The Republic of Tajikistan is expanding its engagement with international assessments as part of efforts to modernise the national education system and align it with global standards. PISA participation provides Tajikistan with reliable, comparable data on the quality of education.