Overview
KROK is the family of standardised licensing tests for healthcare students and interns in Ukraine. The tests are run by the State Non-Commercial Enterprise "Centre for Education Quality of the Ministry of Health" (Центр якості освіти МОЗ). Most KROK tests form the components of the Unified State Qualification Exam (ЄДКІ), which is mandatory for students in the healthcare field of study (field 22). Krok 3 is a separate licensing exam for medical and pharmacy interns.
The centre's main site is in Ukrainian and links to an English section.
Who can apply
Which KROK test you take depends on your level of study.
Krok M: graduates of professional pre-higher education programmes, after finishing theoretical training.
Krok B: bachelor's students in their final year.
Krok 1 and Krok 2: master's-level students in medicine, dentistry, medical psychology, pharmacy, paediatrics and related specialties.
Krok 3: medical and pharmacy interns, in the specialties covered by the intern licensing exam.
Levels or stages
Krok M and Krok B
Krok M is for professional pre-higher education (nursing, pharmacy and dentistry specialties among them). Krok B is for bachelor's programmes such as nursing, physical therapy and medical diagnostic technologies. Each is a single test with a pass mark of 42.0% correct answers.
Krok 1 and professional English
For most master's specialties, the first stage of the ЄДКІ has two components: Krok 1, which tests the fundamental scientific disciplines, and a professional English test for the medical field (AMPS), taken at the same time as Krok 1. The pass mark is 64.0% for Krok 1 and 40.0% for the English component.
Krok 2
Krok 2 tests clinical and professional disciplines. It is the single component of the second ЄДКІ stage, and for some specialties it is the only component of the first stage. The pass mark is 64.0%.
Krok 3
Krok 3 is the licensing exam at the end of internship. It uses multiple-choice questions with one correct answer, and can be held on paper or on computer. It has 150 questions and lasts 2 hours 30 minutes. The pass mark is 66.0%, and it applies to more than 20 intern specialties, including laboratory diagnostics, psychiatry, neurology, paediatrics and pharmacy. The centre introduced it in stages, with a pilot sitting for each group of specialties first. The first group (including dentistry and pharmacy) has had it as a required stage since 2024, the group piloted in 2024 (including internal medicine and paediatrics) since 2025, and the group piloted in 2025 (including surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology) since 2026. A pilot for forensic medicine is planned for 2026.
Marking and results
Answers are marked on a sheet by completely filling in the circle for the chosen letter. A correct answer earns 1 point and an incorrect one earns 0. The pass marks above come from a Ministry of Health order of 2 November 2023 (No. 1898), as shown on the centre's site.
Results are shown in two ways: pass or fail against the professional competency standard, and the percentage of correct answers converted to a scale with a mean of 200 and a standard deviation of 20 (typically about 140 to 260). Answer sheets are scanned, and results go to the candidate's institution by email within 14 working days. ЄДКІ results are entered into the national education database within 30 calendar days of the test.
Important dates
The centre publishes schedules for ЄДКІ and for the intern licensing exams (Krok 3), with separate retake schedules. A Ministry of Health order of 17 July 2026 (No. 979) sets the 2027 schedules. Exact dates are on the centre's schedule page, so check it before planning.
After the exam
Candidates who pass receive a certificate within 30 days of results being published. It is sent to the institution or an authorised representative, and the data is entered in the national specialist registry and education database. If a certificate is lost or damaged, a duplicate can be requested in writing by the institution or the candidate, with passport identification. The centre also runs a certificate search service.
Interns who fail Krok 3 may retake it once, in the next testing session. A candidate who misses an exam for a documented serious reason (for example illness, a death in the family or an emergency) gets one additional attempt. An absence without documents is scored as zero. For illness, the institution must submit the supporting documents within three business days.
What does KROK stand for in the licensing system?
KROK is the name of the series of licensing tests run by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health's testing centre: Krok M, Krok B, Krok 1, Krok 2 and Krok 3, matched to the candidate's level of study or internship.
What score do I need to pass?
Krok M and Krok B need 42.0%, Krok 1 and Krok 2 need 64.0%, the professional English component needs 40.0%, and Krok 3 needs 66.0%.
How long does Krok 3 take?
It has 150 multiple-choice questions and lasts 2 hours 30 minutes.
Can I retake the exam?
Krok 3 interns who fail can retake once in the next session. Candidates who miss an exam for a documented serious reason get one additional attempt.