The goals of STEM education are to increase the proficiency of students in the STEM and increase the number of students who pursue STEM careers in advanced studies. This is because STEM occupations remain influential in driving economic growth and innovations. Profiled teaching introduced in schools raised a choice problem for teenagers and their parents. This choice is closely related to the choice of high school and future profession for the most of schoolchildren. After finishing their secondary education many young people plan to continue their education in technology and engineering specialities in technical universities, but for successful studies in this field, it is necessary to have very good or excellent knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry. Young people with completed secondary education do not always have sufficient knowledge in these subjects, but at the same time, not all of them have equal opportunities in this field. Each year about twenty five thousand young people begin studies at higher educational establishments in Latvia. However, some of them drop out and fail to continue their studies. In Latvia, there is no comprehensive education policy in terms of career education and at the national level appropriate professional competence training for early maturity age group is not available. The aim is to discover the reason for different knowledge levels in STEM disciplines during the period of secondary education (among 19-25 year olds) and to explore the reasons why young people with completed secondary education do not always have sufficient knowledge in the field of exact sciences. Research methods: 1) analysis of scientific literature; 2) analysis and comparison of the State Exams results; 3) a representative sample survey of students in groups.