How to Prepare for the EBAU / PAU (Selectividad) in Spain

October 2026  ·  11 min read

If you are an international or bilingual student finishing bachillerato in Spain, Selectividad can feel confusing before it feels difficult. The exam has changed its name several times, the rules are set nationally but run regionally, and older siblings, teachers and websites often describe slightly different versions of it.

This guide explains how the exam generally works, how the grade up to 14 is calculated, why past papers from your own region matter more than anything else, and how to spread your preparation across segundo de bachillerato. We keep the official Spanish terms in Spanish, because those are the words you will see on your university’s website and on the exam itself.

What is the EBAU, EvAU, PAU or Selectividad?

They are all names for the same thing: the university entrance exam you sit at the end of segundo de bachillerato. “Selectividad” is the informal name almost everyone still uses. From 2017 it was officially the EBAU (Evaluación de Bachillerato para el Acceso a la Universidad), called EvAU in some regions such as Madrid. Following the LOMLOE reform, the exam was redesigned for the 2025 sitting and is now called the PAU (Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad) in most regions, which is also the name Catalonia and some others had used all along.

The national framework sets the overall structure and the grading formula, but each comunidad autónoma, usually through its public universities or a coordinating commission, writes the papers, sets the dates and publishes the marking criteria. That is why a student in Andalucía and a student in Galicia sit different papers in the same subject. Always treat your region’s official information as the final word, especially as the new format is still settling in.

How does the exam work: fase general and fase específica?

Selectividad has two parts. Under the older system they were called the fase general and the fase específica; under the current regulations most regions call them the fase de acceso and the fase de admisión. The idea is the same.

• Fase de acceso (formerly fase general): compulsory. In the current model it typically includes Lengua Castellana y Literatura II, a Lengua Extranjera II (usually English), either Historia de España or Historia de la Filosofía, the compulsory core subject of your bachillerato modalidad (for example Matemáticas II, Matemáticas Aplicadas a las Ciencias Sociales II or Latín II), and the lengua cooficial and literature in regions that have one, such as Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country, Valencia or the Balearic Islands.
• Fase de admisión (formerly fase específica): optional. You choose additional subjects from your bachillerato, such as Biología, Química, Física, Economía or Geografía, to raise your grade for degrees where those subjects are weighted.

Each paper is usually 90 minutes and graded from 0 to 10. The ordinary sitting (convocatoria ordinaria) normally takes place in late May or early June, with an extraordinary sitting (convocatoria extraordinaria) a few weeks later, in late June or July depending on the region. Check your region’s calendar early, because it shapes the whole of your final term.

How is the nota de acceso calculated, and how do you get up to 14?

Your final grade for university admission is built in two layers. The exact rules, including minimums and which subject choices count, can vary slightly by region and year, so use this as a general model and confirm the details locally.

1. Nota de acceso (out of 10): 60% of your bachillerato average plus 40% of your fase de acceso average. You generally need at least 4 in the fase de acceso average and at least 5 overall to pass and gain access to university.
2. Up to 4 extra points: each fase de admisión subject you pass with a 5 or more is multiplied by a weighting (ponderación), usually 0.1 or 0.2, set by each university for each degree. Only your best two weighted results count, so the maximum boost is 2 + 2 = 4 points. The core modalidad subject from the fase de acceso can often count here too.
3. Nota de admisión (up to 14): your nota de acceso plus those weighted points. Universities rank applicants by this number, and the nota de corte for each degree is simply the grade of the last student admitted the previous year.

A worked example: a student with a bachillerato average of 8.5 and a fase de acceso average of 7.5 has a nota de acceso of (0.6 × 8.5) + (0.4 × 7.5) = 5.1 + 3.0 = 8.1. If they score 8 in Biología and 7 in Química, both weighted at 0.2 for their degree, they add 1.6 + 1.4 = 3.0, for a nota de admisión of 11.1.

Two practical lessons follow. First, 60% of your nota de acceso comes from bachillerato itself, so your coursework in segundo matters as much as exam week. Second, the subjects you choose for the fase de admisión should match the ponderaciones of the degrees you want, not just the subjects you like. Look up the ponderación tables for your target universities before you decide.

Why should you use past exams from your own region?

Because the papers are written regionally, the most valuable resource you have is the archive of past exams (exámenes de años anteriores) from your own comunidad autónoma. Universities or coordinating bodies usually publish, for each subject:

• the past papers from the convocatoria ordinaria and extraordinaria;
• the criterios de corrección or soluciones, which show how marks are awarded question by question;
• the orientaciones or modelos, which describe the current structure and, since the 2025 reform, show sample papers in the new format.

The marking criteria are the hidden syllabus. They tell you, for example, whether a maths answer without justification earns partial credit, how much spelling and expression errors cost in Lengua, or what structure the examiners expect in a history essay. Reading them before you practise changes how you write your answers.

One caution: papers from before 2025 were written for the previous model, which often gave you a choice between two complete exams (opción A and opción B). The new papers tend to use more competency-based, applied questions and different forms of choice. Older papers are still excellent content practice, but use the current modelos to rehearse the format. If you are bilingual or studied part of your schooling abroad, also check which languages are available for the Lengua Extranjera paper in your region.

How should you plan segundo de bachillerato?

Segundo is short. Classes usually finish in May, and you are sitting the exam within a few weeks. The plan below assumes a typical school year with three evaluaciones; adjust the months to your own school and region.

If you start later, compress the first three rows into a few weeks: learn the rules, choose subjects and go straight to topic-based past questions. The final intensive weeks are the part you should never skip.

How do you study each type of paper?

Selectividad papers reward different skills, so a single study method will not work for all of them.

• Lengua Castellana y Literatura II: practise the text commentary and the language questions under time, and learn the literature topics in your region’s syllabus. Expression, structure and spelling are marked, so reread your answers against the criterios de corrección.
• Historia de España or Historia de la Filosofía: build short, structured summaries for each topic, then practise writing them from memory in timed conditions. For Filosofía, practise explaining and relating authors, not just memorising.
• Matemáticas II or Matemáticas Aplicadas a las CCSS II: work by topic (analysis, algebra, geometry or statistics depending on the subject) and always write the reasoning. Answers without justification often lose marks even when the result is right.
• Lengua Extranjera II (English): bilingual students often lose marks on format rather than language. Practise reading questions that require evidence from the text, and writing tasks to the exact word range and genre requested.
• Sciences and fase de admisión subjects: past questions by topic, then full papers. Learn the definitions and standard explanations examiners expect, and show units and steps in every calculation.

For broader revision habits that work in any system, see our guide on how to revise for A-levels, and for a look at another European school-leaving exam, the French baccalauréat revision guide.

What should your Selectividad checklist look like?

Use this list in the autumn of segundo and again in April to make sure nothing important has slipped.

1. Confirm what your region calls the exam this year, its subjects, dates and where you will sit it.
2. Write down your target degrees, universities, their notas de corte and the ponderaciones for each fase de admisión subject.
3. Choose your fase de admisión subjects based on those ponderaciones.
4. Download past papers, criterios de corrección and current modelos for every subject you will sit.
5. Keep an error log for each subject and review it weekly.
6. Complete at least two full timed papers per subject before exam week, using the current format.
7. Know the procedures your region publishes for reviewing a grade (solicitud de revisión) after results.

How much should you study each day?

During term, a realistic target is one focused hour on top of homework on school days, with longer weekend sessions, rather than late-night marathons that damage your school results. In the final weeks after classes end, most students move to full days, built around full papers in the morning and review in the afternoon. Treat the bachillerato average and the exam as one project: the 60/40 split means neglecting either one costs you.

If English is the paper you want to make effortless, short daily reading and writing practice helps more than cramming. Derstina’s English courses use timed practice, writing tasks and daily streaks for exactly that kind of steady work. If you are also thinking about studying abroad later, our guide to English requirements to study abroad explains which tests universities outside Spain ask for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the EBAU the same as Selectividad and the PAU?

Yes. Selectividad is the informal name for Spain’s university entrance exam. It was officially called the EBAU (or EvAU in some regions) from 2017, and after the LOMLOE reform most regions now call it the PAU, Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad. The name your region uses may differ, but the purpose and overall structure are the same.

What is the maximum grade in Selectividad?

The nota de acceso is out of 10, combining 60% of your bachillerato average with 40% of your fase de acceso average. The optional fase de admisión can add up to 4 more points from your best two weighted subjects, so the nota de admisión can reach 14. Exact rules can vary slightly by region and year, so check your comunidad autónoma’s official information.

Do I have to take the fase específica or fase de admisión?

No, it is optional. You only need it if you want to raise your grade above your nota de acceso, which matters for degrees with high notas de corte. Choose the subjects that carry a 0.2 ponderación for the degrees you are aiming at.

Where can I find past Selectividad exams for my region?

Each comunidad autónoma publishes its own past papers, usually on the website of its public universities or the commission that organises the PAU. Look for exámenes de años anteriores, criterios de corrección and modelos or orientaciones for each subject. Use the current modelos to practise the post-2025 format.

When should I start preparing for Selectividad?

Start at the beginning of segundo de bachillerato, by learning the rules, choosing subjects and adding past-paper questions to your normal study. Full timed papers matter most in the final six to eight weeks. Because 60% of the nota de acceso comes from bachillerato, doing well in school during the year is part of your preparation.

Can I retake Selectividad to improve my grade?

Yes, you can sit the exam again in a later convocatoria to try to improve your grade. How the new and old grades are combined, and how long fase de admisión results remain valid, are set by the regulations and your region, so check the official rules before you register.