JustPrepy

What is NUET?

NUET is the Nazarbayev University Entrance Test: a multiple-choice exam in Mathematics and Critical Thinking & Problem Solving that applicants take to continue in the university’s admission competition.

Where to prepareSee the format
2sections: Mathematics, and Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
60multiple-choice questions, 30 per section
120minutes in total, 60 per section
0–120standardised score scale for each section

One test, two ways in.

NUET is a standardised admission examination developed by an international university partner for Nazarbayev University. It checks academic readiness for studying at NU.

Applicants in the “NUET applicants” category sit it for the Foundation Year Program (NUFYP) and for undergraduate programs. Someone applying to both takes it once, and both admission committees see that one result. Passing it lets you stay in the admission competition.

What it measuresMathematics, plus reasoning with everyday language, numbers, diagrams and tables.
How you take itOn an NU-set date in a city you choose in your application. Results appear in your personal account about six weeks later.
Two sections, three skillsNU lists Critical Thinking & Problem Solving as one section. It contains two distinct kinds of questions, covered below.

The exam at a glance.

Mathematics

30 Q
  • 60 minutes
  • Multiple choice
  • Scored 0–120

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

30 Q
  • 60 minutes
  • Multiple choice
  • Scored 0–120
FormatEvery question is multiple choice. Both sections are the same length.
Can it change?NU’s admission policy says the number of tasks and the duration may be changed by the test administrator. Check your exam notice.
Before exam dayNU emails the date, venue, format, documents and rules about five days ahead.
NU Center for Preparatory Studies: NUET page

What each section asks.

Open a section to see its question types and the knowledge behind them.

Critical Thinking

Reasoning with everyday written language: you read a short argument and judge it.

Each question gives a passage, a question and five options. You treat the reasons in the passage as true and decide what follows from them. Seven question types appear:
Summarising the main conclusionFind the point the argument wants you to accept.
Drawing a conclusionPick what the passage best supports.
Identifying an assumptionSpot the unstated step the argument relies on.
Assessing additional evidenceDecide what would strengthen or weaken the argument.
Detecting reasoning errorsName the flaw in how reasons lead to the conclusion.
Matching argumentsFind the argument with the same structure, whatever its topic.
Applying principlesChoose the case that follows the same underlying principle.

Problem Solving

Reasoning with numbers, space, tables and graphs, on problems you have not seen before.

The stimulus may be a diagram, a table (like a timetable) or a graph. Three question types appear, and some questions combine them:
Relevant selectionPick out the information that matters from a crowded problem.
Finding proceduresWork out which operations to apply to the numbers given.
Identifying similarityChoose the situation that uses the same method.
Knowledge it draws onNumber concepts (fractions, place value, percentages) · numerical operations in everyday contexts · quantities (time, money, standard measures) · area, perimeter, volume, reflections, rotations and 2D views of 3D shapes · simple generalisation · reading tables and graphs. Formal algebra is not required here.
How it differs from Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking judges arguments written in words. Problem Solving works out answers from numbers, shapes and data.

Mathematics

The second NUET section: 30 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes.

Topic list: see the official PDFNU publishes the topic groups and sub-topics in its “NUET 2026 Mathematics Specification”. We could not open that file while building this page, so we do not list topics from memory. Open it below and work through it group by group.
NUET 2026 Mathematics SpecificationNUET 2026 Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Specification

Not sure where to prepare?

Join our Telegram community

Follow the Justprepy channel for NUET preparation content and community updates.

Join on Telegram