Psychometric PET

Overview

The Psychometric Entrance Test (PET, informally "the Psychometric" or in Hebrew the Psychometri) is Israel's national university entrance test. It is designed and administered by the National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (NITE) on behalf of Israel's universities, separately from the Ministry of Education, which runs the Bagrut (matriculation) exams. Most Israeli universities use a combined admission score built from a candidate's Bagrut average and their PET score, since research by NITE has found the combination of the two predicts academic success better than either one alone. The PET is not tied to a single academic year: candidates can sit it, and resit it, at several points before applying to a programme.

Who can apply

Anyone holding a valid Israeli identity document or a valid passport can register to take the PET; it is not restricted to students still in school. In practice it is taken mainly by Bagrut holders (or near-holders) who intend to apply to an Israeli university or college, as well as by applicants from abroad applying to Israeli institutions and by adults returning to study. There is no fixed age or prior-qualification gate enforced by NITE itself — individual universities and departments set their own admission requirements, which typically include both a Bagrut certificate (or equivalent) and a PET score.

Exam pattern

Through the Autumn (September) 2026 test administration, the PET examines three domains — Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and English — across a writing task and eight multiple-choice sections (two sections per domain, plus two unscored "pilot" sections used by NITE to trial future questions). From the Winter (December) 2026 administration onward, NITE is separating the English domain out: the PET becomes a two-domain test (Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning only), with a handwritten writing task followed by five multiple-choice sections — two Verbal Reasoning, two Quantitative Reasoning, and one unscored experimental section — and English proficiency is assessed instead through NITE's separate AMIRNET test. The two-domain test also runs about an hour shorter than the three-domain version it replaces.

The PET can be taken in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, or a Combined/English version intended for examinees more fluent in English than in Hebrew or any of the other listed languages. The test language does not affect the score. Tests in a language other than Hebrew are offered only at certain locations and only on certain test dates, so candidates should confirm their preferred language is offered on the date they choose. Examinees who sit the PET in a language other than Hebrew can also take NITE's Hebrew Proficiency Test (YAEL) immediately afterward; YAEL is scored and reported separately from the PET.

Marking and results

PET scores are reported on a scaled 200-800 range, normalised against reference groups so that scores stay comparable across different sittings and different test languages. Through the September 2026 administration, NITE reports three composite scores from the same sitting: a general score (weighting Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning at 40% each and English at 20%), a quantitative-emphasis score (Quantitative Reasoning 60%, Verbal Reasoning 20%, English 20%), and a verbal-emphasis score (Verbal Reasoning 60%, Quantitative Reasoning 20%, English 20%); universities and departments choose which of the three to use when ranking an applicant. From the two-domain test (December 2026 onward), these composites are based on Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning only.

For admission, most universities combine the PET score with the candidate's Bagrut average into a single weighted admission score (often called the midrag). Universities and colleges vary in how heavily they weight each component and in the minimum combined score and minimum Bagrut average a given department requires — a competitive department such as medicine or computer science typically sets a much higher threshold than a less selective one. Candidates should check the specific department's published threshold at the institution they are applying to, since there is no single national cutoff.

Important dates

NITE runs the PET several times a year rather than on one fixed date; recent administrations have included a Spring (March) sitting, a Summer sitting, an Autumn (September) sitting, and a Winter (December) sitting. For 2026, confirmed dates include a Spring sitting rescheduled to 23-24 April (originally planned for 29-30 March), an Autumn sitting on 2-3 September with a registration deadline around 8 July 2026 and scores forecast for 18 October 2026, and a Winter sitting on 4-6 December 2026 — the first under the new two-domain format. Exact dates, registration deadlines and score-release dates are republished by NITE for each administration and can shift (including mid-cycle postponements), so candidates should check NITE's current test schedule rather than relying on a previous cycle's dates.

Fees

For 2026, NITE lists the regular PET registration fee at 665 NIS, a late-registration fee of 1,000 NIS, and a fee of 1,665 NIS for registering on the day of the test itself. Changing an already-booked test date costs 120 NIS. Fees are set and published by NITE and can change between administrations, so candidates should confirm the current fee schedule at registration.

How to apply

Registration is handled directly through NITE's own website (nite.org.il), either online or by a printed form. To register online, a candidate creates a personal area on NITE's site, sets a password (used later to check results), fills in personal details, and pays by credit card; an active email address is required, since confirmation and results are sent there. Registering for the first time in a language other than Hebrew, or requesting special test accommodations, follows separate procedures NITE publishes on its site. Candidates from abroad can also register for sittings NITE administers overseas.

After the exam

PET scores are sent to the candidate and, where the candidate applies, shared with the universities and colleges they apply to. Admission is handled entirely by the individual institutions and departments, not by NITE: each weighs the PET score together with the Bagrut average into its own combined admission score and sets its own minimum thresholds, which differ by department and can change from year to year depending on demand for places. A PET score is valid for a period set by each institution's admission policy, and a candidate who is not satisfied with a score can register again for a later administration; most universities consider the highest (or most recent, depending on the department's policy) of a candidate's PET sittings.

Preparation tips

• Decide early whether to sit the current three-domain PET or wait for the two-domain version starting Winter (December) 2026, since the sections, timing and English component differ between the two formats.

• Practise under real time pressure: the PET is a tightly timed, multiple-choice-heavy test, and familiarity with the question types in each domain matters as much as raw subject knowledge.

• Choose the test language carefully — scores are not affected by language choice, but availability of a non-Hebrew sitting is limited to certain dates and locations, so confirm this before registering.

• Treat the handwritten writing task seriously even though it is part of the Verbal Reasoning domain rather than a separate English-writing test; practise writing a structured essay by hand within the time limit.

• Plan the Bagrut and PET together rather than in isolation, since most universities combine the two into one admission score; a strong Bagrut average can offset a lower PET score for some departments, and vice versa, but the right balance depends on the specific department's weighting.

FAQs