University entrance exams begin in Catalonia

The university entrance exams began on Tuesday morning in Catalonia.

42,535 students have been called to take the exams, a record number for the third year in a row.

The exams, which last three days, are divided into two phases: the general and the specific.

The general phase is compulsory and consists of five exams. The specific is voluntary to improve their marks, students can take up to three more subjects to choose from 23, depending on the mode of high school they attended.

Although this year's exams maintain their general structure, there is one important change: in the Catalan and Spanish language tests, students will have to answer two of the four questions asked.

Two of these questions will be the usual questions to control the obligatory lectures, and the other two will be more competency-based questions, following the new school curriculum.

With this change, students will be able to avoid the compulsory readings of the tests. 

Of the total number of students who will take the test, most are in the Barcelona area, 32,344, Girona, 3,748, Lleida, 2,419 and Tarragona, 4,024.

The exams began on Tuesday morning with Spanish language and literature, followed by foreign language at noon and specific exams at 3 pm.

"It was not very complicated," Xavier Boada, from the Altafulla high school near Tarragona, said to the Catalan News Agency (ACN) after exiting from the exam.

"I think the exam went great, I thought it was easier than the exams I took in school, as our teacher was very tough and set very difficult exams," Camila Duarte, from the Sagrat Cor school in Tarragona, said among the approval of their colleagues.

On Wednesday, the first exam will be History or Philosophical History, followed by the common subject exam depending on the type of high school attended, and in the afternoon again specific subjects. 

On the last day, at 9 am there is the Catalan language and literature exam, followed by a subject of choice, and in the afternoon more specific subjects.