Pau

Spain prepared thousands of young people for university by passing the PAU. Four out of ten ended up doing a vocational training degree

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Every July the same scene of thousands of teenagers leaving school is repeated. any of the exams of what was once called Selectivity and, for now, is known as the University Access Test (PAU). For decades, this ritual almost always ended at the same door: the a university. However, in recent years something has changed. The students who take this test no longer do so trusting that your future is assured after a university degree and no longer see Vocational Training as the way out for those who do not want to study. The twist that no one announced. For years, passing the PAU and not going to university was experienced almost as a failure. A waste of talent. Today that stigma has been broken. According to the report Education Panorama 2025prepared by the OECD, 39% of those who enter the economy for the first time Spanish higher education They do so through a higher degree vocational training cycle and only 47% opt for the university route. The figure more than doubles the organization’s average, where only 16% choose this route and 78% go directly to university. These percentages undoubtedly represent a change in mentality more than a statistical anecdote. The FP is no longer the “ugly duckling” of the educational system in Spain. The figures that support the change. According to the latest data collected by the Ministry of Education in the report Vocational Training Student Statistics 2024-2025there has been an increase of 23.5% in the student body in the previous five years, especially highlighting the number of students enrolled in higher grades, which receive 29.8% more students. The contrast with Europe is striking. In Spain, higher vocational training as a gateway to higher education is 33.3%, tripling the European Union average, which remains at 10%. This shift towards training oriented towards learning a profession responds to a specific request that comes from companies. Why young people choose FP and university. According to the report ‘Infoempleo Adecco 2024: Job supply and demand in Spain‘, 47% of the job offers published in Spain, asked for some vocational training degree. It is a figure that grows every year and that begins to compete face to face with the requirement of a university education. Marisa Bermejo, director of Sanitas Campus FP Madrid, declared to The Spanish that “After PAU, young people have to understand that there are several ways to get into a profession.” And he adds that vocational training “allows the development of technical skills from an early stage.” According to data From the Ministry of Education, the employability of Vocational Training is 73%, and with some sectors touching 90%, which places it as a direct access door to the labor market for young people. The sectors that use FP the most. Not all training families grow equally. Administration and Management leads the number of offers, closely followed by Health, with constant demand in laboratories and clinical areas. Commerce and Marketing is also pushing forward, driven by the rise of digital commerce. The fastest growth is carried out by Computing and Communications. It is one of the families with the highest job placement among Higher Degree graduates, where 54.7% find employment before completing two years after graduating. according to the data of the Ministry of Education. In Xataka | Europe is very clear that there are many graduates in Spain. The problem is that they are not what companies need. Image | Unsplash (ThisisEngineering)

PAU students have become obsessed with Gardening FP. It actually makes complete sense.

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Everyone manages their nerves as best they can (or knows how). A few weeks ago, while thousands of young people were preparing the PAUthe old ‘Selectivity’, a tiktoker called Ikero800 published a comic video in which he joked about the future that is presented to students with bad grades. The piece, which lasts just 15 seconds, shows a telephone with an incoming call that reads “FP de Jardinería” while the tiktoker hum those three words over and over again to music Joseph Haydn background. Funny or not, has gone viral. But… Does it make sense? Reducing tension. To understand it you have to go back a few weeks back, when thousands of young people from all over Spain were glued to their desks reviewing the last lessons before the PAU, the test in which many risked access to their dream career. To relieve tension and pulling sarcasm, Ikero800, a tiktoker with almost 11,000 followers, he published a video in which he jokes about the outlook that was presented to those who failed. What panorama? The average cycle (FP) of Gardening and Floristry. Or at least that’s what Ikero800 slides into his video, in which he hums over and over again “Efepé gardening…” while a Haydn trumpet concerto plays in the background. In the image we see the young man dancing, the capture of an incoming call in which the same thing is read (“Gardening FP”) and a text that explains: “POV: you fail all the course exams and see how the gardening FP is approaching.” As a video says more than a long explanation, here we leave the link: @ikero800 Did you like my gardening FP song? ♬ original sound – Ikero800 @danistudyy 😭🤣all of us who have exams right now😭🫣 This would have been my lucky case that proxus.es saved me from this and helped me get good grades, I hope I don’t get caught in the body and paint exam students university high school humor ♬ original sound – Ikero800 15,900 videos (and counting). The truth is that the sketch it worked. So much, in fact, that Ikero800’s video is on its way to 87,000 likes and his joke has transcended far beyond his account. The original audio of his piece, in which the tiktoker humming out of tune ‘gardening ephepe’ while Haydn plays in the background has already been used around 16,000 times. The staging changes, but the ‘soundtrack’ is always the same. Same as the message: most people use it to joke about their PAU or their grades. “POV: there is one day left until the PAU and it starts to ring,” one publishes while recording himself studying. “We when we see the language exam tomorrow,” shares another in a video in which a group of teenagers are seen in a garden with a pot and a shovel. The list goes on and on (and on and on). Why is it important? Beyond its viralitythe joke is interesting because it reflects a reality that transcends TikTok, networks or the Internet: accessing the dream university career is increasingly difficultwhich translates into an extra burden of anxiety for students who are risking their future. It has always been like this (the Selectivity already left similar scenes), but the situation seems to have worsened due to the pressure endured by the most in-demand degrees. Last year elEconomista.es did a study analyzing a selection of degrees and universities and concluded that in just one decade the cut-off marks had risen on average by 24%. From the 7.78 average in the 2015-2016 academic year, it had gone, according to the newspaper’s calculations, to 9.63 in 2025-2026. elDiario.es did a similar exercise and although their data do not coincide, the general trend does: their estimate shows that in just one decade it went from 6.85 to 8.05. Racing inflation. If before there were only four careers that required a outstanding grade 13 (or higher), last year that was already the price to pay to access some 70 degrees. a few weeks ago The Mail did a similar exercise in Galicia and concluded that in almost 80 formations the cut-off score had suffered the effects of ‘inflation’, that is, it had increased in just a couple of years (2023-25). In another hundred the trend was the opposite. The pressure it is not the same in all training courses and stands out above all in double degrees, Mathematics, Computer Science and certain training courses in the scientific field. With this data, we can better understand the TikTok publications in which students show their reactions upon learning about their PAU grades or jokes like that of Ikero800, who, given the success of the video on the Gardening FP, published other similar videos (the music changes) about the Plumbing FP, Welding FP, Sports FP, Cooking FP or even “FP of Churrero”. Are FP that bad? Not at all. What’s more, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Madrid recalls that in certain cases FP has become “a much more attractive path than university” in the eyes of students who finish the Selectivity. At least if we talk about employability. According to a study cited by the agency, last year between 73% and 79.5% of VET graduates were in active employment, a percentage that drops to 66% among university students. Of course, the membership rate depends a lot on the type of training we are talking about. For example, according to U-Ranking in the degree of Medicine or Computer Engineering it exceeds 90%. What Social Security says. The disclosed data in 2025 by Education show that the average affiliation rate in the first year was 36.2% among those who graduated in 2020-21 in Intermediate Vocational Training and 51.1% among those with Higher Education. These percentages grow as the years go by. The third year is around 63.5% among higher graduates and 72.1% in dual modality. If we talk about university degreesIn general, the average affiliation rate is 49.6% after the first year, 65.6% in the … Read more

How to review the PAU syllabus using NotebookLM and prepare for the selectivity exam

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Let’s explain to you how to review the PAU syllabus using NotebookLMthe tool artificial intelligence from Google. NotebookLM It allows you to use Google AI but based only on the data you upload, such as your notes, which opens many doors to help you and even gamify your learning. We are going to start by explaining what it is and why it is useful to study this tool. Then we will tell you the previous steps to be able to use it to help you with your studies, and we will end by summarizing its main functions when it comes to helping you with the PAU What is NotebookLM and what makes it useful for studying NotebookLM is a Google tool based on Gemini. It is a platform where you can create notebooks, and in each of them upload specific sources. These sources can be files that you upload by hand, but also links or even YouTube videos. Once you have your notebook configured with your own fonts, you can ask Gemini questions, and the AI ​​will answer you based solely on information from your sources. Come on, it won’t look for information on the Internet, but only in the sources that you upload. This means that you will be able upload the selectivity syllabus and ask questions or create content based solely on your notes and the syllabus. You will not get information from any other site. You can even create different notebooks where you can upload notes by subject. Thanks to this, you will be able to ask the AI ​​for content that you do not understand, but also you can ask him to ask you questionssummaries, outlines, or test yourself by creating exams. In fact, by proxy you can even create podcasts with which you can listen to your notes or specific lessons whenever you want. How to configure it before starting To use NotebookLM for this purpose, you first have to configure it. To do this, start by entering notebooklm.google.comand create a new notebook. NotebookLM is a tool that you can use for free, although with a limit of 50 free fonts. If you want your notebook to have more, then you will have to pay. When you’re creating your first notebook, you’ll be able to upload your first font. You can upload fonts in several waysusing a website whose data you want to use, uploading files that can be PDFs, images, documents or audios, YouTube videos, Drive folders or copied text. Here, what you will have to do is upload your syllabus and/or your notes as sources. You can do it with all the formats you think are necessary, and you can decide whether to upload them all, upload only those of one signature, whatever you prefer. To give you ideas, you can upload the following elements: PDFs from your notes or textbook Google Drive Documents directly class presentations in PDF format Web pages (pasting the URL) Copied text directly if you have notes in another format All the topic in case you have it in some format The more complete the material you uploadthis platform will work better later. Upload your textbook in PDF, upload it in its entirety. If you have notes, upload them, and the same with any other material. NotebookLM processes everything at once and cross-references information from all sources when you ask a question or request. How to use it to review the syllabus Once you have uploaded all your notes and data, you can now enter the Chatwhere you can ask Gemini any question. Google’s AI will answer you using only your notes as a source to find the answers. You will also have the column of Studiowhere you will find other options such as creating an audio summary as if it were a podcast, a video summary, or a presentation. You can also create flashcards to review, reports, etc. In addition to this, these are other things that you will be able to do with NotebookLM once you upload your notes: Ask him questions from the syllabus as if he were a teacher: The AI ​​will have all the data, so if there is something you don’t remember, you can ask it to explain it to you so you don’t waste time searching for information. Request a summary of a topic: If you have uploaded the textbook or your notes, you will be able to ask it to make summaries of specific topics. You can tell the topic number or even the theme. Come on, you can ask him to summarize topic 3 of Biography or the Second Spanish Republic. Ask exam questions: This is one of the most powerful functions to prepare for the PAU, because you can test your knowledge by asking the AI ​​to generate an exam. You can ask him X specific questions on a topic, and even have them be multiple choice. You can ask them to ask you the questions one by one so you can answer them individually as if it were a chat, or whatever you prefer. An audio to review without looking at the screen: We’ve mentioned it before, and it’s one of the most popular features of NotebookLM. It is about Audio Overviewa function with which you request that a podcast be generated with two voices discussing the topic, explaining and debating it. It is perfect to review while doing sports or other things. Create a study guide: You can also ask it to generate a structured study guide with key concepts, important dates and possible exam questions. You can copy, print or save the result to continue reviewing without having to have the tool open. Limitations and what not to expect from NotebookLM As we have seen, NotebookLM is a very useful tool to help you study for the entrance exam. But it has a series of limits that should be known and taken into account when working with it. The first is that He will … Read more

At the moment it has an open field and four streets of a PAU

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The official website says that “you no longer have to imagine it. Now you can live it.” But the truth is that, as the matter stands, it is difficult to imagine. Let’s hope we can live it. Because when there are nine months left, Madringthe capital’s Formula 1 street circuit looks like anything but a circuit. At these moments, it becomes difficult to think that through those streets and those half-assembly curves you can search Fernando Alonso his 33. If everything goes as planned, the September 11 The cars have to start rolling south of the city. Among the streets of Valdebebas, one of the Madrid PAUsand the bowels of IFEMA, which competes with the Fira de Barcelona for being the largest fairground and convention center in Spain. The layout is a good reflection of everything that Formula 1 is rewarding: urban layouts that allow attracting large investments from cities to export their image to the world even if, as in the case of Madrid, all the attractions around the circuit are residential buildings, a fairground and a half-built City of Justice for more than 20 years. Now, with 243 days left until Madrid returns to the Formula 1 calendar 45 years later, a doubt is beginning to float: whether Madrid will return to the Formula 1 calendar. Some works in diapers The FIA ​​said that everything is going well, that there is no problem. That’s what they collected in I amMotora portal specialized in motorsport competitions, a little less than a month ago. “There are no delays or concerns within the FIA,” they then stated from the media, which also claimed that a commission from the International Automobile Federation had been supervising the status of the works in the streets of Valdebebas. From IFEMA they also defend that they are advancing at the expected pace. “The works are going within the established deadline. The paving has begun and part of it is already finished, although it is being done little by little due to the rain,” they point out to Autobild. And they make it clear that the circuit still remains to be completed: “the last layer of asphalt is expected to be completed during the summer.” That IFEMA has come out to speak is no coincidence. The information points to a closing of ranks after the viability of the project was questioned. At least for this year. The Italian media Rmc Motori claimed last November that Liberty Media, owner of the rights to the sport, was considering removing 2026 calendar to Madrid in favor of Imola, given the progress of the works. The legendary Italian circuitwill not be part (at least for the moment) next year of the F1 calendar. What is certain is that the works seem to be in an embryonic phase. Those who are walking around the circuit these days are finding the streets of Valdebebas without any type of modification. Ready for you the cars pass at full speed but not single-seaters. Click on the image to go to the original tweet With few exceptionsit is difficult to intuit the circuit along the 22 curves that make it up. The Monumental, a banked curve with a 24% inclination that has become one of the great attractions of the circuit, it’s a muddy mess right now. Yes, progress has been made on the route but there is no sign of progress in the surrounding services and the first asphalt is conspicuous by its absence. The times are also much tighter than we might think. In August the circuit must be ready so that Eurocup-3, a single-seater category inferior to Formula 1, can compete in one of its grand prizes. If it arrives, the intention is to make it the first big test before Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz or Max Verstappen set foot on the soil of Valdebebas. Click on the image to go to the original tweet The circuit, in addition, has to fight with the opposition of the neighbors. Pave the way for cars to pass is causing profound changes in its streetsconstant works and the anticipation that the noise suffered during that weekend will be much higher than the averages that have paralyzed the concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu. Besides, environmental associations They defend that the project threatens the conservation of wetlands and “non-transplantable” trees in the area. Nor is Madrid the first city where the viability of a Formula 1 Grand Prix is ​​doubted a few months before its celebration. In South Korea, Yeongam circuit was not reviewed by the FIA up to 10 days before the traffic light went out on the finish line in a clear example of “out of sight, out of mind” heart. That same weekend work was being done on the track and in some areas the asphalt was not well established. In Las Vegas, Formula 1 has been fighting with a recurring problem for three years now: the sewers become loose with the passage of cars. And in Hanoi, 600 million euros were spent on a circuit so that five years later a total of zero cars raced before its abandonment. Photos | Ifema In Xataka | Madrid says that F1 will not be paid for with public money. Valencia promised the same and it cost them 300 million euros

Students feel that Pau is the opposite

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This year, thousands of high school students face A historical selectivity. For the first time, the University Access Test (PAU) will have the same structure throughout the country, marking A before and after in the test Access. These changes are generating a lot of expectation and anxiety among students, extending the opinion that changes They have increased difficulty With regard to previous calls, in a demanding evidence. Uncertainty about How to develop The new structure of Pau is one of the main concerns among students, and the fear of the unknown has become the main protagonist of the classrooms a few days after the call. Unification and fears of the new exam model Pau 2025 is a change of structure in the access test that seeks Unify the exam model In all autonomous communities, with the objective of make more fair Access to the university, regardless of the community where the test is carried out. According to Diana Morant, Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities “is more agile, modern and adapts to society with the maximum academic rigor and guaranteeing the equal opportunities of all students in Spain.” Teachers have expressed concern that, although the exam format has been homogenized, the question of the question of the difficulty according to the community Autonomous, which could continue to generate inequalities. “The competences are transferred to the autonomous communities, and each community fixes a part of its own agenda. This makes a unique model very difficult to implement. (…) The test is organized decentralized, while the admission is unique. Even if you have to ask for a place in each university district, your note serves to enter any university of Spain,” He pointed out Javier Oubiña, Student Vice Chancellor and Employability of the Autonomous University of Madrid. However, one of the main fears of students is that this new format Increase the difficulty of the test and cause a generalized decrease in the notes. That could make access to races with the highest cut -off note and leave them in disadvantages with last year’s students. “If the notes go down a lot, it can put us at a disadvantage to enter the most demanded careers, since it is likely that those who presented the previous years have higher notes than what we are going to have. That, and the increase in the difficulty of the questions, is what overwhelms us the people of my course I have around me,” assured to The country Julia, a high school that prepares for the PAU. As He pointed out Carla Mora, 2nd high school student in Almería to Almería Diario “The changes should have already been made for students who are in 1st Baccalaureate this year and not for us that so far we have been working in a different way the test, that is, with the previous model. The novelties have been introduced to us suddenly.” Main changes in Pau 2025 One of the main News of the PAU 2025 It is the disappearance of the possibility of choosing between several optional questions. Now, all the questions included in the test are mandatory, although it will be possible to choose some questions or sections within the exercise itself. From the Ministry of Education it is warned that this “optionality will not imply being able to study less a agenda”, which forces students to prepare the complete content of each subject, and not to do without it as allowed the previous model. Another of the novelties that are worrying students is the change in the format of the questions. The new exam will combine exercises with closed tests type test, semi -constructed questions (such as filling spaces) and, the most controversial, open answers in which the student must develop the resolution process. In the latter it has been sought a more competence approach. That is, the student has understood the concept and not only memorized. They seek to evaluate creativity, critical thinking, reflection and maturity in resolution. With the arrival of the open format of the questions, the correction criteria are also modified. In them, not only will the correction of the response be assessed, but also coherence, cohesion, grammatical, lexical and spelling correction, as well as the presentation. Spelling failures will mean a 10% penalty of the score, according to the new guidelines. Both the fact of forcing students to prepare the entire age The most difficult in recent years. What has not changed in the 2025 PAU Despite the changes, some fundamental aspects of the PAU in 2025 remain the same as in previous calls. The test continues to be divided into two parts: a basic and mandatory, in which it is necessary to obtain at least 5 to access the university; and another volunteer, which allows you to add up to 4 additional points to try to improve the final grade. According What is indicated by the Ministrythe subjects of the mandatory part They are Castilian and Literature II language, foreign language II, History of Spain or Philosophy (to choose), and Co -official Language and Literature II in communities with their own language. The voluntary part includes at least two subjects of the Baccalaureate, History or Philosophy (the one that I did not choose for the mandatory phase), and a second foreign language (English, French, German, Italian or Portuguese). The final grade calculation system has not changed: 60% of the final grade corresponds to the average high school grade and the remaining 40% is provided by the note obtained in the PAU. That is, if in Baccalaureate an average grade of 7.5 has been obtained and in the Pau an 8, the final access note will be a 7.7 (Baccalaureate note x 0.6 + Pau note x 0.4). The time to perform each exam is maintained in 90 minutes, with 30 minutes of rest between tests. Students with educational support needs will have more time. In Xataka | For thousands of Spanish students, the challenge is not to overcome Pau and … Read more

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