Secondary school

High school students must take PAU tests to get access to the university.

Students can choose the subjects they want to be tested in, always according to the university studies they want to get access to, thus, designing their own entrance exam to university.

PAU tests have two parts:

a) General phase is mandatory. Passing it grants you access to the university and has no expiry date. It consists of 5 tests, the common subjects in Batxillerat second course (high school): Catalan Language and Literature, Spanish Language and Literature, Foreign Language and History and one of the subjects chosen by the student, even if he/she has not taken the subject.
Grading: every question is graded from 0 to 10 points. The mark of the general phase is the average/arithmetic mean of the five tests. In order to get access to the university you need to pass this phase. The results of this text have no expiry date. Your general phase mark needs to be equal to or more than 4 in order to calculate the average with your Batxillerat mark.
Regarding the final mark, your Batxillerat mark will weigh a 60% and the general phase a 40%. The final mark has to be equal or more than 5.

b) Specific phase is not mandatory. This phase mark will be the admission mark for bachelor's degrees that students wish to attain and will be valid for two years. Students will be able to take tests up to three non-compulsory subjects of Batxillerat second course that need to be different from the ones taken in the general phase. Besides, the chosen subjects in the general phase will also be used to calculate the admission mark, as long as it is equal or greater than 5 points, as any other specific phase subject.

The tests will only be taken into account to calculate the admission mar if:

• All of them have been passed, with a mark equal or greater than 5 points.
• All of them are subjects related to the same branch of knowledge of the degree you are applying to study.

The mark of each subject is multiplied by a coefficient of at least 0.1, but each university can multiply by a coefficient of 0.2 on specific subjects related to the degree the student wants to undertake.
Check your weighted score table of Batxillerat non-compulsory subjects for University access.

The final mark together with the two best marks of the specific phase weighed will be used to calculate the admission mark in order to award places in degrees that have more applications than places.

These subjects, undertaken in Batxillerat second course, correspond to the five branches of knowledge of university degrees. You will find all the information regarding these tests at the Generalitat webpage.

The current model of university admission makes a difference between the PAU mark and the admission mark: the student gets a specific mark for every degree they apply for.

The admission mark (from 5 to 14) for a specific degree includes the weighed marks for the specific phase (coefficients of 0.1 or 0.2). These subjects need to be related to the branch of knowledge of that degree.

This is calculated as follows:

Admission mark = specific phase mark + a S1 + b S2

S1 and S2 are the marks of the subjects on the specific phase, once duly weighed, being a and b the weighing coefficients (0.1 or 0.2)

You can check the weigh parameters of the Batxillerat specific subjects for every degree for university admission here:https://universitats.gencat.cat/ca/preinscripcions/sobre-preinscripcio/ponderacions/

Example: 

Jane wants to study journalism. The cut off mark to get admission to this degree was greater than 7. Her Batxillerat average mark is 8.2 and her PAU general phase is 7.46. Her weighted average mark to access university is 7.90. She takes the specific phase tests to raise her mark, she takes business management, geography and world literature, these three subjects are related to the branch of knowledge of her goal studies. She gets an 8, 7.5 and 6. Only the two better marks are taking into account. As the chosen university considers business management is highly related to journalism, this mark will be weighed with a coefficient of 0.2, thus this will give her an extra 1.60. Geography is not considered so appropiate and will be weighted with a coefficient of 0.1, thus this will give her an extra 0.75. Her admission mark for this degree will be 10.25 (7.90 + 1.60 + 0.75).

Place allocation depends on the admission mark of the students.

Under equal conditions, the students who will take preference are the Batxillerat students who have taken a 2nd course non-mandatory subject in the PAU general phase related to the branch of knowledge of the degree they want to study. Admission of students from advanced vocational training (CFGS) courses will depend on the branch of knowledge of the course and the degree they want to study.

There are two PAU exam sessions, on June and September, and you have unlimited opportunities to pass this test. In order to take the PAU test you need to register in the following address: https://universitats.gencat.cat/ca/proves-acces-PAU-PAP/sobre-PAU/que-son-PAU/.
Students who are enrolled in Batxillerat second course need to do two things: preregistration and final registration. On the other hand, passing the general phase has no expiry date but the qualifications of the specific phase are valid for only two years. Students with the general phase passed under former legislation will only have to take PAU specific phase.

Once PAU marks are published, the students can request a review or double correction of their tests if they think the correction criteria have not been applied correctly. You can apply for one or the other, request both for the same test is not possible.