From a change in leadership at the top to major policy struggles, it was a tough parliamentary year for the SNP.
But the weekly First Minister’s Questions session in Holyrood is always kicked off by Scottish Tory boss Douglas Ross, as leader of the largest opposition party.
So what were the five topics Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf were forced to address most often in the 2022-23 session? And did they chime with your assessment of the government’s performance?
You can make your views on the choices clear in our poll at the end and leave a comment about any missing priorities on our social media feeds.
We may be giving the answers away to one question here, but you can also play along with our much bigger quiz of the year in the end-of-term political podcast The Stooshie.
LISTEN: The Stooshie end of year politics quiz
1 – State of the NHS
No single subject appears to have captured the minds of voters and politicians over the past year as much as the crisis engulfing our healthcare system.
Concerns over the state of the NHS led First Minister’s Questions on eight separate occasions, more than any other policy area.
SNP leaders were regularly put under the spotlight over record A&E waiting times which gripped hospitals during autumn and winter.
Fears over privatisation and hospital safety were also put to government chiefs.
Even when the NHS was not itself the focus of First Minister’s Questions, rows related to healthcare still came up.
In May, new SNP chief Mr Yousaf was quizzed by Mr Ross over his party’s plans for a national care service.
And in the last session before summer, the first minister was grilled over the scandal surrounding ex-NHS Tayside doctor Sam Eljamel.
2 – The SNP’s own problems
Douglas Ross likes to take potshots at the SNP – and the past 12 months gave him ample ammunition.
During the contest to replace her, Ms Sturgeon was mocked over divisions within her party when Kate Forbes attacked Mr Yousaf’s record in government.
In her final week in charge, she was quizzed about a row over SNP membership numbers which saw her husband Peter Murrell quit as chief executive.
A month later, her successor Mr Yousaf came under fire over his party’s finance crisis following Mr Murrell’s arrest.
The first minister also faced criticism for his appointment of Jamie Hepburn in a new ministerial role solely focusing on independence.
In total, Mr Ross led on questions relating to internal SNP rows and their push to leave the UK seven times.
3 – Ferries scandal
Delays to the construction of two ferries for Scotland’s island communities were a major focus in Holyrood for the second year running.
In early 2022, the SNP came under pressure over who signed off on an agreement which would let Ferguson Marine build the new vessels.
Last September, Tory chief Mr Ross immediately kicked off the new parliamentary year by pointing out how much money had now been spent to fix the crisis.
The topic continued to follow the government around for the rest of the year, leading First Minister’s Questions in six separate weeks.
4 – Gender reforms row
No new law inflamed and split MSPs in Holyrood quite like the SNP’s push to make it easier for transgender Scots to self-identify.
The government’s controversial policy led to late-night debates in parliament and protests inside the chamber.
Mr Ross led on concerns around the SNP’s gender reforms on five occasions.
At one point, he honed in on the topic for three consecutive weeks due to anger over rapist Isla Bryson.
5 – Education
Ex-First Minister Ms Sturgeon once said she wanted to be judged on her education record once she left office.
That refrain was pointed back at her by Mr Ross last December when he quizzed her over the attainment gap in schools.
A month later, the Tory leader led on concerns councils in Scotland were considering major cuts to teaching posts.
What else came up?
The government’s botched deposit return scheme, steered through Holyrood by the Greens, led First Minister’s Questions back in March.
In June, Mr Yousaf was quizzed over his government’s failure to meet key deadlines for dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
Anger over controversial plans to introduce new restrictions on fishing were brought up by Mr Ross at the start of May.
While Mr Yousaf was also grilled on the introduction of low emission zones which aim to restrict older cars from city centres.
Poll: What do you think?
You can share the article on social media and tell politicians where there priorities should be when they come back to parliament in September.