Dates, type of exam, grades... All the keys to the new Selectivity

The Selectivity coordinators from all the autonomous communities, who met last week in Bilbao, have reached a "minimum agreement" for the university entrance exam for the 2024/2025 academic year. It will not be a common test, but the regional officials commit to reaching "the maximum possible consensus" and to "harmonizing the subjects throughout Spain." But for now, these are the keys to the next EBAU:

What date will the exam be?

The coordinators decided that the next Selectivity will be held on the same dates throughout Spain. It will be on June 3, 4, and 5, 2025, unless a local holiday prevents it.

How long will the exam last?

The duration will be 90 minutes, and the number and type of questions or tasks will be adjusted to this duration. To ensure that the exam fits within those 90 minutes, experts remind students that they "will need to spend time reading and analyzing what is requested, as well as planning and executing their response."

Will there be two exams to choose from?

No. There will be a single model of exercise that will be structured into different sections or blocks, although those responsible for coordinating the subject may include the possibility of choosing between several questions or tasks in some sections "if deemed appropriate."

What will the questions be like?

There may be questions requiring closed, semi-constructed, or open responses, but open or semi-constructed responses (i.e., those that are not multiple-choice) must account for at least 70%. Additionally, these open or semi-constructed responses will have a competency-based design in 20-25% of the exam, similar to the Pisa Report or OECD international assessment. This means that in these questions, students must apply their knowledge rather than rely on memory.

How much will spelling mistakes count against you?

The officials want coherence, cohesion, grammatical correctness, lexical accuracy, and orthographic correctness to also be valued in grading. Specifically, in language and literature subjects (both in Spanish and other official languages), 20% will be awarded for coherence, cohesion, and correctness; in foreign language exams it will be 15% of the total grade; and in other subjects, it will be 10%.