Open Doors Scholarship Second Stage Preparation 2026: Exam Pattern, Rules & Tips

Wondering how to prepare for the Open Doors Scholarship Second Stage in 2026? The Russian Scholarship Project’s second round is a supervised online exam, not another portfolio submission. Qualifying for this stage is only the beginning: candidates must book an examination slot, verify their passport, use a functioning camera and microphone, and complete subject-specific tasks independently. Missing the registration deadline or breaking a proctoring rule can prevent even a well-prepared applicant from finishing the competition.

This practical guide is based on the official 2026 Open Doors rules and proctored second-stage guidelines. It explains the 180-minute examination, 44-task format, oral answer, technical requirements, permitted materials, and prohibited actions. It also explains where to find official subject programmes and sample questions, including the Computer and Data Science track, and how to practise before exam day without relying on leaked questions, outside help, or unauthorised software.

The immediate priority is the Second Stage registration deadline of 16 November 2026 for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral participants. The published Computer and Data Science exam date is 17 November 2026 for Master’s and Doctoral candidates and 30 November 2026 for Bachelor’s candidates. Your individual time slot appears in your Open Doors account; the subject calendar and local time zone must be checked carefully. This article separates confirmed official rules from suggested study methods so readers can prepare effectively and comply with the competition’s academic-integrity requirements.

Open Doors Second Stage 2026: Exam Overview

The Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project is organized by the Global Universities Association. Foreign citizens and eligible stateless applicants advance to Stage Two after the First Stage portfolio selection. There is no separate application fee for the Olympiad. The Second Stage for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks is a monitored online competition, while the Postdoctoral track follows a different research-video presentation procedure.

Important: Do not confuse the deadline to register for the Second Stage with the date of your actual examination. The deadline is shared across the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks, but each subject area has its own test date. The only authoritative record of your selected time slot is your personal account.

Open Doors Second Round Exam Pattern: 44 Tasks and 180 Minutes

The official 2026 proctoring guidelines specify the following task pattern. There may be subject-specific questions and different scoring criteria; candidates should review the relevant subject programme rather than assuming one universal syllabus.

Why do some official sample PDFs show 46 tasks? The Computer and Data Science sample collection lists 25 basic examples, 15 intermediate examples, three extended-answer examples and three oral examples, a total of 46 examples. The supervised 2026 test instead requires one oral response, giving 44 actual tasks. The samples demonstrate task styles and assessment criteria; they are not a promise of identical examination questions.

The oral-response task is not an optional bonus. The participant selects one of the designated extended tasks to discuss within the three-minute preparation window, then records the answer within the remaining two minutes. Practise describing a solution clearly in English or Russian, using the language selected for your competition, without reading from notes during the exam.

How to Register and Book the Second Stage Time Slot

Second Stage eligibility is published in the participant account after portfolio evaluation. Successful first-stage candidates must complete a separate Second Stage registration process. The following procedure follows the official site and participant guidelines:

1. Log in to your existing participant account on the official Open Doors website using the credentials you created during registration. Do not make a second account.
2. Confirm your qualification. Check the account’s Second Stage section and make sure you have advanced in the correct subject area and degree track.
3. Read the 2026 rules and procedures. Read the mandatory proctoring requirements and technical conditions before accepting or selecting a test slot.
4. Select an available time slot. Register for the appropriate subject-area examination and note the date, time and displayed time zone.
5. Complete registration before 16 November 2026. The organizer states that late candidates cannot select a Second Stage slot after that deadline.
6. Test the computer and connection. Use the technical check in the proctoring system before your reserved time. Check the camera, audio, full-screen sharing and browser.
7. Prepare your original passport. Use the same passport that was uploaded to the Open Doors account during the initial registration.
8. Keep the booking confirmation available before the exam. Review the scheduled subject and time in your account, and log in promptly on examination day.

Participants taking two subject areas should check for overlapping examination dates. Missing a subject’s scheduled exam cannot be fixed by completing another subject’s test. The official site mentions a limited reserve-day procedure for certain valid situations; requests must be made promptly and are subject to organizer approval, not an automatic retake entitlement.

Proctoring Requirements: Camera, Microphone, Internet and Passport

Open Doors uses real-time proctoring to verify candidates and monitor independent task completion. The exam system requires continuous webcam, microphone and computer-desktop access. The official 2026 technical rules specify minimum requirements; meeting them in a pretest does not guarantee that a weak connection will remain stable during the exam.

Before the time slot, close unnecessary tabs and applications, plug in the laptop charger, choose a quiet and well-lit room, and ensure that no other person enters. When the proctoring screen opens, allow camera and microphone permissions, then choose Entire Screen when the screen-sharing dialog appears. Sharing only a browser tab is insufficient: the official example shows that the screen check fails when the participant selects a tab instead of the entire screen.

The official guided sequence is: start your Second Stage from the account at the scheduled time, run the device check, perform the sample audio/video recording and replay it, enter the waiting room, complete live identity verification with the proctor, then proceed to the exam tasks when the session becomes Active. Candidates may be asked to show the passport beside their face and display their desk to the camera. The rules require completing the initial identity verification procedure within 30 minutes of the booked time-slot start; do not treat that period as permission to arrive late.

Keep the proctoring window and sharing connection active throughout the exam. Do not stop sharing your screen if a browser-sharing notice appears; the official guidelines explain that the notice can be hidden without stopping screen sharing. Remain inside the camera view, and use the proctor chat only for permitted communication with the invigilator.

Open Doors Exam Rules: Allowed and Prohibited Materials

Academic integrity matters as much as academic preparation. The 2026 official Second Stage rules distinguish permitted writing aids from disallowed reference material and computer software. If a subject-area instruction imposes a narrower rule, follow the instruction displayed in the exam and the proctor’s guidance.

What is allowed?

• Non-programmable calculator (basic or scientific) when used under the official rules.
• Pen and paper for working out solutions.
• One blank Excel worksheet with no existing data or formulas, as explicitly specified in the 2026 rules.
• For relevant science subjects: Paper copies of a standard periodic table, solubility table and electrochemical series, containing no extra notes.
• Proctor chat to receive or respond to official invigilator instructions.

What is prohibited?

• No AI assistants or outside help: ChatGPT, online solvers, friends, tutors and answer-sharing are not permitted during the live examination.
• No other people in the exam room or operating the examination computer.
• No headphones/headsets, extra monitors, phones, tablets, smart watches or other unauthorised gadgets during the supervised task session.
• No new browser tabs, search engines, websites, messaging apps, programming IDEs or other software; the specified blank Excel worksheet is the narrow software exception in the rules.
• No textbooks, printed notes, cheat sheets or other reference materials apart from the specific standard science tables listed in the rules.
• No screenshots, photographs or recordings of examination questions during the session.
• Do not read written-response tasks aloud. Oral-response tasks must be read/spoken as appropriate when giving the oral answer.
• Do not turn off your camera, mute or reduce microphone sensitivity, leave camera view or ignore the proctor’s instructions.

Handwritten solution uploads are a special case, not permission to use your phone during the test. For tasks that expressly permit attachments, participants must enter at least one character in the answer field, save the response, and show their handwritten solution sheet to the camera within 30 seconds before saving. The organizer permits a phone only after the proctored task session for photographing and uploading those permitted solution sheets. The upload window is 10 minutes; the general maximum is 5 MB per file, with PNG, JPG, JPEG, PDF, XLSX and XLS formats listed, subject to the subject/track instructions.

How to Prepare: Official Sample Papers and Subject-Wise Study Plan

The strongest preparation starts with the official subject-area programme and demo Second-Round Sample Tasks supplied on the Open Doors website. Select the exact track: Bachelor’s material can differ substantially from Master’s and Doctoral material. The subject pages provide downloadable task demonstrations with model answers or grading criteria for extended and oral exercises.

Computer and Data Science preparation

For Master’s and Doctoral applicants, the official Computer and Data Science subject includes programming and computing fundamentals, mathematics, algorithmic reasoning, information processing, machine learning, artificial intelligence and research methodology. Its subject page lists degree routes including artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, computing systems, information processing and software for computer networks. Suggested practice topics below are a study plan derived from that subject description—not a claim that every topic will appear.

1. Programming: Revise Python or a familiar language, loops, arrays, functions, recursion, object-oriented basics, code tracing and output prediction.
2. Algorithms and data structures: Practise complexity reasoning, sorting, searching, graph traversal, trees, shortest paths and common algorithm-selection questions.
3. Discrete mathematics: Review Boolean logic, sets, number systems, relations, combinatorics, graph properties and mathematical proofs.
4. Linear algebra and calculus: Revisit matrices, vectors, derivatives, optimisation and basic mathematical modelling.
5. Statistics and data science: Practise probability, descriptive statistics, evaluation metrics, sampling and common data-analysis concepts.
6. AI and machine learning: Review supervised versus unsupervised learning, generalisation, overfitting, classification, regression and the logic of experiment evaluation.
7. Research reasoning: Learn to explain why a method is suitable, state assumptions, justify an answer and identify limitations in written and oral form.

For other subject areas, such as Biology, Economics, Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Management, replace this subject list with the official programme for your chosen field. Do not practise a Computer and Data Science demo if your actual examination is for a different subject area.

Suggested five-day preparation plan

1. Day 1: Confirm the exam slot and technical readiness. Read the complete rule PDF; list your subject programme’s main topics.
2. Day 2: Complete basic questions from the official demonstration under a timer; record your weak topics.
3. Day 3: Practise intermediate multi-answer questions; explain why every selected option is or is not correct.
4. Day 4: Solve extended-answer questions fully and practise a two-minute spoken explanation without looking at notes.
5. Day 5: Run a 175-minute written mock followed by a five-minute oral practice, revise errors and confirm passport, internet and exam-time details.

If your test date is sooner than five days away, compress the plan rather than skipping the official rules or the proctoring test. Sample questions are for practice only; do not purchase alleged leaked Open Doors questions or rely on anyone claiming to know the actual live exam.

Exam-Day Strategy: Time Management and Common Mistakes

The 175-minute written period is long enough to attempt different levels, but poor time allocation can leave the three extended-response tasks unfinished. The suggested allocation below is a practice strategy, not an official scoring requirement:

Start with questions you understand, save each response according to the platform instructions, then return to harder tasks while written time remains. For questions with multiple correct answers, read whether one or several options are requested. For an extended task, show the reasoning and conclusion instead of giving a bare final number. A short, structured oral response can describe the problem, approach, main calculation or argument, and final conclusion within two minutes.

• Don’t miss the slot booking: First-stage qualification does not itself reserve your Second Stage appointment.
• Don’t assume an incognito tab or secondary display is acceptable: Use only the equipment and interfaces expressly permitted by the official rules.
• Don’t close the browser while waiting for the proctor: It can take time to receive the identity verification and task-start invitation.
• Don’t submit solutions only as unsaved handwriting: Tasks requiring files have specific save-before-upload, camera-display and later upload procedures.
• Don’t ignore a technical fault: Contact the Open Doors Project Office within 24 hours of an interruption, as required by the official rules.
• Don’t assume Stage Two is the final doctoral decision: Doctoral applicants also face a later supervisor/track interview stage.

Frequently Asked Questions About Open Doors Stage Two

Is the Open Doors second-stage exam online, and is my camera on?

Yes. For the 2026 Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks, Stage Two is held online with webcam, microphone, screen recording, identity verification and proctor monitoring. The Postdoctoral track uses a different video-presentation second stage.

How many questions are there in the Open Doors 2026 Second Stage?

The official 2026 guidelines list 44 actual tasks: 25 basic, 15 intermediate, three extended-answer written tasks and one oral response. Some official demo PDFs contain 46 sample tasks because they show three alternative oral examples.

Can I use ChatGPT, Google, notes, headphones or a second monitor?

No. The 2026 rules prohibit outside assistance, unauthorised browser tabs and software, reference notes, headphones and additional monitors during the proctored tasks. Study using helpful tools before the exam; do not use them while taking it.

Can I use a calculator, pen and paper or Excel?

The rules allow a non-programmable basic/scientific calculator, pen and paper and a blank Excel worksheet with no data or formulas. Subject-specific instructions and the proctor’s directions still apply. Other desktop software is prohibited.

Can I upload handwritten solutions after the online exam?

Only when the task explicitly supports solution attachments. The rules describe a separate ten-minute upload window after the proctored session, a 5 MB file maximum, and a requirement to show handwritten pages to the camera shortly before saving the task answer. A phone may be used for photographing permitted sheets only after the supervised task session, not during it.

Do I need to take the oral task?

Yes, the official format contains one oral task. Candidates have three minutes to select and review one of the designated advanced tasks and two minutes to record their response.

What if my internet fails, or I disagree with my score?

Report a technical failure to the Project Office within 24 hours. The 2026 rules permit an appeal within two days of score publication only against the scoring of an advanced written-response task, with a reasoned reference to your submitted answer. The content of tasks, oral scoring and penalties for rule violations are not appealable.

What happens after the Second Stage?

Bachelor’s and Master’s winners and runners-up are determined after the final second-stage ranking. Doctoral candidates who advance must also complete the third-stage interview with potential supervisors or doctoral managers. Results and subsequent instructions are posted in the Open Doors participant account.

Official Open Doors Rules and Application Website

For verified procedures, read the official 2026 Proctored Second Stage Rules (PDF). This document governs permitted materials, webcam and microphone rules, passport checks, additional-device restrictions, authorised uploads, technical failures and the risk of disqualification.

To register for your time slot and locate the official subject-specific programme and sample tasks, use the official Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project website and participant account. Select “Subject areas”, your actual field, and the appropriate Bachelor’s or Master’s/Doctoral tab. The additional step-by-step proctoring guidelines are available in the Second Stage materials in the participant account.

Related Scholarship Guides

Readers planning further study can also review these verified WsScholar4U articles. Their requirements and deadlines are different from the Open Doors competition:

• IELTS Exam Preparation Guide — separate guidance for funding or academic application preparation.
• Scholarship CV Templates — separate guidance for funding or academic application preparation.
• Fully Funded Doctoral Scholarships — separate guidance for funding or academic application preparation.
• Fully Funded Master Scholarships — separate guidance for funding or academic application preparation.

Editorial update: Rules and dates checked against official Open Doors 2026 documents on 14 November 2026. Scholarship participation is free, and winning generally provides access to tuition-funded study within the Russian government quota; travel, accommodation, food and health insurance are not automatically covered. Always follow the official participant account if an individual session notice differs from a general guide.

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