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Psychologist

Helps people make sense of their feelings, relationships and difficult situations.

Career overview

What a day looks like

A psychologist talks with people one to one or in groups, listens carefully, asks questions and helps them find their own ways to cope. At school they also run sessions for classes and advise parents and teachers.

Try it yourself this week

  • 20 minutes

    Record a 3-minute voice explanation of a hard topic

    1. Choose a school topic that you understand but many people don't.
    2. Jot down three main ideas and one real-life example on a sheet of paper.
    3. Record a 3-minute voice message as if you're explaining it to a younger kid. You don't need to send it to anyone.
    4. Listen back and write down: where it was clear, and where you got confused yourself.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you enjoy making something complicated clear for another person — even when no listener is there.

  • 30 minutes

    Explain a topic to a younger student in 10 minutes

    1. Choose a topic you know well and find a younger brother or sister or a younger student you know.
    2. Prepare three simple words or pictures to explain it with.
    3. Explain the topic in 10 minutes and at the end ask them to retell it in their own words.
    4. Write down what was hard to explain and what they understood straight away.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you enjoy watching someone else understand a topic, and whether you have the patience to explain it again.

What you can do next

  1. Next 3 months

    • Practise explaining and listening

      Do the task about explaining a hard topic and notice where the listener got lost.

  2. In six months

    • Find out how a school counsellor works

      Ask your school counsellor what they do on a normal day and how they became a psychologist.

  3. In a year

    • Talk to someone who does this job

      With your parents or a teacher, find someone who does this job and ask what their working day looks like and what is hardest about it.

What it pays

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Where to study

Notes on sources are in Russian, as in the original source.

Universities

You apply after grade 11, based on your UNT results.

The UNT, if you apply to university

Required subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy, Mathematical Literacy. Profile subjects for this career: Biology + Geography.

Programme group: B041 Психология. Checked: October 2026.

Source: National Testing Centre list (opens in a new tab)
How to get into college

College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.

  • Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
    Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
    Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
    Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university

The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.

  • The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
    Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)

Courses and opportunities

Courses

Free: 1. Paid ones are listed for reference — check the price and terms on their website.

Opportunities near this field

Can you work before you turn 18?

Under Kazakhstan's Labour Code, teenagers can work, but with limits.

History of the career

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Well-known people in this field

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Is this right for you?

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