Humanities and natural sciences
Tests are organised in biology, ethics, philosophy, physics, history, chemistry, geography, psychology, health education, religion and social studies. A candidate may take a maximum of two tests in humanities and natural sciences during a single examination round.
Read the regulations and guidelines for the tests in humanities and natural sciences
Structure of the tests
The tests consist of parts that differ in task types and level of difficulty. The tests also include interdisciplinary tasks, and the tasks may include materials. Depending on the subject, there are 9–11 tasks, of which the candidate chooses 5–7 to answer. The maximum score is 120.
The structure of a test in humanities and natural sciences can be described in a modular way as shown below (Figure 1). The wording of the tasks provides indications of the level of competence the task is intended to assess. The number of modules may vary between examination rounds. Achievement of the learning objectives is assessed using Bloom’s taxonomy and its revised version (Krathwohl–Anderson) (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Modular structure of the test in humanities and natural sciences.
Figure 2. Bloom’s taxonomy and the Krathwohl–Anderson revision.
What is assessed in the tests?
The tests assess knowledge of the contents of the general upper secondary school curriculum and maturity in subject mastery. Maturity is demonstrated, for example, by:
- independent command of knowledge and skills
- information processing skills
- structuring of the answer
- analysis of causes and effects
- justification of claims
- appropriate use of materials and given tools
- placing knowledge in a broader context
- the ability to distinguish facts from opinions