University Selection Test-PSU in Chile
The
universitySelection Test (
In Spanish: Prueba de Seleccion Universitaria, or PSU) is a standardized tests required to be taken in order to gain admission into the
university studies in Chile. Students after the completion of the secondary
education must undertake the PSU exam for entry into the
higher education in Chile. The
university Selection Test is prepared and organized by the Department of Evaluation, Measurement and
educational Registry
(el Departamento de Evaluacion, Medicion y Registro Educacional, or DEMRE) that
works under the University of Chile (la Universidad de Chile).
The University Selection Test comprises of 3 compulsory test and 2 electives.
Compulsory tests are:
- Mathematics
- Language and communication
Elective tests are:
- Science that covers physics, biology and chemistry;
- Geography, History and Social Sciences
Candidates must undertake the compulsory and at least 1 elective test depending on the programme they wish to go for at the university level. The PSU score requirement varies from institution to institution. The universities in Chile set their own score requirement.
Eligibility Criteria
Students who have completed their secondary
education are eligible to take the PSU test.
Registration
PSU Structure
Compulsory Tests
Language and Communication
- No. of questions: 80
- Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes
PSU Mathematics
This test is a mathematical reasoning test where reasoning skills and general mathematical methods for solving the problem are used.
- No. of questions: 80
- Duration: 2 hours and 40 minutes
- Type of question: Multiple-choice with 5 choices
Elective Subject Tests
PSU History, Geography and Social Sciences
- No. of questions: 80
- Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes
PSU Science
The PSU Science test comprises of chemistry, biology, physics and technical-professional subjects.
- No. of questions: 80 in each science module
To know in detail about the content/syllabus for the test, click
here.
Scoring and Results
Standard scale scores: A common scale of 150 to 850 points is used, with an average of 500 points and standard deviation of 110 points. A corrected score (PC) is taken out by adding up all the correct answers. The standard score helps to compare scores with each other.
Based on the score points, percentile is given. The percentile is the value below which there is a certain percentage of the population.