Spain’s new University Entrance Examination (PAU) will introduce from 2026 a model more focused on competency-based assessment and common correction standards across the country. The reform adapts university access examinations to the new educational curriculum framework and aims to reinforce equal opportunities for students nationwide.
The updated system will maintain the general structure of the former EBAU examinations while introducing significant changes in exam design and student evaluation methods. The tests will place greater emphasis on analytical skills, creativity, critical thinking and academic maturity, reducing the importance of traditional memorisation-based learning.
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The new Spanish university entrance exam will strengthen competency-based assessment and common evaluation criteria
One of the main objectives of the new PAU is to promote greater consistency between autonomous communities through the implementation of shared correction and grading criteria. All exams will include detailed information about assessment standards, with particular attention given to coherence, grammar, presentation and the quality of written expression.
The new regulations also establish that at least 70% of the total score for each exam must come from open or semi-structured questions, encouraging reasoned and contextualised answers instead of closed-format exercises. Exam questions will be linked to realistic situations connected to scientific, humanistic, technological and artistic environments.
The compulsory examination phase will continue to include tests in Spanish Language and Literature, Foreign Language, History of Spain or History of Philosophy, and one subject related to the student’s chosen academic pathway. In regions with co-official languages, an additional language examination will also be included.
Students will also continue to have access to a voluntary phase designed to improve university admission scores through additional exams in optional or specialised subjects.
Each examination will last 90 minutes, with mandatory breaks scheduled between tests. The final admission mark will continue to combine secondary education academic performance with the results obtained in the PAU examinations.
The reform seeks to modernise the university access system and establish a more practical and competency-oriented evaluation model aligned with current educational, academic and professional challenges.