The PAPs are not recovering: four out of ten aspiring teachers fail the tests.

BarcelonaThe scores on the Teacher Aptitude Tests (PAP) continue to decline. Only 58% of students who took the test this year to access a university degree in early childhood or primary education passed. The pass rate is only one point higher than last year (57%) and means that four out of ten aspiring teachers will have failed the 2025 aptitude tests. A situation that has been repeated in recent years.

This year's PAPs, held just a few weeks ago, saw 4,739 students take the test (although 5,053 had initially enrolled), and of these, only 2,752 obtained a pass grade. Regarding the educational backgrounds of aspiring teachers, 61.9% of students completing their baccalaureate and taking the PAPs passed, while this percentage has dropped to 35.5% for students from higher vocational training (FP) courses.

The PAPs consist of two exams: one on communicative competence and critical reasoning, and another on logical-mathematical competence. The grade for these tests is either "pass" or "fail," and once passed, they are valid indefinitely. It should be noted that, in addition to passing the aptitude test, students wishing to pursue a degree in education will also have to pass and obtain the required grade in the university entrance exams, which will be held on June 11, 12, and 13.

However, those who have not passed the PAPs can retake the exam in the second round scheduled for July 16. In their case, although they can also take the university entrance exam in June, they will have to wait until the September pre-registration period to enroll in a degree program or choose to study at a private university.

Which universities require the test?

After the disarray of recent years, in which private universities had broken their consensus on requiring the PAP for graduating with a degree in education in some academic years, this year was the first in which the new agreement reached by the Interuniversity Council of Catalonia was implemented, which establishes that all students wishing to graduate with a degree in education must pass the PAP.

However, not all faculties require it at the same time: at public universities (UB, UAB, UdL, URV, and UdG) and at the UOC, the PAP must be passed in order to be admitted to the degree. Therefore, it must be passed before beginning studies. In contrast, sources from the Ministry of Research and Universities detail that at private universities (UVic-UCC, URL, UIC, and UAO), "a more flexible access process was introduced." Thus, at private universities, the PAP can be passed before starting the degree or during the first academic year. That is, all students must pass it before moving on to their second year.

"In all cases, however, passing the public examination remains an essential requirement for graduation," the department insists. They also point out that, as this is the first year of this new agreement, "monitoring is being done to evaluate its implementation as well as the results obtained."