Asturias has begun today the Spanish university entrance exams. A total of 3,893 students started the exams from the general phase, compulsory for all of them, in a session without remarkable incidents. The exams will continue today and tomorrow in ordinary session and on the days 3, 4 and 5 July in extraordinary session. The tests are carried out in different headquarters located in Oviedo (4), Gijón (3), Avilés (2), Mieres, Ribadesella, Cangas de Narcea and Tapia de Casariego.

The PAU is structured in two phases: a general one, compulsory for all students, which assesses their maturity and skills. If the student passes the exam, he is granted university access and it does not expiry. The second phase is the specific one. This is voluntary and assesses the knowledge and the reasoning abilities of the student in the field of knowledge he wants to gain access to. It also makes it possible to improve the mark achieved in the general phase, being it specially thought for those who want to enrol in studies with limited placement.

This first session of the 2012 PAU began today at 15:45 h. with the Spanish Language and Literature Test. At 18:00 they will sit the History of Spain or History of Philosophy exam. The general phase will end on the morning of 5 June with the Foreign Language test at 9:30 h and an exam of a competence tied to the chosen mode of study in the second year of high school, which will take place at midday.

The specific phase of PAU, in which students will be assessing at least two subjects and a maximum of four, will begin on 5 June, at 15:45, with the exams of Physics, World Literature, Artistic Drawing II or Musical Analysis. At 18:00 pm they will do the Technical Drawing II, Business Economics, Greek II or Scenic Arts exams.

On Wednesday, 6 June, they will take the exams of Chemistry, Mathematics applied to Social Sciences II, Arts and Crafts Expression Techniques or History of Music and Dance at 9:30 h. From 11:45 they will sit the Mathematics II, History of Art and Electrotecnia exams.

In the afternoon, from 15:45 onwards, the exams of Biology, Industrial Technology II or Geography will take place and from 18:00, Earth and Enviromental Sciences , Latin II and Design.

The Vice-Rector for Students, Luis Rodríguez Muñiz, pointed out that 60% of students only sit the general phase, so they will end the PAU tomorrow. The other 40€ will take part in the specific phase, generally those who want to get enough score to accede a centre with limited placement. In last year's ordinary session, 95% of students passed, whereas in the extraordinary session of July it was 77%.