This policy brief examines the discourse surrounding the potential reinstatement of the National Examination (UN) in Indonesia’s education system. Through both conceptual and empirical analysis, it explores the ongoing debate — highlighting arguments for and against UN — identifies key issues that emerged during its previous implementation, and evaluates its implications for learning processes and students’ psychological well being. Drawing on past experience, the brief emphasises three core concerns: (1) the use of UN results for multiple high-stakes purposes; (2) the need for a robust quality assurance mechanism in education, and (3) the challenges related to improving teachers’ assessment literacy. Based on these considerations, this policy brief proposes a set of recommendations centred on developing a national summative assessment that is contextual, focused on learning improvement, and not used as a selection tool or determinant of student graduation.