PAA UNAH

Overview

For about 18 years, the Prueba de Aptitud Académica (PAA) was the standard admission test the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) used to screen applicants to its undergraduate programmes, testing verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning. UNAH retired the PAA at the end of 2024 and replaced it with a new test, the Prueba Hondureña Universitaria de Medición Académica (PHUMA), first applied in April 2025. Anyone applying to UNAH today sits PHUMA, not the PAA.

Because applicants still search for "PAA," this page explains what the PAA test covered and then describes UNAH's current admission process, which now runs on PHUMA plus a separate Vocational Guidance Test and a soft-skills component.

Who can apply

Applicants who have completed secondary school (bachillerato) — Honduran or foreign, residing inside or outside Honduras — may register for UNAH's admission process for any of its campuses. Registration asks for a scanned identification document (in JPG format), a digital passport-style photo on a white background, and an active personal email address.

Exam pattern

PAA (used through 2024)

The PAA was a single test built around two reasoning sections:

Scores were reported on a scale with a minimum admission index of 700 points up to a maximum of 1,600; individual programmes set their own higher minimum (for example, Medicine and Surgery required 1,100 points).

PHUMA (current test, since 2025)

PHUMA is a single 120-question, single-choice test (four options per question), sat in one in-person session of 2 hours 50 minutes. It spreads its questions across five competency areas:

Before sitting PHUMA, applicants also complete an online Vocational Guidance Test (Prueba Vocacional), a shorter exercise (around 30–40 minutes including personal-data entry) meant to help applicants see which programme best fits their interests and aptitudes; it is reported as a guidance tool rather than a scored academic filter.

Marking and results

PHUMA keeps the same minimum admission index UNAH used under the PAA: 700 points. Individual programmes can set a higher index — for instance, Medicine and Surgery's PHUMA-era index has been reported at 1,000 points, reduced temporarily from the PAA-era 1,100. Applicants are ranked against the up to three programme choices they registered, in order of preference, and are admitted to the first choice on that list for which they meet the required index. Programmes with a limited quota or extra requirements run an additional, later ranking round; being ranked there is reported as a preliminary decision that competes for a remaining seat rather than a guaranteed one. Applicants who do not meet the minimum index for any of their choices are not admitted that cycle; UNAH is reported to allow retaking the admission test up to four times in total.

Important dates

UNAH runs at least two admission processes a year, each with its own calendar that is republished every cycle. As reported for 2026:

Always confirm the exact dates for the process you are registering for on UNAH's own admissions site, since they shift between cycles.

Fees

For 2026, the single registration fee covering both the Vocational Guidance Test and PHUMA is 500 lempiras, payable at authorized banks (Atlántida, Ficohsa, Davivienda, Banpaís, Lafise) or through UNAH's online payment platform. This fee was raised from 350 lempiras in earlier PAA-era cycles. Admitted first-year students additionally pay a matrícula (enrollment) fee reported at 410 lempiras, which includes a mandatory "Curso de Introducción a la Vida Universitaria" charged at 60 lempiras within that total.

How to apply

1. Complete the online Vocational Guidance Test during its registration window.

2. Register for PHUMA on UNAH's admissions portal with a scanned ID, a digital passport-style photo, and a personal email address.

3. Pay the registration fee at an authorized bank or online within the payment window.

4. Complete document validation in the window UNAH sets for the cycle.

5. Complete the digital check-in (habilitación digital) on the assigned days to confirm your test venue and schedule.

6. Sit PHUMA in person on the assigned date at the assigned venue.

7. Check results on UNAH's admissions results site once they are published.

After the exam

UNAH publishes PHUMA results online. Applicants who meet the minimum index for one of their chosen programmes are admitted to the first one on their list that they qualify for; programmes with a limited quota publish a separate, later ranking date, where being listed is a preliminary step rather than a confirmed seat. Admitted or ranked applicants must then complete their student file for enrollment by the calendar UNAH's admissions and registry office sets for that academic period. Applicants who fall short of the minimum index for every choice are not admitted that cycle; reporting says they may retake the admission test, up to four attempts in total. UNAH has also run supplementary preparatory coursework for PAA-era applicants who missed the minimum index — whether an equivalent course is still offered unchanged under PHUMA should be confirmed on the official admissions site.

Preparation tips

• Use UNAH's own current PHUMA study guide rather than older PAA-specific verbal/mathematical reasoning material, since the test's content areas have changed.

• Practise across all five PHUMA areas — Spanish, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and soft skills — not only the verbal and mathematical reasoning the old PAA covered.

• Take the soft-skills questions (problem-solving, critical thinking, resilience) as seriously as the subject-based ones; they carry a fifth of the total questions.

• Treat the Vocational Guidance Test as more than a formality: it is reported to shape which programmes are a realistic fit before you commit your programme choices at registration.

• Register and pay within the posted windows — each stage (registration, payment, document validation, digital check-in) has its own short deadline.

FAQs