The university entrance exam (PAU) models for the Community of Madrid for the 2025-2026 academic year were published a few days ago, and as expected, they include new modifications to those made in the previous year. These changes to the 2026 Madrid PAU affect both the general criteria and the structure of the exams for some subjects. The guidelines established by the Student Affairs Committee of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), agreed upon at their meeting in May of this year, have driven this reform.
Its main objective is to promote the harmonization of university entrance exams throughout Spain, and further changes are expected in the coming years to achieve this goal. Below, we review what is changing, what remains the same, how the subjects are being adapted, and what can be expected from the university entrance exams in the coming years.
Reform of the general correction criteria
With the aim of moving towards a university entrance exam system that is harmonized with the rest of Spain and more consistent with the competency-based education model of the LOMLOE (Organic Law for the Modification of the Organic Law on Education), it has been established that a minimum of 20% of the questions must contain content of this nature. However, based on sample exams, we have observed that this minimum falls far short of reality for some subjects, where competency-based content reaches up to 70% of the exam.
In other words, exams are evolving towards a student assessment model that uses questions to evaluate not only the ability to perform the exercise, but also the student's understanding of the underlying theoretical concepts and their capacity to express their reasoning or interpretation. Therefore, as in previous years, special emphasis is placed on the structure, coherence, presentation, and correct spelling and grammar of the answers. New this year, the overall neatness and presentation of the exam will have a quantifiable value: a test with a confusing or illegible presentation may receive a penalty of up to 0,25 points from the total grade.
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 the significant increase in optional questions in the exam. This began last year with a single model, including some non-optional questions and a horizontal selection process organized by thematic blocks. This year, the number of optional questions will be further reduced, remaining at a minimum of 50% of the exam. This will require students to prepare the syllabus more thoroughly and avoid selectively choosing which topics to study, as they might be asked which ones to include.
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.
- Regime 3: the remaining subjects will deduct 0,1 points per fault from 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 mentioned, the changes for the 2026 university entrance exams have affected not only the general marking criteria but also the exam format. The subjects most affected have been Mathematics II and Spanish Language and Literature, where the structural changes have been drastic, and new approaches have even been introduced that address parts of the syllabus differently.
Secondly, subjects like English and Geography have undergone minor changes aimed at reducing the number of electives, and finally, subjects like Business and Business Models, Philosophy, and Spanish History have remained completely unchanged. Below, we will discuss in detail the most significant changes to 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 exam model, section 1 focused on a single text, requiring students to provide a commentary, identify the theme, analyze its linguistic characteristics and text type, write a summary, and finally, write an argumentative essay related to the text. In 2026, the format is completely updated: two shorter texts are offered, from which students must choose one. The overall scoring for this section is adjusted. The commentary retains 2 points, the summary is reduced to 0,6 points, and the argumentative essay is increased to 1,4 points, reinforcing the importance of critical analysis over length. Furthermore, the maximum length of the summary and commentary is significantly reduced, encouraging 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.
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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.
At the Luis Vives Study Center, we've analyzed this year's exam models and are confident we'll use them to prepare our students for this new teaching paradigm. If you also need help tackling the course content and want to prepare for the university entrance exams, we encourage you to take a look at our courses, where we'll ensure you not only learn the material but also know how to approach the practice exercises.
