The Community of Madrid's University Entrance Exam (PAU) models for the 2025-2026 academic year were published a few days ago, and as expected, new modifications have been included compared to those already made in the previous session. These new changes to the 2026 Madrid University Entrance Exam (PAU) affect both the general criteria and the structure of the exams for some subjects. The guidelines set by the Student Affairs Committee of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), agreed upon at its meeting in May of this year, have driven this reform. Its main objective is to promote the harmonization of the university entrance exam throughout Spain, and it is expected that further changes will be made in the coming years to achieve this goal. Below, we review what has changed, what has remained the same, how the subjects have been adapted, and what can be expected from the PAU in the coming years.
With the goal of moving toward a university entrance exam that is harmonized with the rest of Spain and more consistent with the competency-based teaching of the LOMLOE (Spanish Official Spanish Language Training), a minimum of 20% of the questions must contain content of this nature. However, we have seen from the models that this minimum is far from reality for some subjects, where competency-based content accounts for up to 70% of the exam. In other words, exams are evolving toward an assessment of students with questions that assess, in addition to knowing how to complete the exercise, their understanding of the underlying theoretical concepts and their ability to express their reasoning or interpretation. Therefore, as last year, special emphasis is placed on the structure, coherence, presentation, and correct spelling and grammar of the answers. As a new feature, this year the overall cleanliness and presentation of the exam acquire a quantifiable value: a test with confusing or illegible presentation may receive a penalty of up to 0,25 points on the total score.
In other words, in addition to responding in a reasoned, organized, and coherent manner, you must do so with legible handwriting and an orderly flow, avoiding crossed-out or blurred answers that make reading difficult.
Another important point to highlight is that optional exercises have been largely implemented. This began last year with a single model, including some non-optional exercises and horizontal selection by thematic blocks. This year, this optionality will be further reduced, remaining at a minimum of 50% of the exam. This forces students to prepare the syllabus more thoroughly and avoid selecting content when studying, as they might be asked which one.
However, it's not all bad news. The grading system for the exams has changed its scale. Starting with this session, partial and final scores are expressed in multiples of 0,1 points, replacing the quarter-point system. This change ensures a more detailed and precise evaluation and prevents even minor errors from being penalized more severely than they should be. Furthermore, each exercise must maintain the weighting established in its official model, so that students know the weight that the approach, development, and result have on the final grade. This aims to standardize criteria among evaluators and ensure that the grade accurately reflects the student's level of reasoning and comprehension.
Another piece of good news is that, although the spelling penalty remains generally identical to the 2025 exam period, the calculation for non-language subjects has been simplified. This means that these penalties are divided into three categories:
- System 1: In Spanish Language and Literature, 0,25 points will continue to be deducted for spelling or grammatical errors after the second error, up to a maximum of 2 points per exam.
- System 2: For foreign languages (such as English), Latin, and Greek, the criteria remain the same as in the previous session. In this case, 0,1 points will be deducted for spelling or grammatical errors starting with the second mistake, up to a maximum of 1 point per exam.
- System 3: The remaining subjects will be deducted 0,1 points for each absence starting with the third one, up to a maximum of one point per exam.
System 3 is the only one that has changed, softening the penalties for all subjects within it. By increasing the number of spelling or grammatical errors that are "forgiven" before points are deducted and reducing the penalty, the added stress already generated by the subject itself is reduced. Furthermore, this penalty will only be applied to the written text.
Changes to the structure of some PAU Madrid 2026 exams
As we already mentioned, the changes for the 2026 university entrance exams have not only affected the general marking criteria but also the exam format. The most affected subjects have been Mathematics II and Spanish Language and Literature, where the structure has been drastic and even new approaches have been included that address parts of the syllabus differently. Secondly, subjects such as English and Geography have undergone minor changes aimed at reducing the number of optional subjects. Finally, subjects such as Business and Business Models, Philosophy, and Spanish History have remained unchanged. Below, we will discuss in detail the most significant changes in the most affected subjects.
Changes to the Spanish Language and Literature exam
The Spanish Language and Literature II exam for the 2026 Madrid University Entrance Exam (PAU) is, without a doubt, the one that has undergone the most changes compared to the previous session. The changes affect both the general structure and the format of the questions and the distribution of points, reflecting a more competency-based, comprehensive, and argumentative approach.
In the 2025 model, Block 1 of the exam focused on a single text, requiring a commentary, identification of the theme, an analysis of its linguistic characteristics and textual typology, a summary, and, finally, an argumentative essay related to the proposed text. In 2026, the format was completely updated: two shorter texts were offered, from which the student must choose one. The overall score for the block was adjusted. The commentary retains 2 points, the summary reduces its weight to 0,6 points, and the argumentative text increases to 1,4 points, reinforcing the importance of critical analysis over length. Furthermore, the maximum length of the summary and commentary was considerably reduced, favoring more concise, well-structured responses focused on argumentation.
Block 2, previously called Reflection on Language, is now officially called Reflection on Language, Language, and Its Speakers. This section introduces changes in both the structure and the type of questions. In the syntax section, instead of choosing between two sentences for analysis, the student must choose between a phrase or a new alternative exercise focusing on minimal pairs and reverse syntax. The objective is to assess understanding of the structural functioning of language, not just the mechanical application of analysis. In the morphology section, the format is also expanded. Two of three exercises are now chosen, which may include not only the morphological analysis of words but also questions about language use, language phenomena such as bilingualism or dysglossia, etc. The goal is for students to demonstrate a broader command of the linguistic system and how it functions in real-life contexts.
Finally, Block 3, dedicated to literature, changes its approach. Until 2025, the subject was required to develop a literary theme or historical movement, choosing between two options. In 2026, the optional subject remains, but the format is more applied: students can choose between explaining a literary movement or analyzing a text belonging to one of them, justifying which literary movement it belongs to based on its characteristics. This change seeks to measure the ability to identify stylistic features and argue with literary criteria, rather than limiting it to the memorized exposition of content.
Overall, the new Spanish Language and Literature II exam strengthens synthesis skills, expressive clarity, and linguistic and literary reasoning. Students will be expected to write less, but think more. Each answer will require precision, cohesion, and theoretical foundation, in line with the competency-based approach that will guide future entrance exams.
Changes to the Mathematics II PAU Madrid 2026 exam
Starting in 2026, the Mathematics II exam for the University Entrance Exam (PAU) in Madrid will feature a structure of seven exercises divided into three blocks, with a more elaborate system of optional subjects than in previous years. The exam remains 90 minutes long and has a maximum score of 10 points, but the way students select exercises and manage their time will determine their final grade.
The first block includes three mandatory exercises, although one of them introduces internal optionality between sections. For example, in this year's official model, the first exercise contains a common Section A and two Section B, from which the student must choose one. This design assesses both the student's understanding of concepts and their ability to make decisions when faced with a path choice: one option could be more complicated or longer than another.
The second and third blocks feature complete horizontal electives, meaning that students can choose which exercise to complete within each block. However, in both cases, the questions are grouped by topic area, ensuring that the student always chooses between exercises with the same type of content. This maintains a balance between freedom and fairness in the assessment, while ensuring coverage of all areas of the syllabus.
The exam's subject distribution has also been adjusted. Mathematical Analysis will represent approximately 40% of the grade, followed by Algebra (20%), Probability and Statistics (20%), and Geometry (20%). This distribution consolidates the trend of recent years, with an increasing emphasis on analytical and probabilistic content over purely algebraic content.
Regarding marking, the subject falls under the third penalty spelling regime, meaning that 0,10 points will be deducted for spelling or grammatical errors starting with the third exam, with a maximum of one point per exam. However, as was the case in 2025, presentation, clarity of the intermediate steps, and the structuring of the exercises will be determining factors in the final grade. Students must present data in an orderly manner, justify their procedures, and verify the consistency of their results, as the grade will assess both mathematical accuracy and the quality of their reasoning.
In short, the new model for the Mathematics II PAU Madrid 2026 exam combines technical rigor with less freedom of choice. Its structure seeks to assess not only content mastery but also the ability to argue, organize, and present work clearly and precisely—aspects that will carry more weight than ever in the final grade this year.
What will happen in the future?
The changes to the Madrid University Entrance Exam models in 2026 have been driven by the directive to harmonize the exam throughout the country and by the competency-based nature of the LOMLOE (Local Administrative and Exam Examination). These changes are summarized in the search for exam models that are more focused on reasoned practice and on students being able to demonstrate the knowledge acquired and their ability to transmit it. Therefore, it is expected that further changes will appear in the coming years following these guidelines, increasing the competency-based content, with structure and coherence taking on increasing importance, and reducing optionality.
From the Luis Vives study center we have analyzed This year's models And we are confident that we will use them to prepare our students for this new teaching paradigm. If you also need help addressing the subject content and want to prepare for the University Entrance Exam (PAU), we encourage you to take a look at our courses where we will ensure that you not only learn the content but also know how to tackle the exercises.
