Inna Polyakova

This article presents an analytical review of Russian and international studies on the influence of the point-rating system on student motivation and academic performance in higher education. The aim is to systematize approaches to interpreting this influence and to identify the conditions under which a semester-based accumulative point-rating system supports regular learning behavior of undergraduate and specialist students or, conversely, reinforces external motivation and formal score-oriented behavior. The methodological basis includes comparative analysis of publications, conceptual reconstruction, and theoretical synthesis of studies on formative assessment, self-determination, academic emotions, engagement, and self-regulated learning. The review shows that the effect of the point-rating system on motivation and academic performance is indirect and depends on criteria transparency, feedback structure, student choice, the distribution of assessment events across the semester, and the connection between scores and perceived competence growth. The paper is explicitly positioned as an analytical review and provides a basis for further empirical studies of specific organizational models of point-rating assessment.