Study guide for the 2026 university entrance exam: techniques, planning and resources

The selectividad -- or EBAU (university entrance exam in Spain) -- is for many people the first truly important exam of their lives. The grades count, the pressure is real and the result determines which degree and which university you can get into. It is normal to feel that a lot is at stake.

With good planning and the right study techniques, your entrance exam score will depend far more on how you prepare than on how smart you are.

But the selectividad is also a predictable exam. The formats are known, the syllabuses are defined and years of past papers are available.

This guide gives you a concrete plan for preparing effectively.

Key dates for 2026

The exact dates are published by each autonomous community, but the general calendar usually follows this pattern:

• Ordinary sitting: first or second week of June 2026.
• Extraordinary sitting: first or second week of July 2026.
• Ordinary results: end of June.
• Extraordinary results: second half of July.
• University pre-registration period: varies by region, generally between June and July.

Always check the official dates for your autonomous community, as they can vary slightly between regions.

Exam structure

The EBAU consists of two phases:

Compulsory phase (access)

Four compulsory exams:

• Spanish Language and Literature (or co-official language, depending on the community).
• History of Spain (or History of Philosophy, depending on community and choice).
• Foreign Language (usually English).
• Core subject by pathway (depends on your track: Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Latin, etc.).

Each exam is scored from 0 to 10. The average of these four exams forms the access phase score.

Voluntary phase (admission)

You can sit up to four additional subjects to raise your score (maximum 4 extra points on top of 10). Only your two best scores count, weighted according to the degree you are applying for.

Key point: your choice of voluntary subjects should align with the degree you want. Each university publishes the weightings: a subject can be weighted at 0.1 or 0.2 depending on the degree. The difference between 0.1 and 0.2 can be decisive.

How the access score is calculated

The formula is:

Access score = (60% bachillerato average) + (40% compulsory phase score)

The maximum score without the voluntary phase is 10. With the voluntary phase, it can reach 14.

This means your bachillerato grade carries more weight than the entrance exam itself. If you arrive with a strong transcript, the pressure of selectividad is lower. If you need to compensate, the voluntary phase is your opportunity.

Month-by-month planning

September-December: foundations

You are still in your final year of bachillerato, so the main focus is classes. But you can start laying groundwork:

Organise your material. Be clear about the syllabus for each subject. Know what is included in selectividad and what is not (it does not always match everything covered in class).

Start a review system. Do not wait until May to review. Each week, dedicate one or two sessions to reviewing what you studied in previous weeks. Flashcards with spaced repetition are perfect for this. If you want to understand why, we have an article on the science behind flashcards.

Take an old entrance exam. Not to get a good score, but to see the format, the level of difficulty and what kinds of questions they ask. Knowing what you are facing reduces anxiety.

Identify your weak points. If there is a subject you struggle with, it is better to start working on it now than to attempt a sprint in May.

January-March: consolidation

This is the term where you start to see who is preparing seriously.

Keep up with classwork but review earlier material. Do not arrive at May having forgotten the first term. Dedicate at least 30% of your study time to reviewing topics already covered.

Start doing partial exams. Not the full paper, but thematic blocks. If you have finished the Spanish Civil War topic in History, do an exam just on that block. ExamFlow lets you generate exams on specific topics, which is ideal for this phase.

Define your voluntary phase strategy. Research which degrees interest you, what the cut-off scores were last year and which subjects carry the highest weighting. This decision affects which subjects you should invest more effort in.

Optimise your study method. If until now you have only been re-reading notes, it is time to incorporate active techniques. The Pomodoro method combined with active recall is a proven combination that makes a difference.

April-May: intensification

The two months before the exam are the most productive if you have done the groundwork. If not, they are the most stressful.

Finish covering all content. By early May you should have seen all the material at least once. May is for reviewing and practising, not for learning new things.

Weekly mocks. Do at least one full mock per week under real conditions: same time, same format, no notes. Mark each mock and analyse your errors. To know which specific mistakes to watch for, check our guide on mistakes that can cost you your EBAU score.

Intensive flashcard review. For data you need to memorise (dates in History, formulas in Maths, vocabulary in English), flashcards with spaced repetition are the most efficient method.

In the final weeks before the exam, the ratio should be 20% reading and 80% practice: exams, active recall and flashcards.

Reduce new study, increase practice. It is no longer time to learn new things -- it is time to consolidate what you know.

Final week: maintenance

Do not study new material. If you do not know it a week before the exam, you will not learn it in seven days. Trying only generates anxiety.

Review outlines and summaries. Go through your outlines for each topic to refresh the general structure. No need to go deep -- just keep the mental map fresh.

Do a light mock. Two or three days before, do one last mock without pressure. The goal is to maintain rhythm, not discover last-minute gaps.

Rest. The night before the exam, do not study. Have a good dinner, do something relaxing and sleep as many hours as you need. Your performance depends more on arriving rested than on reviewing one more topic.

Study techniques by subject

Each subject has its own particularities. You do not study History the same way you study Maths.

Spanish Language and Literature

Text commentary. This carries the most weight and is the part that can be improved most with practice. Practise commentaries with a fixed framework: contextualisation, theme, structure, stylistic devices, personal opinion. The more you practise, the more automatic the process becomes.

Literature. This is memorisation content: authors, works, movements, characteristics. Flashcards are ideal here. Create cards like "Characteristics of Romanticism" or "Main works of the Generation of '27".

Syntax and morphology. Pure practice. Do syntactic analyses daily, even if just two or three sentences. Fluency in syntax comes from repetition.

History of Spain

Chronology. You need a solid timeline. Before memorising details, make sure you understand the order of major periods and events.

Topic development. Exams usually ask you to develop a topic (e.g. "The Second Republic: reforms and conflicts"). Practise writing developments with a timer: 40-50 minutes per topic. The typical structure is: context, chronological development, consequences, conclusion.

Historical sources. Some exams include analysis of documents or texts. Practise identifying the type of source, the context and the main ideas.

Mathematics

Problems, problems, problems. The only way to prepare Maths is by doing problems. Understanding the theory is not enough; you need to automate the procedures.

Classify problem types. Each block (analysis, algebra, geometry, probability) has recurring problem types. Identify the patterns and practise each type until it is mechanical.

Past papers. In Maths more than any other subject, past papers are your best resource. Problem types repeat with variations.

Formulas. Make a formula sheet and review it with flashcards until they are automatic. Do not waste exam time trying to remember a formula.

English

Reading comprehension. Practise with B2-level texts. Read a text, close it and answer comprehension questions. Then verify.

Writing. Practise essays of 150-200 words with a timer. Learn connectors (however, furthermore, in addition, nevertheless) and structures that give you versatility.

Grammar. Grammatical errors are the most heavily penalised. Review the usual weak points: verb tenses, conditionals, reported speech, passive voice.

Vocabulary. Flashcards with B2-level words and expressions. Learn words in context, not as isolated lists.

Pathway and voluntary subjects

The strategy depends on the subject, but the general principle is the same: understand first, memorise second, practise always. Whether it is Physics, Economics, Biology or Philosophy, the combination of deep understanding and exam practice is what produces results.

Stress management

The pressure of the entrance exam is real but manageable. Moderate stress improves performance; excessive stress destroys it. The line between the two depends on your preparation and your emotional management.

Normalise anxiety

Everyone who sits the exam feels anxiety. It is a normal response to an important situation. Do not try to eliminate it -- learn to function with it.

Preparation reduces anxiety

The best weapon against stress is confidence in your preparation. If you have followed a plan, done mocks and know the format, you arrive at the exam knowing you have done what you could. That certainty reduces anxiety more than any relaxation technique.

Practical techniques for exam day

4-7-8 breathing. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Repeat 3-4 times before starting the exam. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system and reduces the physiological stress response.

Read the whole exam before you start. Spend 2-3 minutes reading all the questions without writing anything. This lets you plan your time and start with what you know best, which builds confidence.

Do not discuss the previous exam. Between exams, do not ask others what they answered. If you discover you got something wrong, it affects your mood for the next paper. Discuss it afterwards, when they are all done.

Exercise as a regulator

Physical exercise is the most effective stress regulator there is. Do not abandon it in the weeks before the exam. Even 20 minutes of walking or a short workout has a significant effect on your mood and cognitive capacity.

Sleep

Studying 6 hours and sleeping 8 produces better retention than studying 10 hours and sleeping 4.

Sleeping less to study more is one of the worst decisions you can make. Memory consolidation happens during sleep, especially during REM phases.

How to use AI tools to prepare

AI study tools are a resource that previous generations did not have. Used well, they significantly accelerate preparation.

Practice exam generation

Instead of relying on past papers from previous sittings (which are limited), you can generate unlimited exams on any topic from your syllabus. ExamFlow lets you upload your notes and generate multiple-choice or written questions adapted to your material. This is especially useful for subjects where few published exams exist.

If you want to see how it works in detail, we have an article on how ExamFlow generates exams from your notes.

Automatic summaries and outlines

When you have little time and a lot of syllabus, generating automatic summaries from your notes saves hours. They do not replace making your own summaries (which is a learning exercise in itself), but they are a good starting point that you can personalise.

Flashcards for memorisation

For concrete data (dates, formulas, vocabulary, authors), flashcards generated automatically from your material remove the bottleneck of creating them manually.

What AI does not replace

AI does not replace understanding. If you do not understand a concept, an AI-generated exam will not explain it to you. These tools complement your study -- they do not substitute it. Understand first, then practise with the tools.

Tips for exam day

The night before

• Prepare everything you need: ID, pens (bring spares), calculator if allowed, water, something to eat.
• Do not study anything new. If you want, review your outlines for 30 minutes, but no more.
• Set multiple alarms. The stress of thinking "I might oversleep" does not let you rest properly.

During the exam

• Manage your time. Before writing, decide how long to spend on each question. If you have been on a 2-point question for 20 minutes, stop and move on.
• Start with what you know. Answering the first questions well builds confidence and reduces stress.
• Answer everything. In most entrance exam formats, blank answers score zero. If you are unsure, write something structured and reasoned. Partial is better than nothing.
• Review if you have time. Use the last 5-10 minutes to reread your answers. Silly mistakes (mixing up a name, forgetting a unit, a calculation error) are caught during review.

Between exams

• Eat something even if you are not hungry. Your brain needs glucose.
• Do not compulsively review for the next exam. If you have prepared, you know it. If not, 20 minutes between exams will not make the difference.
• Breathe. Move. Talk about anything that is not the previous exam.

Conclusion

The university entrance exam is important but predictable. With a study plan that starts early, active study techniques (active recall, spaced repetition, mocks), good stress management and the right tools, you can arrive at the exam with the confidence of knowing you have done everything in your power.

Do not wait until April to start preparing. The best time to start is now, regardless of which month you are reading this. Every week of head start counts.

If you want the practice side to be automatic, create your ExamFlow account and start generating exams and flashcards from your own notes. It is the most direct way to go from reading to practising -- which is where real learning happens.