What Is PAES Regular?

PAES Regular is the regular annual version of Chile’s Prueba de Acceso a la Educación Superior. It is used by students and graduates who want to apply through the centralized admission system to universities attached to Chile’s Sistema de Acceso. It replaced the older PSU-era structure with a test system focused more strongly on competencies, skills, reasoning, and applied knowledge. Instead of measuring only memorized content, PAES is designed to evaluate whether students can use academic skills in realistic contexts connected to higher education.

The PAES Regular is commonly taken near the end of the Chilean school year. For the 2026 PAES Regular, the test dates are November 30, December 1, and December 2, 2026. The results are then used in January 2027 for university applications. This means the exam is part of the Admisión 2027 cycle. Students who want to enter university in 2027 must understand not only the test dates but also registration deadlines, documents, cost, required tests, score validity, and the postulation window.

PAES Regular is different from a school final exam. It is a national admission test connected to university selection. A student’s final admission result may depend on multiple factors, including PAES scores, NEM score, Ranking score, test requirements for the target career, university-specific weightings, and sometimes special tests or additional requirements. Therefore, the smartest strategy is not simply “take every test.” Students should identify the universities and careers they want, check the required tests, then register for the correct combination before the July deadline.

PAES Regular 2026 Dates and Upcoming Events

The official PAES Regular 2026 calendar has several stages. The first stage is registration, which begins on June 1, 2026 and ends on July 22, 2026 at 13:00. This deadline matters because there is no extra registration period. The second stage is publication of career information, vacancies, and weightings. The third stage is the actual test application from November 30 to December 2, 2026. The fourth stage is results and university applications in January 2027.

Official PAES Regular 2026 / Admisión 2027 Timeline

PAES Regular Cost: Fees, Beca PAES and Payment Rules

The cost of PAES Regular depends on how many tests you register for. For the 2026 PAES Regular, the official fee structure is CLP $17,500 for one test, CLP $32,000 for two tests, and CLP $46,500 for three or more tests. Students currently in 4° Medio usually need the full package because they must register for Competencia Lectora, Competencia Matemática 1, at least one elective test, and M2 if their target career requires it.

Payment is made online through Webpay using bank debit or credit cards. Your registration is valid only when you complete all required steps and obtain your Tarjeta de Identificación. This card is essential because you must bring it printed on exam day. A common mistake is selecting tests, assuming registration is complete, but failing to finish payment or download the identification card. That can invalidate the registration.

PAES Regular Fee Table

What Is Beca PAES?

Beca PAES is a benefit that exempts eligible students from paying the registration fee. It is generally available to students who are in 4° Medio at the time of registration and belong to municipal schools, Local Public Education Services, subsidized private schools, or delegated administration schools. Students from paid private schools may also access the benefit if they can prove a vulnerability situation according to the requirements reviewed by the Subsecretaría de Educación Superior.

Beca PAES is not simply a discount code. It is linked to eligibility validation. Students should not assume they have the scholarship until the system confirms it. If the system requires additional proof, the student must upload the requested information during the registration period. The safest approach is to register early, check scholarship status, and solve any payment or documentation issue long before July 22.

Who Can Register for PAES Regular?

PAES Regular can be taken by people who have already graduated from Enseñanza Media or who are in 4° Medio during 2026. Students from earlier school years, such as 2° Medio or 3° Medio, cannot take the PAES Regular. The exam is intended for students who are completing secondary education or who already completed it and now need admission-test scores to apply to higher education.

Foreign students can participate if they meet document and education-recognition requirements. A foreign applicant may need recognized secondary studies in Chile or official recognition of studies completed abroad. The exact document pathway depends on identity status and whether the candidate has a Chilean identity card, passport, or allowed foreign ID under specific conditions.

Basic Eligibility Groups

• Current 4° Medio students in 2026: students finishing Chilean secondary education during the admission cycle.
• Previous graduates: people who completed Enseñanza Media in 2025 or earlier.
• Foreign students with recognized studies: applicants who have completed or recognized secondary studies according to Chilean requirements.
• Students with disability or additional support needs: candidates can request adjustments during registration by uploading required documents.

Documents Needed

Students must register through the official platform and use valid identification. On the exam day, the mandatory documents are the printed Tarjeta de Identificación and a valid identification document. For Chilean citizens and foreigners with a Chilean identity card, the cédula de identidad is used. Some foreign applicants may use a passport, and in certain cases a valid DNI from countries with relevant agreements may be accepted if uploaded during registration according to official instructions.

PAES Regular Tests: Required, Elective and M2

PAES Regular is not one single paper. It is a group of tests. For centralized university admission, candidates generally need valid scores in Competencia Lectora, Competencia Matemática 1 (M1), and at least one elective test: Ciencias or Historia y Ciencias Sociales. The test Competencia Matemática 2 (M2) is required for certain careers, especially those connected to mathematics, science, technology, engineering, economics, or other quantitative fields.

PAES Regular Test List

Which Tests Should You Register?

If you are a current 4° Medio student, Competencia Lectora and M1 are generally selected as required tests. You must also select at least one elective test, either Ciencias or Historia y Ciencias Sociales. If your target career requires M2, you must register M2 as well. This is especially important because M2 does not automatically appear just because you want a science or engineering career. You must confirm the requirement and select the test manually.

Previous graduates have more flexibility. If they already have valid scores from recent PAES applications, they may choose only the tests they need to improve or complete. However, to apply through the centralized system, they still need valid scores in the two required tests and at least one elective, plus M2 if the target career requests it.

PAES Ciencias: Module Choice

The PAES Ciencias test has module rules. Students from Humanistic-Scientific education choose a module in Biology, Physics, or Chemistry. Students from Technical-Professional education may choose the Technical-Professional module or one of the science modules according to official rules. The module cannot be changed after the registration deadline. Therefore, a student should check the target career’s science requirement before selecting the module.

PAES Regular Scoring: Scale, Valid Scores, NEM, Ranking and Weighted Admission Score

PAES Regular results are reported on a scale from 100 to 1,000 points. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so students should not leave questions blank unless they run out of time. PAES scoring is not a simple percentage calculation. DEMRE uses score transformation and equating methods, which means the exact PAES score depends on performance and the specific form of the test. Public transformation tables help explain the relationship between correct answers and score, but they may not list every exact score a student receives.

For Admisión 2027, PAES scores are valid from the relevant recent applications. The system uses valid scores from PAES de Invierno 2025, PAES Regular 2025, PAES de Invierno 2026, and PAES Regular 2026. When students have more than one valid score for a test, the system can use the best score for that test during the application process. This allows graduates to improve individual scores without repeating every test.

Selection Factors

University selection in the centralized system may include PAES test scores, NEM, Ranking, and any special tests required by specific programs. NEM is the transformed score from high-school grades. Ranking reflects the student’s relative position compared with previous generations from the same school context. Each university career publishes its own weightings in the definitive offer of careers, vacancies, and weightings.

A simplified weighted-score model is:

\[ \text{Weighted Score} = \frac{ (P_{\text{CL}} \times W_{\text{CL}}) + (P_{\text{M1}} \times W_{\text{M1}}) + (P_{\text{Elective}} \times W_{\text{Elective}}) + (P_{\text{M2}} \times W_{\text{M2}}) + (P_{\text{NEM}} \times W_{\text{NEM}}) + (P_{\text{Ranking}} \times W_{\text{Ranking}}) }{100} \]

In this formula, \(P\) means the score and \(W\) means the percentage weighting. This is a planning formula for understanding the idea. The official calculation depends on the exact weightings published for each career and institution.

Why M2 Matters

M2 is not required for every career, but it is critical for careers that list it as a requirement. Careers requiring M2 must give it a minimum weighting, and students must have a valid M2 score to apply. This is especially important for students aiming for engineering, mathematics-heavy, scientific, economics, technology, or other quantitative programs. If a student ignores M2 and later discovers that the desired career requires it, the student may be unable to apply centrally to that program.

No Penalty for Wrong Answers

PAES does not subtract points for incorrect answers. From a strategy perspective, this means students should answer every question if time allows. Guessing randomly is not the main strategy; educated elimination is better. However, leaving a question blank gives no chance of earning credit, while an attempted answer may be correct.

After PAES Regular: Results, Applications, Selection and Matrícula

The PAES Regular does not end when students finish the last test. The most important admission stage begins when results are published. For Admisión 2027, PAES Regular results are scheduled for January 4, 2027 at 08:00. The application period starts the same day at 09:00 and closes on January 7, 2027 at 13:00. Students must use this short window to submit their ranked university and career preferences through the centralized application system.

A strong application strategy is based on scores, weightings, career requirements, past cutoffs, vacancies, personal fit, location, financial planning, and realistic probability. Students should not choose careers only because of prestige. A well-structured application list includes ambitious choices, realistic choices, and safer choices. The best list is one that protects opportunity without ignoring the student’s real academic profile.

Admission Process Flow

1. Check PAES scores: verify each test score on official platforms.
2. Check valid scores: confirm which PAES scores from recent applications are valid and whether a better previous score can be used.
3. Review career requirements: check whether the career requires M2, a specific elective, or a special test.
4. Compare weightings: calculate weighted score for each career, not just the raw PAES score.
5. Build a ranked list: place preferred careers in correct order according to your genuine priorities.
6. Submit before the deadline: the application window closes on January 7, 2027 at 13:00.
7. Check selection results: selection results are scheduled for January 18, 2027 at 12:00.
8. Complete matrícula: follow the university’s enrollment instructions during the first or second matrícula period.

PAES Regular vs PAES de Invierno

Chile currently offers PAES in two main moments: PAES de Invierno and PAES Regular. PAES de Invierno is useful for graduates who want to improve scores before the main application period, while PAES Regular is the main end-of-year application for current 4° Medio students and other candidates. The two applications can work together because valid scores from recent admission processes may be used in the centralized application cycle.

PAES Regular Exam-Day Rules and What to Bring

PAES Regular uses strict identification and security rules. Students must bring their identification document and printed Tarjeta de Identificación. They should also bring a graphite pencil No. 2 or HB mechanical pencil and an eraser. A highlighter may be allowed as an optional item. Items such as backpacks, bags, books, notebooks, notes, headphones, tablets, calculators, smart watches, and other electronic devices should not be brought into the test room.

Mobile phones are prohibited inside the test room during test-taking. If the official procedure provides a storage bag, the phone must be turned off and stored according to instructions. The safest exam-day habit is to bring only what is necessary. Students should also check their test location once DEMRE publishes it and download the updated Tarjeta de Identificación showing the assigned local and room.

Allowed and Not Allowed Items

How to Prepare for PAES Regular

PAES Regular preparation should be skill-based, not only content-based. The exam measures competencies, which means students must learn how to use knowledge in different contexts. For Competencia Lectora, this means understanding, interpreting, and evaluating texts. For M1 and M2, it means solving problems, modeling situations, representing information, and arguing mathematically. For Science, it means connecting concepts with data, evidence, and scientific reasoning. For History and Social Sciences, it means analyzing sources, historical processes, civic ideas, and economic systems.

12-Month PAES Regular Preparation Plan

Subject-by-Subject Strategy

Competencia Lectora

Competencia Lectora requires speed, precision, and interpretation. Students should practice reading different types of texts: literary, informational, argumentative, scientific, social, and discontinuous texts such as tables or notices. The goal is not only to “understand the story” but to identify the function of each paragraph, the author’s position, the evidence used, and the best-supported answer.

Competencia Matemática 1 (M1)

M1 focuses on mathematical competence for general contexts. Students should master numbers, algebra, functions, geometry, probability, and statistics from the official scope. A strong M1 strategy is to classify mistakes into concept gaps, calculation errors, reading errors, and time-pressure errors. The formula for improvement can be written as:

\[ \text{M1 Improvement} = \text{Concept Clarity} + \text{Timed Practice} + \text{Error Review} \]

Competencia Matemática 2 (M2)

M2 is more demanding and is important for careers requiring deeper mathematics. Students aiming at engineering, science, technology, economics, or quantitative programs should not leave M2 preparation until the end. M2 preparation should include advanced algebra, functions, geometry, probability, statistics, modeling, and multi-step reasoning.

Ciencias

Science preparation should focus on concepts plus evidence. Biology, Physics, and Chemistry questions may require reading data, interpreting graphs, analyzing experiments, and applying scientific reasoning. Students should not memorize isolated facts only. They should practice explaining why an answer is correct and why the other options are wrong.

Historia y Ciencias Sociales

History and Social Sciences preparation should include timelines, source analysis, civic concepts, economic systems, and critical thinking. Students should practice with maps, charts, excerpts, and historical contexts. The best answers come from evidence-based interpretation rather than memorized paragraphs.

PAES Regular FAQs

Official Sources and Further Reading

Use official sources before making any registration, payment, exam-day, or application decision. PAES dates, support procedures, score publication rules, and career requirements are controlled by DEMRE, Mineduc, and the Sistema de Acceso.