A major shift in the 10th grade is academic specialization (profilnoe obuchenie). Instead of a general curriculum for everyone, students often choose a specific "profile," such as:

Emphasis on social studies, economics, and geography.

For many students, entering the 10th grade feels like the beginning of a new chapter. Having completed the 9th-grade exams (OGE), students are no longer just "pupils"; they are now "senior students" (starshie klassniki). This year is often seen as a "bridge"—a brief moment of relative calm before the intense pressure of 11th grade and university entrance exams.