INFO CORNER

Here you will find general information about obtaining a student visa, information differing in origin country (if the information does not appear here, ask us, we have our legal assistents!)

INFO CORNER

Here you will find general information about obtaining a student visa, information differing in origin country (if the information does not appear here, ask us, we have our legal assistents!)

University access for candidates over 25 years of age

If you are over 25 years old, we recommend that you take this type of exam to access university. In Spain, each university reserves 3% of its places for this type of candidate: people who, at the time, could not start or finish high school and who now want to study at university. In each call you have the opportunity to sign up for 8 Spanish universities, and the possibility of entering any of them is quite high. Of course, you must make several text comments, so you have to have a good command of Spanish. If you take the test in Catalonia, you will also have to make a text comment in Catalan. It is recommended that you also learn this language, but it is not necessary that you master it at a very advanced level. In this link you can find more information about this test.

  • Be 25 years of age or older the year you take the test.
  • Not having passed the University Access Test (PAU) or equivalent, the Specific Competence Tests (PCE).
  • Not having obtained a higher technical qualification in vocational training, plastic arts and design, or sports (or equivalent).
  • Not have any university degree.
  • If you are a foreigner, do not have the approved baccalaureate. If you have studied a career in your country or have completed high school, it is not relevant. It is also not necessary to have a Spanish NIE, you can present yourself with your passport. In any case, it is not advisable to take the test by presenting the passport, because later you will have to make the change when you want to enter the university and it is essential to present a NIE.

This test is done once a year. There is an unlimited number of calls to pass it and you can always take more calls to improve your grade. In addition, your qualification is valid indefinitely.
It is usually carried out between the end of April and the beginning of May. Enrollment must be done in February. In this link you can find more details about the test.

It costs approximately €40 and consists of two parts:

GENERAL PHASE:
• Text comment: you can take this test in Spanish or Catalan. The objective is to measure your level of understanding and your capacity for expression and argumentation. Different text models can appear in it: reports, interviews, opinion articles, etc. It is divided into 2 parts:

  • In the first you have to answer some questions about a text.
  • In the second you have to write an analytical comment of about 150 to 200 words about that text.
    • Keep in mind that in this test 0.1 points will be deducted for each misspelling, vocabulary, morphology or syntax.
    • Foreign language: reading comprehension and basic command of grammar and vocabulary will be valued. You can choose between English, French, German, Italian or Portuguese. A text will be presented and 10 questions will be asked:
    – In 8 questions you must choose between several options (complete sentences, fill in spaces…) about the text and grammar.
    – 2 text comprehension questions.
  • In this test, 0.05 points will be deducted for each misspelling, vocabulary, morphology or syntax.
  • Spanish test: linguistic competence, grammatical knowledge, vocabulary and written expression will be assessed. It consists of 3 parts:
    – Reading comprehension (3 points): 6 questions will be asked about the text, which will be related to its comprehension, structure and vocabulary.
    – Written comprehension (4 points): the ability to understand and write texts will be evaluated. The test consists of 2 exercises: one of short writing and another in which you will have to write a piece of writing of about 50 to 80 words.
    – Linguistic reflection (3 points): 6 closed multiple choice questions will be asked. You will also have to fill in spaces or relate different aspects of the language (morphology, use of pronouns, syntax, word formation, spelling, grammar and textual connectors).
  • Keep in mind that in this test 0.1 points will be deducted for each misspelling, vocabulary, morphology or syntax.
  • Catalan test: linguistic competence, grammatical knowledge, vocabulary and written expression will be assessed. It consists of 3 parts:
    – Reading comprehension (3 points): 6 questions will be asked about the text, which will be related to its comprehension, structure and vocabulary.
    – Written comprehension (4 points): the ability to understand and write texts will be evaluated. The test consists of 2 exercises: one of short writing and another in which you will have to write a piece of writing of about 50 to 80 words.
    – Linguistic reflection (3 points): 6 closed multiple choice questions will be formulated. You will also have to fill in spaces or relate different aspects of the language (morphology, use of pronouns, syntax, word formation, spelling, grammar and textual connectors).
  • Keep in mind that in this test 0.1 points will be deducted for each misspelling, vocabulary, morphology or syntax.

· SPECIFIC PHASE
The purpose of this phase is to assess your skills and aptitudes to successfully study courses linked to each of the branches of knowledge of the different university degrees.

It is based on the five branches of knowledge:

A. Arts and humanities (Philosophy, Geography, Contemporary History, History of Art, Literature).
B. Science (Biology, Statistics, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry)
C. Health sciences (Biology, Statistics, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry)
D. Social and Legal Sciences (Business Economics, Statistics, Geography, Contemporary History, Mathematics)
E. Engineering and Architecture (Technical Drawing, Business Economics, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry)

You have to choose one of the five options.

This phase consists of two exams corresponding to subjects related to the access option chosen.

  • Philosophy

In this exam you must choose between one of the following two options:

A text commentary. It will consist of answering five questions: two of comprehension [3.5 points], and three of reasoning [6.5 points].
Develop a topic of the program. It will consist of answering five questions: two on presentation and contextualization of the philosophical problem [3 points], two on the main issues addressed and solutions provided [5.5 points], and one on the topicality of the subject [1.5 points].

  • Geography

The Geography test consists of two parts:

The first consists of answering three questions to choose from five on basic concepts of the syllabus or on the location of place names (of Catalonia, Spain or the world) on a map. [6 points, 2 points each].
The second consists of answering specific questions in a limited space (between five and ten lines), based on information that can be extracted from a map, graph, photograph, text, etc… [4 points].

  • Contemporary History

This test consists of two parts:

The first one consists of answering, in a limited space, questions (comprehension, synthesis, history, commentary, reflection…) on a document (statistics, text…) that raises a problem of contemporary society (4 points).
On the second one you’re expected to answer concisely three questions to be chosen among five specific topics of the program (6 points, 2 points each).

  • Art History

The Art History test consists of three exercises.

The first exercise is compulsory and common to all. The second and third exercises are also compulsory, but you can pick between options. In both you must choose between option A or B.

First exercise. Fundamentals of the arts [3 points].

This exercise consists of two compulsory questionnaires [1’50 points each question].

Basic notions of the history of art are asked using arrows, schematics or diagrams,. The student is asked to define artistic terms, to identify styles, to relate works and authors, to order works chronologically or to point out, in a list, the key words of a work or artist.

Second exercise: question on the subject matter [3 points].

Here the student is expected to answer a question of a transversal nature. Two options are proposed (Option A or Option B) and one of them must be chosen.

For instance, the student may be asked to explain the differences between two artistic styles, to explain the most common artistic typologies of a period, to define a style or movement in the history of Western art, to explain the evolution of a construction system or theme in a given chronological stage or to explain the innovative or groundbreaking character of a movement or a work.

Third exercise: description, analysis and interpretation of a work from the list [4 points].

The candidate must analyze one of the works in a list through four questions. Two options are proposed and one must be chosen (Option A or Option B). The work of Option A will be among the first five points of the syllabus (from Greek antiquity to the Renaissance) and the work of Option B among the last five (from the Baroque to Postmodernism).

  • Literature

The candidate must choose between two options. Each option will consist of two parts:

The first part consists of developing a topic related to one of two readings. It is always a question of a general and broad nature, and may be accompanied by a brief excerpt from a critical text related to the corresponding reading. The statement indicates the orientation of the question to help students focus on the most important aspects of what is being asked and not get lost in secondary aspects or anecdotal issues. [5 points]

In the second part the student has to comment on one of two texts, extracted from one of the readings. It is an open commentary, but in the statement indicates which aspects to be taken into account in the answer . These aspects of the statement are not closed questions, they are rather a guide for the text commentary. [5 points]

Option A: The topic will be Catalan literature and the text commentary will be on one of the works of Spanish literature.

Option B: The topic will be on Spanish literature and the text commentary will be on one of the works of Catalan literature.

Each part of the exam is worth 5 points, 3 for the contents and 2 for the capacity of argumentation and analysis, the arrangement of ideas and the coherence of the discourse. The final grade of the test may be reduced by up to one point depending on the number of grammatical and spelling mistakes made.

Each part of the exam must be answered in the language corresponding to each exam (in Spanish for the Spanish Literature exam and in Catalan for the Catalan Literature exam).

B. Science

  • Biology

This test consists of three parts. The candidate has to:

a. Briefly define three concepts. [3 points, 1 point for each concept].

b. Identify and interpret in a scheme morphological parts of the material, based on their visual understanding. Several secondary questions may appear, which serve to assess the degree of visual comprehension of the candidate [3 points]. If there are secondary questions, the score for each of them will be detailed.

c. Develop a topic, to be chosen between two options, in which the clarity of the exposition, the understanding of the subject and the ability to relate concepts from different fields of biology will be assessed. The topic will be contextualized in the statement, and it will be valued that the answer makes reference to the proposed context. Simple texts, diagrams and graphs may appear in the exam, and also several secondary questions or sub-questions that help to lead the argumentation of the answer [4 points]. If the exam contains sub-questions, the score for each of them will be specified.

  • Statistics

This test contains two parts:

(a) First, five questions are proposed, from which candidates will choose four [4 points; 1 point for each question].

b) Secondly, three problems are proposed, from which the candidates will choose two [6 points; 3 points for each problem].

  • Physics

The Physics test is divided into two parts:

(a) Six questions are proposed, from which candidates choose four [6 points. 1.5 each].

b) Two problems are proposed, from which the candidates choose one [4 points].

The use of a scientific calculator is permitted during the examination, but not calculators that can store data or transmit information.

  • Mathematics

In the Mathematics test there are 2 tasks to perform:

a) Answer four of the six proposed questions. [6 points, 1.5 points each question].
b) Solve one of the two problems posed. [4 points]

Candidates are allowed to use a scientific calculator during the exam, but not calculators that allow storing data or transmitting information.

  • Chemistry

The Chemistry test consists of two parts:

a) In the first one, four short questions to be answered, to be chosen among the six proposed. [6 points 1.5 each].

b) In the second part you have to solve a numerical problem, to choose between two. [4 points].

Scientific calculators are allowed during the exam, as long as they don’t allow storing data or transmitting information.

Each exam is graded with a score ranging from 1 to 10. To pass the exam you must have obtained a minimum of 5 points. The grade is obtained from the arithmetic average between the specific phase and the general phase. To pass, in turn, you must obtain a minimum of 4 points in each phase. The final grade is obtained from the average of the different tests (2 in the specific phase and 4 in the general phase). Passing the tests is valid indefinitely.

If you want to improve your grade, you can take 3 consecutive exams. The grades will be kept in those 3 test calls if the grade is equal or higher than 5 points. The best grades will be taken into account to calculate the average. In the following exam sessions, in order to keep your grade, you must enroll in all the subjects – the same subjects and the same universities.

Spanish and Catalan

If your mother tongue is not Spanish, we recommend you to have completed the B2 level of that language before accessing this preparation course. You can start at any time and take the course that best suits your needs. It would also be a good idea to have a B1 or B2 level of Catalan if you want to enter a Catalan university.

We offer a wide range of courses. Here you have the link to our Spanish and Catalan courses:

Other languages

At BCNLIP you also have the possibility to learn a second language. Normally our courses are in the afternoons and usually start in October, although sometimes we open courses throughout the year. However, you can join us at any time.

Here are the links to our other language courses:

French

English

Italiano

Writing workshop

En este taller conocerás todas las herramientas y los recursos necesarios para realizar un buen comentario de texto, es decir, bien argumentado y sin faltas de ortografía. Trabajaremos todo tipo de textos y léxico.

  • Idiomas: catalán y castellano
  • Inicio: cualquier momento del año (se requiere un mínimo de 5 estudiantes para abrir un curso).
  • Duración: 3 horas semanales
  • Horario: viernes tarde 16.00-19.30
  • Precio: 168€/mes

Our Patwhway Courses to the University in Spain

In this workshop you will learn all the tools and resources necessary to make a good text commentary, that is, well argued and without spelling mistakes. We will work on all types of texts and vocabulary.

  • Languages: Catalan and Spanish
  • Start: any time of the year (a minimum of 5 students is required to open a course).
  • Duration: 3 hours per week
  • Schedule: Friday afternoons 16.00-19.30
  • Price: 168€/month

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