PAU

Overview

PAU (Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad) is Spain's university entrance test, sat at the end of Bachillerato by students who want a place at a Spanish public university. The same test is known by different names depending on the autonomous region: EvAU (and PEvAU) in Madrid and Andalucía, EBAU in most other regions, ABAU in Galicia, and Selectividad as the common everyday name used across the country. Every region's test follows a shared national framework set under the LOMLOE education law, but each autonomous community runs its own calendar, exact subject list within that framework, and admission weightings, through its own regional university coordination body rather than a single national exam board.

Who can apply

Students who hold, or are about to be awarded, the título de Bachiller from a Spanish school can sit PAU. Students completing a Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior (higher vocational training) can also sit the voluntary phase to raise their admission score for degrees that weight specific subjects, even though the Bachiller route is the main path. Candidates who already hold a PAU grade from a previous year, or an equivalent foreign qualification recognised for Spanish university access, do not need to resit the compulsory phase but can resit the voluntary phase alone to improve their score. Each autonomous community's university coordination office sets its own registration rules for which school or centre a candidate registers through.

Exam pattern

PAU has two phases. The access phase (fase de acceso) is compulsory and decides whether a candidate can access university at all. The admission phase (fase de admisión) is voluntary and only raises the admission score used for specific degrees.

Each exam generally runs 90 minutes, with a single exam model per subject (no choice between alternative exercise papers) under the current LOMLOE-aligned model. Each subject sets around a fifth to a quarter of its questions as competency-based items, which must be attempted.

Marking and results

Every subject is marked on a 0 to 10 scale. A candidate needs an average of at least 4 out of 10 across the compulsory-phase subjects to pass the access phase.

The university admission mark combines the Bachillerato average with the PAU result:

Nota de acceso = (0.6 x Bachillerato average) + (0.4 x compulsory-phase PAU average)

A nota de acceso of at least 5 out of 10 is required to access university. Candidates who also sat the voluntary phase can add weighted credit from their best two voluntary-phase subjects (each graded at least 5 out of 10) to reach a final nota de admisión:

Nota de admisión = Nota de acceso + (M1 x P1) + (M2 x P2)

M1 and M2 are the marks in the two best voluntary-phase subjects; P1 and P2 are weighting coefficients (0.1 or 0.2) that each university sets per subject for each specific degree. This lets the nota de admisión reach up to 14 out of 14 for degrees that weight a candidate's strongest subjects.

Important dates

For 2026, most autonomous communities hold the ordinary sitting in early June, typically over three days (for example 2 to 4 June in several regions), though exact dates vary by region — Madrid starts 1 June, Castilla-La Mancha sits 8 to 10 June, and Catalonia sits 11 to 13 June. A resit (convocatoria extraordinaria) for candidates who failed or want to improve their compulsory-phase result is held later; for 2026 most regions hold it 30 June to 2 July, Navarra holds it 24 to 26 June, Asturias 6 to 8 July, and Catalonia holds its resit in early September. Registration for the ordinary sitting generally runs in May, through each candidate's own school, though some regions open preregistration earlier in the academic year.

How to apply

Candidates register through their own Bachillerato school (or, for students outside the school system, through the office their autonomous community designates) ahead of each sitting's registration window. Registration sets which compulsory subjects a candidate will be examined in (based on their Bachillerato modality) and which voluntary-phase subjects, if any, they choose to add. Exact registration steps, fees, and deadlines are set and published by each region's own university coordination office (Comisión Organizadora or equivalent), not centrally.

After the exam

Spanish public universities admit students centrally within each autonomous community (and, for some degrees, nationally) using the nota de admisión, ranking candidates against the cut-off mark (nota de corte) for each degree at each university, which moves every year with demand. Universities publish parámetros de ponderación (weighting tables) listing which Bachillerato subjects carry a 0.1 or 0.2 weighting for each specific degree, so the subjects a candidate chooses for the voluntary phase can materially change their chances for a given degree. Candidates apply to degree places through their region's centralised university admission portal after results are published, listing degree and university preferences in order; places are offered in successive rounds as accepted candidates confirm or decline.

Preparation tips

• Choose voluntary-phase subjects by checking the weighting tables (parámetros de ponderación) for the specific degrees you want, since a well-weighted subject can add up to 2 points to your admission score.

• Practise under real exam conditions and timing (90 minutes per subject, single exercise model), since the compulsory-phase questions now include a fixed share of competency-based items that must be answered.

• Keep your Bachillerato grades strong across both years: the Bachillerato average contributes 60% of the access mark, more than the PAU exam itself.

• Check your own autonomous community's official calendar and subject list early, since registration windows, exact dates, and even which subjects are compulsory (extra co-official language subjects, for example) vary by region.