Paradoxes of standardization: digital divide and adaptive strategies for reforming the Unified State Exam

The study analyzes the paradoxes of the Unified State Exam (USE) in the Russian education system: formal equality of access to universities and a decline in corruption coexist with excessive standardization, a decline in knowledge depth, increased stress, and deepening social inequality through the commercialization of training. The study was conducted in two stages: the first included focus groups with subject teachers (April 2022, n=6–10 per group, analyzed in MAXQDA 2024); the second stage was a nationwide survey using the CATI method (n=1,500, April-May 2024, processed in SPSS Statistics 26). A key conflict was identified between the standardization of the USE and the quality of education, manifested in a decline in students' cognitive abilities, increased stress, and increased regional inequality. The survey confirmed negative perceptions of the USE and identified proposals for reform, including the choice of a certification form and the transfer of the exam to specialized centers.