FAQ

PAU examinations will be held at the University with which the secondary education centre where students have taken their studies is affiliated. All secondary education centres in Las Palmas are affiliated with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Students can apply for PAU examinations at the secondary education centre where they are taking the Year 2 of Bachillerato, by using any computer with an Internet connection.

Students should ask the secretary at their secondary education centre to know when the application process starts (in April).

PAU examinations are divided into two phases: the compulsory FASE GENERAL, consisting on 4 subjects, one of them about the branch of knowledge chosen by the student, and a voluntary FASE ESPECÍFICA, which students can apply to improve the grades achieved in the Fase General.

In the Fase Específica, which is voluntary, students can demonstrate their academic abilities on the subjects related to their selected course at university.

You must choose when applying for PAU examinations:

• The Common Subject you want to sit (History of Philosophy or History of Spain).
• Foreign Language (English, French, German, or Italian).
• The specific subject of the branch of knowledge chosen in the Fase General, whether you have taken it or not.
• You must specify if you want to sit examinations of the Fase Específica, indicating the subject or subjects, different from the subject chosen in the Fase General, you want to sit, whether you have taken it or not.

When students get a grade equal or greater than 5 points as a result of the weighted average of 60 percent corresponding the average grade of Bachillerato and 40 percent corresponding the grades of the Fase General, providing that they have obtained at least 4 points in the Fase General.

STUDENTS ENTER THE UNIVERSITY BY PASSING THE FASE GENERAL, though they may want to sit the Fase Específica to improve the grades achieved in the Fase General if they want to study a high-demand degree course.

Students must sit four written examination papers.

• In the paper of Lengua Castellana y Literatura, students must analyse and comment on a non-specialised informative text.
• In the second paper, students can choose between History of Philosophy and History of Spain.
• In the third paper, students can choose between English, French, German, or Italian.
• Students must also take a test about the contents of the specific subject of Bachillerato chosen, whether they have taken it or not.

In each of these four exercises, students will be asked to choose one examination paper from two options.

NOTE: In case of draw for the allocation of offers for entry, student whose fourth exam of the General Phase corresponds to a matter related to the branch of knowledge of the studies to be accessed will have a preferential option.

This will be the arithmetic mean of the grades of the four exercises. Each exercise is graded from 0 to 10 points, with two decimal places. The grades obtained in the General Phase shall be valid for an unlimited period.

The Specific Phase is voluntary. If you want to pursue an academic career where the demand for places exceeds the offer you have the opportunity to sit the Specific Phase to improve the grade obtained in the General Phase. In this case, you can sit any specific subject of Bachillerato, other than the previously one sat in the General Phase regardless of whether you have studied them or not, up to a MAXIMUM OF FOUR.

In each exercise, students will be asked to choose one examination paper from two options.

Each exercise in the Specific Phase is graded from 0 to 10 points, with two decimal places. Students will pass this phase if they get a mean grade equal or greater than 5 points. The grades obtained in the Specific Phase shall be valid for the next two academic years.

The average grade of the Bachillerato (NMB) and the General Phase Qualification (CFG) will be taken into account to access to undergraduate degree courses. Students can sit the Specific Phase examinations to improve the grade obtained in the General Phase.

Admission Grade includes the two best marks of the subjects (M1, M2) of the Specific Phase “that provide better admission grade”, as long as these subjects are directly related to the branch of knowledge of the course on which the student wants to enrol.

The weighting factor (a, b) of the subjects of the Specific Phase will be 0.1 or 0.2 depending on the suitability of the specific subject chosen with the university undergraduate degree course in which the student wants to enrol.

Admission grade is calculated using the following formula:

• Admission grade = 60 % NMB + 40 % CFG + (a * M1) + (b * M2)

Bear in mind that Weighting Factors (a, b) are not the same for all Spanish universities.

After the first examination scripts correction, students can request a review of the examination scripts before the President of the Board, or submit a claim to the PAU Committee, in which case the possibility of a second examination scripts correction is excluded.

You must decide if you choose to request a second correction or to submit a claim. Both procedures cannot be requested simultaneously.

The deadline for requests is three working days from the publication date of qualifications.

No risks are taken because the highest grades will be taken into account. However, those who submit a claim will not have the possibility to request a second correction.

The decision issued by the PAU Committee will put an end to administrative proceedings.

The exercises which have been requested for a second correction are corrected by a teacher different from that who conducted the first correction.

The qualification is the arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in the two corrections. If there was a difference of two or more points between the two grades, a different board shall automatically make a third correction. The final grade will be the arithmetic mean of the three grades.

Students can submit a claim for the grades after the second correction before the PAU Committee within three working days from the publication date. The decision issued by the PAU Committee will put an end to administrative proceedings.

Only in the case that you had applied for a SECOND CORRECTION, you will be entitled to see the corrected examination script within ten days, once the process of correction and claims set out in the regulations is completed. The PAU Committee will provide the rules and procedures required to fulfil this right.

You can sit successive examination calls to improve the grades of the General Phase or any of the subjects of the Specific Phase. The highest grades will be taken into account.

The new Spanish Act on Education establishes PREFERENTIAL ACCESS for students taking VET in Técnico Superior de Formación Profesional, Técnico Superior de Artes Plásticas y Diseño y de Técnico Deportivo Superior to undergraduate degree courses related to those branches of knowledge.

Students should know the Weighting Factors applicable to the Advance Level Apprenticeship completed in order to have preferential access to the branch of knowledge related to the undergraduate degree course they want to study.

To enter undergraduate degree courses in which the number of applications exceeds the places available, the admission grade is calculated taking into account the average grade of the Advance Level Apprenticeship (NMC) and the two best grades of the modules M1 and M2 of thereof, with the exception of modules Formación en Centros de Trabajo y Empresas, and Cultura Emprendedora.

Admission Grade is expressed to two decimal places. The Weighting Factor (a and b) of the Modules is equal to 0.1.

• Admission Grade = Nota Media del Ciclo (NMC) + (a * M1) + (b * M2)

Note that Admission Grade includes qualifications of professional Modules of Advance Level Apprenticeship, only if it has PREFERENTIAL ACCESS TO THE BRANCH OF KNOWLEDGE of the undergraduate degree courses for which the student apply.