Radical Change in Psychometric Exam: English Removed Starting Winter 2026

SadaNews - The National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (Maqat) announced today, Sunday, that starting from Winter (December) 2026, the English language component will be separated from the Psychometric Exam.

According to the announcement, the Psychometric Exam will only include two components: verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning. Candidates' English proficiency will be assessed through an independent computerized exam named "Amerent".

The National Institute for Testing and Evaluation clarified that this change comes in response to a request from the Council for Higher Education, which includes the heads of Israeli universities, to expand the scope of language skills tested in the English exam.

This procedure is considered the first phase of a complete transition to a computerized Psychometric Exam. According to the amendment, the exam duration will be reduced by a full hour, making it two and a half hours instead of the current duration.

Students will be able to take the English exam separately and throughout the year, without being limited to a specific number of dates. The scoring range for the exam will remain between 200 and 800, the same scoring range as in the current format.

This change is expected to affect admission and sorting procedures at academic institutions starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, which begins in October 2027.

Each academic institution will have the authority to decide whether to include the English score in calculating the overall admission score (the 'Psychometric' score) or to rely solely on the two-component Psychometric score for admission purposes.

Institutions may also use the English score solely to classify students into levels in English courses, without including it in the admission score.

Candidates who have previously taken the Psychometric Exam or will take it in the upcoming three dates, and are registering to study in the 2027/2028 academic year, will be able to apply based on the dual score (verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning) according to the current format.

The English score, as well as the two-component Psychometric score, will remain valid for at least seven years from the exam date, according to each educational institution's regulations.

The same applies to scores from the English language proficiency exam (Amiran/Amerent).