Universities Are Scrapping Psychometric Test

The national committee of university heads officially told the Knesset Education and Culture Committee that the universities have revoked their demand to keep psychometric testing as an admission requirement for the 2003-2004 academic year.

• University Attracts Less Students

Opposition leader MK Yossi Sarid (Meretz) therefore withdrew his proposed bill mandating the cancellation of these tests for admissions to higher education.

Education and Culture Committee Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP) welcomed the national university committee decision, meaning that candidates for college and university admission the year after next will be eligible for admission just on the basis of their high school matriculation exams.

"This is an important day for education in Israel," Orlev said. "Today we received official, final notice that the universities will relinquish the psychometric exam requirement."

Under the new guidelines for admissions, candidates will be allowed to take the psychometric test if they believe that it will enhance admission prospects.

Instead of psychometric tests the candidates will choose between matriculation (bagrut) test results in one of two tracks - Hebrew, English, and either history or math.