How to improve your grade on PCE exams

To access university studies in Spain, several requirements must be met. As we already mentioned in How to study in Spain with foreign studies, will depend on the country of origin, the university, and the degree program they wish to pursue. However, there is one thing common to all students who wish to study at a public university in Spain: obtain a final grade that exceeds the cut-off mark for the degree. 

How does the access system to public universities in Spain work?

In short, you should know that the high school grade (homologated or validated) and the PCE (Spanish National Eligibility Tests) provide a final admission grade. This final grade will be the one used to apply for access to the chosen study and university. (You can find out how to calculate your grade through our PCE Grade Calculator).

This calculation process will be carried out by UNEDasiss and the university, which receives all applications received to study there. Once the registration process is complete, the university will rank them from highest to lowest score and award places accordingly. The grade of the student who obtains the last place will be the cut-off grade for that year for that course. 

For example, the Complutense University receives more than 2000 applications to access MedicineThere are only 200 places available each year, so the 200 highest-scoring applicants will be admitted. The rest will not be eligible.

It's important to note that it's possible to apply to multiple universities and several programs, which can increase your chances. However, if the cut-off score is usually 13 points for the degree you're applying for, and you have 9 points, don't expect miracles.

What happens if I can't access the study I want?

If you are unable to access the university program you desire, we offer several alternatives:

1. Request access to another study with a lower cut-off score. For example, applying for a place in Medicine and Nursing. They're two different programs, but in some ways they're part of the same field and could be an alternative. The idea is to study Medicine, but it might be somewhat difficult or mathematically impossible.
2. Apply for admission to a private university. Since there are no cut-off marks for most of them, it's possible to get in by passing the exams. However, the annual tuition fee makes it a very difficult option, affordable for very few families.
3. Try to raise the final grade. This case is perhaps the best way to achieve this goal. It involves retaking the exams, or some of them, improving the final grade and reaching the top of the application list.

Some headlines from various newspapers indicating the problem of the impossibility of accessing the studies one desires

How can I improve my university entrance score?

If you choose to improve your final grade, the steps to follow would be:

1. Check if the desired study can be accessed mathematically. This point should be addressed before taking the PCE exams for the first time. Many students are unfamiliar with the system and fall into the trap of studying to get into something they can't possibly get into. This is due to their basic high school grade, which in many cases can count up to 50% of their final grade. In short, prior counseling is necessary to understand the realistic possibilities and focus on a strategy.
2. Know and calculate whether it is necessary to take all the exams or just a few. "Repeating" the PCE exams may be the saving grace. But you may not have to redo everything. Specific subjects may add up to enough to be taken only for those subjects. Or the problem may be the core subjects, requiring you to take all of them. This once again highlights the importance of having the best coverage and guidance, as some students, unwittingly, retake all of their subjects in a new UNEDasiss exam session.
3. Choose when to retake the exams. It is very important to know the timing, That is, in which call you will want to apply again:
   • If you have taken the regular exam, it's very advantageous to take the extraordinary exam in September. You may only need to take a few subjects, as UNEDasiss stores services and exams, allowing for improvements with minimal changes.
   • If you only took the September special exam and want to improve your grade, you'll have to wait until the following year's regular exam. In that case, even if UNEDasiss saves grades, there may be subject configurations that may not count, and you may have to retake the entire exam.

Problems that usually arise when deciding to raise your grade

Below, as an exclusive PCE preparation academy, we show some of the mistakes that occur when deciding to raise a grade:

• The subjects have not been chosen well. Many students and/or families do not configure their subjects correctly, subtracting points or not adding what they should.
• The access services have not been well chosen. When registering, it is important to choose the UNEDasiss services correctly, depending on the course of study and the destination university.
• It has not been studied properly. Here we indicate several situations:
  • There are no adequate resources.
  • There is no study habit.
  • There is no good foundation.
  • From Escuela PCE We have a specific course to raise your grade: Open University Course. With this preparation, the student is guaranteed complete coverage, both academically and strategically. 
• Wait until the following year to reapply. Unless you only applied for the September exam, it's always recommended to apply again the same year. As we've mentioned, this is to improve the services offered, but also because the previous exam is more recent.
• Not choosing the right subjects to raise your grade. We have discussed this previously, where it is possible that presenting a few may be sufficient.
• There is no strategy. It's common to see situations like this example. A student needs an extra point and decides to retake specific subjects in which they earned a 9,6 and a 5,3. In this case, it would be best not to take the 9,6 subject (it's very difficult to beat that grade) and instead focus on trying to raise the 5,3.

Quick FAQ

• Can you improve your grade for college? Yes, any student who wishes to raise their grade can do so.
• Do I have to take all the subjects or just the specific ones? It depends on the situation. Sometimes it's just the specific subjects, sometimes just the core subjects, and sometimes all subjects.
• Do I have to repeat high school? No, it is neither necessary nor possible.
• What happens if I don't get the grade mathematically? Well, opt for another study or go to a private university.
• Can I repeat the PCE Selectividad exam several years later? PCE scores are only valid for two years. The idea is that you can submit a partial grade increase in the same year.