Education in Colombia: school stages, Saber exams and university admission

In short

Colombia has a national family of state exams called Saber, prepared by the ICFES, the institute that evaluates education. Students sit the Saber 11 exam near the end of secondary school, and universities use its results in their admission decisions. Some universities add their own tests or interviews, so the route into higher education depends on the institution and the career.

School stages

The General Education Law of 1994 sets the structure. Preescolar is the first stage, followed by basic primary education of five grades and basic secondary education of four grades. The final stage is media, with grades ten and eleven, and students who finish it receive the title of bachiller. Some schools offer an academic media track and others offer a technical one linked to a trade or a service sector.

Most public schools follow calendar A, which runs from about February to November. Some private schools use calendar B, which runs from August to June. Schools are public, run by the municipality or department, or private, and some privately run schools serve public students under contract.

Saber exams

• Saber 11: taken by students in their last school year. It covers critical reading, mathematics, social and citizenship studies, natural sciences and English. Schools receive results that they use to review their teaching, and universities receive results for applicants.
• Saber 3, 5 and 9: assessments of basic education that measure learning at those grades and give feedback to schools.
• Saber Pro and Saber TyT: exams for students nearing the end of university degrees and technical or technological programmes. They measure generic skills and, in some fields, specific modules.

The scales and the way results are reported are explained on the ICFES site, and they have changed between years.

University admission

Colombian universities may be public, such as the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, or private. The Universidad Nacional has its own admission exam and applicants compete for places in a career at a campus. Many other public and private universities combine Saber 11 results with interviews, portfolios for art careers, or additional tests. Public institutions have a set number of places and use cut-offs by programme, while private institutions may have many places and charge tuition.

Students who need funding often look at the loans and grants offered through ICETEX and at scholarships offered by universities. Foreign applicants are asked for recognised school certificates and sometimes for a validation of their studies.

Studying in Colombia

Spanish is the language of instruction, and Colombian Spanish is often considered clear and easy to follow for learners. The country also protects indigenous and Afro-Colombian languages, which are taught in some schools. Colombia has a diverse geography of Andean cities, Caribbean coast and Amazon region, so universities are concentrated in Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga.

Ideas for preparing for the Saber route:

1. Read newspaper opinion pieces and mark the claim, the evidence and the tone, since the critical reading test asks for exactly these.
2. Solve mathematics problems written as short real situations, such as price changes or travel times, rather than only procedures.
3. Study social and citizenship questions through the 1991 Constitution, its rights and the institutions it created.
4. Practise English reading, because the English test of Saber 11 follows the levels of the Common European Framework.
5. Take full practice sessions to learn how to manage time, and review mistakes by topic.

Preparing with GetMyMockTest

GetMyMockTest offers free practice for the exams below, with the questions written in Spanish for the Colombian exams. Check the official format with each organiser.

• Saber 11 ICFES Colombia: mathematics, natural sciences, social and citizenship studies, critical reading and English, with timed mock tests and flashcards.
• Saber Pro ICFES Colombia: quantitative reasoning, critical reading, citizenship competencies, English and written communication for the end-of-degree exam.
• General knowledge of Colombia: history, geography and culture.
• IELTS, TOEFL, SAT and IB Diploma: free English-language practice for students who plan to study abroad or follow an international curriculum.

Every question, explanation, mock test and flashcard deck is free.