Students across Catalonia reacted strongly to the university entrance mathematics exam for the PAU on 10 June, with some describing the paper as “horrible”, “the worst” and “criminal”. Reports from examination centres said many students were visibly upset, with some close to tears.
Teachers who reviewed the paper said the main problem was not the calculations themselves, but the wording. They said the exam was not especially difficult in terms of operations, but that the questions were hard to understand because of their complex phrasing.
Eva Aventín, a secondary school mathematics teacher and exam corrector, said the most difficult part was reading comprehension. She said the paper included “many little things” that would make it hard for students to achieve a perfect score of 10.
The reaction has renewed concern about how university entrance exams are written and whether the language used is clear enough for candidates. For more Catalonia-wide education coverage, see our news page.
The PAU, or University Access Tests, are a key step for students seeking university places in Catalonia. The complaints this year suggest that clarity in exam wording remains a live issue for students and teachers alike.