PISA is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is a triennial international test first administered to 43 participating countries in the year 2000.

PISA looks into “the extent to which 15-year-old students, near the end of their compulsory education, have acquired ket knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies, with emphasis on how well students can extrapolate from what they have learnt and can apply that knowledge in unfamiliar settings, both in and outside of school” (OECD, 2018).

This approach differs from other assessments that focus on the students’ mastery of knowledge and skills from a specific curriculum.

PISA assessments cover three foundational domains, namely Reading Literacy, Mathematical Literacy, and Scientific Literacy. The focus shifts among these three domains for each assessment cycle, with the focus domain tested in greater detail than the two minor domains of the cycle. Moreover, one innovative domain is included in the test every cycle. The previous innovative domains were Creative Problem Solving in 2012, Collaborative Problem Solving in 2015, and Financial Literacy in 2012 and 2015.