Assessment of analytical thinking of graduate school applicants: the case of Kazakhstan

Abstract

This article is devoted to the analysis of the experience of conducting comprehensive testing for applicants to postgraduate education programs in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The three-year practice of administering comprehensive testing made it possible to identify a number of problems that need to be addressed, both to improve the quality of the test tasks and to improve the quality of graduate programs’ students in higher education institutions of the county. The authors study one of the sections of the test – the section aimed at determining preparedness of applicants for graduate study – an aptitude test section., designed to assess the skills of critical and analytical thinking, and hence the ability of future graduate students to plan and conduct high-quality experimental and scientific work. The goal of the study is to identify problem areas in the development of test tasks and develop recommendations for the tasks’ design. The authors use quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and processing, such as statistical data processing, case studies, studying expert opinions, interpreting appeals, etc. The outcome of the study is a number of recommendations for improving the quality of test tasks. The particular value of this study lies in the fact that this is the first attempt to study and systematize the experience of assessing the skills of critical and analytical thinking in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The practical significance of this study lies in the fact that the results of the work done can be used not only by the developers and experts of test items, experts of the Appeal Commission, but also by applicants for postgraduate education programs. The materials of the article will help them better understand the nature and features of testing, prepare for testing and correctly formulate their appeals.