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This Monday, a new chapter in the admissions phase for university education in Chile began to unfold. This time, it was called PAES (Higher Education Access Test).
During the first day, students will attend the PAES Mathematical Competence 2 (M2) exam, on Tuesday it will be the turn of the PAES Reading Competence and the elective PAES of Science, while on Wednesday: PAES Mathematical Competence 1 (M1) and the elective PAES of History and Social Sciences.
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The current format has been in force in the country since 2022, since prior to this test the University Transition Test (PDT) was developed, which was a transition from the University Selection Test (PSU).
The latter was administered from 2003 until its elimination in 2020, succeeding the Academic Aptitude Test (PAA), which was used in Chile between 1966 and 2002.
Andrés Goycoolea, historian and content assistant for Cultural Extension at the Universidad de los Andes, points out that the first formal admission method that existed in Chile was the baccalaureate, established in 1850. This system was characterized by the fact that applicants had to pass subjects such as mother tongue, foreign language, and history and geography of Chile.
“This system remained in force until the beginning of the 20th century, when the baccalaureate began, from the 1920s, a gradual decline due to the interference of politics in the selection system. In particular, during the first presidency of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (1927-1931), this situation led to an internal crisis at the University of Chile, rector and architect of this system, manifesting itself in the succession of four rectors in a few years,” adds the latter.
The evolution of university admission systems in Chile reflects not only the pedagogical and curricular changes in the country's educational policies, but also the State's constant commitment to adapt access to higher education to the country's social and academic needs. "From high school to PAES, each stage has been an effort to balance quality, inclusion and equity, ensuring that more young people can fulfill their dream of entering university," says Goycoolea.
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