Pisa Test Questions and Ranking List

Pisa Test Practice & Ranking List Page

The PISA test contains questions at seven different ranking levels. The PISA is an international exam which is usually given to students around 15 years of age to test their education and literacy levels, as well as their “real-life” skills in selected areas.

For international PISA ranking and results by country, please click on the links below:

Science Subject Area PISA Exam Rankings

PISA Results for Math

PISA Ranking by Country for Reading Skills

Please note that we are not the official website and are not affiliated with OECD.

PISA Test Practice Questions – Science

Since many students struggle with science on the PISA Test, we are providing science practice passages below. You will find the comprehension questions below each passage.

Science Passage 1 – Cells and Their Structure

Single-celled organisms are called “prokaryotic” cells, which means before or without a nucleus. Bacterial cells are simple organisms that are made up of a cell wall and a substance inside called cytoplasm.

On the other hand, animal and plant cells, called eukaryotic cells, contain a nucleus. Both plant and animal cells have a plasma membrane on the outside, with cytoplasm and the nucleus on the inside. In addition, plant cell contain chloroplasts and a space called a vacuole, which causes the nucleus of a plant cell to be off-center.

The plasma membrane is a barrier between the cell and its environment and controls the movement of substances in and out of the cell. The cytoplasm carries out the essential operational functions of the cell, such as protein synthesis, mitosis, and meiosis.

Question 1

What is the distinguishing characteristic of eukaryotic cells?

A. They cause the nucleus to be off-center.
B. The form an exterior barrier for the cell.
C. They contain a cell nucleus.
D. They enclose the chloroplasts.

Answer 1

Question 2

How are plant and animal cells different than bacterial cells?

A. They are able to carry out protein synthesis, mitosis, and meiosis.
B. Their nuclei are not in the center of the cell.
C. Plant and animal cells have nuclei, but bacterial cells do not.
D. Their plasma membranes are able to perform important functions.

Answer 2

Science Passage 2 – Meiosis

The complete process of the meiotic division of a cell can take several days or even weeks. In meiosis, the cell nucleus divides twice, which creates four cells of one individual chromosome each. Chromosomes exists in pairs, but they are separated from their other half during meiosis. So the new cells, called daughter cells, receive only one chromosome. This means that once the process of meiosis is complete, each cell contains half of the number of chromosomes of the original cell.

Sex cells, which are called gametes, are formed through the process of meiosis. However, a gamete is unable to develop any further unless it is combined with another cell, such as is the case with eggs and sperm. During human fertilization, the nuclei of these gametes combine. In this way, meiosis insures that the correct amount of chromosomes are maintained during the fertilization process.

Meiosis occurs in two divisions which take place one after another. First, the parent cell splits in two and the chromosomes line up together. Then the chromosomes separate and go to different cells. In the second phase, the results from the first split divide in half again. So, after the second meiotic division, there are a total of four daughter cells, each of which is genetically different to the others. This process explains the way in which meiotic division creates diversity in human DNA, resulting in genetic variation.

Question 3

What is the most significant outcome of meiosis?

A. chromosome pairs are divided
B. daughter cells receive one chromosome
C. four individual-chromosome cells are created
D. only half of the chromosomes exists after the process

Answer 3

Question 4

Which statement below best describes the characteristics of a gamate?

A. it must be combined with another cell to develop
B. it is the same thing as a human embryo
C. it is another name for a cell
D. it is a phase of human reproduction

Answer 4

Question 5

How does meiotic division encourage a widespread variety of the DNA in genes?

A. It is a result of the way in which the chromosomes line up.
B. Genetically-distinct chromosomes are created before the first division.
C. It creates four new parent cells through meiotic division.
D. Two cell divisions result in four new genetically-distinct cells.

Answer 5

Answers to the PISA Test Science Practice Questions

1. The correct answer is C. Eukaryotic cells contain a nucleus, while bacterial cells do not. Answers A and D are true only for plant cells, but animal cells are also eukaryotic. Answer B is an illogical statement since a cell cannot itself be a barrier for the cell.

2. The correct answer is C. Answers A and D are true of all cells. Answer B is false since this statement applies only to plant cells, but not to animal cells. The first paragraph explains that bacterial cells have only a cell wall and cytoplasm.

3. The correct answer is C. While all of the statement describe a step in the process of meiosis, the final outcome is the creation of four cells, each of which has an individual chromosome.

4. The correct answer is A. The question is asking for the characteristics of a gamate, rather than a definition relating to human reproduction.

5. The correct answer is D. The passage explains that “after the second meiotic division, there are a total of four daughter cells, each of which is genetically different to the others.”

PISA Test Questions in Math and Reading

Please click on the links below for further practice in the PISA maths and science exams, as well as literacy practice in reading in English.

Math practice

Reading practice

English Grammar Exercises

English Sentence Composition

What is the Purpose of the PISA Exam?

The exam assesses students’ skills in the areas of science, mathematical, and reading skills. Past exam papers have also had “real life” questions on managing money and solving problems. These sections are called financial literacy and logical problem solving.

PISA TEST Ranking and Results

The PISA exam is administered every three years, and the OECD publishes overall rankings, as well as results for each country.

Please note that we are not the official website and are not affiliated with OECD. For the official results, click on the two links below.

Official Overall PISA Test Rankings

Official OECD Results by Country

PISA Ranking – Science Results

An international ranking table by country for science is provided below.

Country	Mean Score
China	590
Singapore	551
Macao	544
Estonia	530
Japan	529
Finland	522
Korea	519
Canada	518
Hong Kong	517
Chinese Taipei	516
Poland	511
New Zealand	508
Slovenia	507
United Kingdom	505
Netherlands	503
Germany	503
Australia	503
United States	502
Sweden	499
Belgium	499
Czech Republic	497
Ireland	496
Switzerland	495
France	493
Denmark	493
Portugal	492
Norway	490
Austria	490
Latvia	487

Math Ranking – Pisa Results

This section provides PISA rankings by country for the subject of math (sometimes called maths).

Country	Mean Score
China	591
Singapore	569
Macao	558
Hong Kong	551
Chinese Taipei	531
Japan	527
Korea	526
Estonia	523
Netherlands	519
Poland	516
Switzerland	515
Canada	512
Denmark	509
Slovenia	509
Belgium	508
Finland	507
Sweden	502
United Kingdom	502
Norway	501
Germany	500
Ireland	500
Czech Republic	499
Austria	499
Latvia	496
France	495
Iceland	495
New Zealand	494
Portugal	492
Australia	491
Russia	488
Italy	487
Slovak Republic	486
Luxembourg	483

PISA Ranking – Reading Results

The table below lists PISA literacy and education results in the subject area of reading.

Country	Mean Score
China	555
Singapore	549
Macao	525
Hong Kong	524
Estonia	523
Canada	520
Finland	520
Ireland	518
Korea	514
Poland	512
Sweden	506
New Zealand	506
United States	505
United Kingdom	504
Japan	504
Australia	503
Chinese Taipei	503
Denmark	501
Norway	499
Germany	498
Slovenia	495
Belgium	493
France	493
Portugal	492
Czech Republic	490
Netherlands	485
Austria	484
Switzerland	484

Please note:

The PISA Test and the Program for International Student Assessment are trademarks of OECD, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse this website.