Romania will participate in PIAAC for the first time, the OECD assessment measuring adults’ skills in everyday situations

Romania will participate for the first time, in 2028, in PIAAC, the international study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to assess the skills of the adult population. The assessment is often referred to as “PISA for adults” and will allow Romanians’ results to be compared with those of adults in other countries.

The assessment is aimed at people aged between 16 and 65, selected so that the sample is representative of Romania’s population. Women and men, people with different levels of education, employees, unemployed people and those no longer active in the labor market will be included.

Participants will take the test on digital devices. PIAAC measures three categories of skills: literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem solving. Literacy involves understanding and evaluating texts such as emails, instructions, articles or online pages. Numeracy assesses the use of mathematics in everyday situations, from comparing prices and calculating percentages to interpreting charts. Adaptive problem solving examines the ability to modify a solution when new information or obstacles arise.

The test will be accompanied by a questionnaire about education, professional experience and the use of skills at home and at work. In the most recent PIAAC assessment, which did not include Romania, approximately one quarter of participants had low skills in both reading and mathematics.