The unified state examination and the determinants of academic achievement: Does investment in pre-entry coaching matter?

This paper examines the effects of pre-entry coaching on achievement of Russian high school graduates as measured by the results of the Unified state examination (USE). We estimate the factors which determine the final USE results. Parental education, family income, student’s abilities and the fact of graduation from a gymnasium or magnet school are significant predictors of USE results in Russian, Mathematics and the average USE score. Attendance of pre-entry courses has positive influence on USE scores, but the effect is moderate. Attending classes with tutors has a significant (but still moderate) effect only on the USE score in Russian