Prueba de Selección Universitaria

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The Prueba de Selección Universitaria [ ˈpɾweβ̞a de selekˈθi̯on uniβ̞eɾsiˈtaɾja ] ( PSU , Spanish for "university selection test") is the admission test with which Chilean universities select their students .

Origin and goals

The PSU was introduced in 2003 as a temporary solution. Originally, the Sistema de Ingreso a la Educación Superior (SIES, Spanish for “access system to higher education”) was supposed to replace the Prueba de Aptitud Académica (PAA, Spanish for “academic aptitude test”) used up to that point. When its introduction failed, the PSU took its place at short notice. The SIES was supposed to replace the PSU in 2007, but has not yet been implemented.

Unlike the old PAA, which tried to assess aptitude and talent, the PSU measures applicants' knowledge. The preparation for the PSU therefore does not come down to the mechanical practice of predictable tasks, but to learning new and deepening old knowledge. The test content of the PSU changes from year to year with the content of the Chilean schools.

Although the previous academic achievements are also considered and some subjects such as psychology, architecture and theater studies require their own entrance exams, the PSU is the predominant selection procedure at public universities - all the more since the meaningfulness of school grades has declined in recent years. However, private universities still rely primarily on their own testing procedures.

Form and evaluation

The PSU consists of four individual exams, which are taken on two consecutive days. Two of the partial exams - language and communication and mathematics - are mandatory for all applicants. Whether the remaining parts of history and social sciences and natural sciences have to be taken depends on the desired course of study. The partial examination on the natural sciences consists of two modules; one of them is fixed, the other includes biology, physics or chemistry, depending on the study objective.

Like the PAA, the PSU is a multiple choice test. Applicants use a special pencil to mark which of the five possible answers that apply. The test is evaluated automatically, each correct answer gives one point, for every four incorrect answers one point is deducted. The scores are transferred to a scale that follows a normal distribution . The final point values ​​range from 150 to 850 points.

The PSU result is offset against the average school grade using a weighting determined by the respective university. Then the test results of all applicants for a course are arranged in descending order of points and commitments are made from above until the contingent of the course is exhausted.

Admission process

Because of the great importance of the PSU, the admission process to Chilean universities is commonly known as la PSU , although formally it is called Proceso de Admisión a las Universidades Chilenas .

In addition to the exam itself, the admission process also includes the selection of students. It begins with the enrollment for the PSU, which is taken in May and August, and the announcement of the courses and their requirements and for orientation of the scores of the past semester. Later the room is occupied, the test itself, the results are announced and the admitted applicants are enrolled. If applicants drop out despite having passed the exam, a second round of matriculation follows, in which applicants with poorer results move up.

In the last few years the approval process has been largely automated, so that today all parts of the registration and the announcement of results are processed via the Internet. Waiting times were shortened considerably by this procedure.

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