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Before the Test

Familiarize yourself in advance with the test format and the types of questions included. You can find this information here. We recommend practicing by answering tests from previous years. You can find sample tests here.

Prepare everything that you need to bring to the test:

• The ID card with which you registered for the test (ID card or passport) – you will not be allowed to take the test without it.
• Two pencils, a pencil sharpener and an eraser.

We also recommend that you bring:

• Your test notification slip, to confirm the exact time and place of the test.
• Food and drink. The YAEL test is only one and a half hours long, so you will not need to provide enough food to last a long time, but you may bring a bottle of water and snacks. Please avoid food that could disturb others as you eat or unwrap it.
• Simple earplugs, if required. Earplugs connected with a string are not permitted.
• Suitable clothing – the test hall may be colder or warmer than you expected.

Make sure you know how to get to the testing center so that you do not arrive late. The test is administered on many campuses throughout the country, and the test halls are scattered across the campuses. Finding your way around campus is not always easy and may take longer than you expected. It is therefore important to find out exactly where on campus your test will take place, how best to reach the campus (by car or public transport), where to park and how to get from the parking area (or transport station) to the test hall. The homepages of the academic institutions where the test is administered feature directions and campus maps. The maps also appear on the NITE website.

Once you have found your test hall, check that your name appears on the list posted on the door. If your name is not on the list, let the proctors know immediately. Do not enter the room until the proctors give you permission to do so.

You may not use the following devices during the test: cellular telephones (not even for checking the time), walkie-talkies, cameras, recording devices, earphones, computers, tablets, calculators, watches that beep or that have calculators, portable music players or any other item that might disturb other examinees in the test hall. When you enter the test hall, you will be asked to turn off all electronic devices, to place them in your bag and to put your bag in a designated area of the room. You must turn off telephones and watch alarms to prevent them from making noises and causing a disturbance during the test. You may not use dictionaries, books, papers, or any other study aids during the test. If you need scrap paper, you may only use the pages of the test booklet itself. Anyone found with an electronic device or prohibited study aid in his or her possession during the test will be asked to leave the test hall immediately.

The test is approximately one and a half hours long. There are no breaks. No visitors will be allowed into the test halls during the test, and no messages will be passed to examinees.

During the Test

Pay attention to the proctors’ instructions and follow them exactly.

Before the beginning of the test, the proctors will pass out the test booklet and answer sheet. The test booklet contains four sections: three multiple-choice sections and an essay question. The answer sheet has two sides. One side is for entering the answers to the multiple-choice questions and the other side is for writing your essay.

The proctors will announce when you can open the booklet and begin the test, when you need to stop filling out the answer sheet, and when you need to move on to the next section. You may not change any answer on the answer sheet after the allotted time for that section, and you may not turn back to a previous section or skip ahead to a later section before you are instructed to do so, even if you have spare time. If you fail to follow these instructions, you will be disqualified.

You may not leave the room during the test. An examinee who needs the restroom must raise a hand and wait for a proctor to accompany them. Restroom breaks do not stop the clock for that examinee. Examinees will not be permitted to leave the room for any other purpose (e.g. for a smoke break or to buy food and drink).

Maintain suitable decorum during the test. Treat the proctors and the other examinees with respect. Do not make a noise or cause any other kind of disturbance during the test. If you need to get a proctor’s attention, raise your hand.

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Test Sections

The first three sections of the test consist of multiple-choice questions. The time allotted for each section is specified on the first page of the section. Reading the instructions is included in the allotted time. The multiple-choice sections consist of several parts that must all be completed in the allotted time. At the end of the allotted time for each section, you will be instructed to turn to the next section.

There are different types of question in the multiple-choice sections. Each type of question is preceded by the relevant instructions. Although these instructions also appear in the Guide for Examinees, do not rely solely on your familiarity with them. Read the instructions again, carefully. Misunderstanding an important instruction might lead to mistakes in all of the questions of that type. Moreover, the test might contain new instructions which you are unfamiliar with. It is also very important that you carefully read the questions themselves and all of the possible responses before choosing the correct answer. See exactly what is being required of you in each question, and only then answer accordingly.

Each question in the multiple-choice sections has four alternative responses from which you must choose the best answer. Choose only one answer. Mark your answers on the answer sheet, taking care that you are marking the correct question and the correct section. The answer sheet for the multiple-choice sections is read by an optical scanner that feeds the data directly into a computer. Using a pencil makes it possible to erase and correct your answers.

Below is a section of the answer sheet.

Mark your answer by filling in the ellipse corresponding to the question you are answering, as follows: 

For example: Let us assume that you are answering question number 2, and you have decided that the correct response is 3. Find the corresponding ellipse (number 3) in the column for question 2, and fill it in as shown.

Note!

The only correct way to mark an answer is by filling in the ellipse completely without going outside the outline. Any other mark – a vertical line, a horizontal line, a circle, etc. – will not be read by the scanner.

Fill in only one ellipse for each question. If you fill in more than one ellipse per question, your answer will be disqualified, even if one of the possible responses you have chosen is correct. If you want to change an answer that you have already marked, use a clean eraser to erase the incorrect answer, and then mark the answer you feel is the correct one. Make sure your previous answer is completely erased; otherwise, the optical scanner might read your answer incorrectly. Make sure that each answer is marked in the correct place. If you skip a question in the test booklet, make sure that you skip the corresponding place on the answer sheet. When answering subsequent questions, always check that the number of the question matches the number of the column in which you are marking your answer. You must mark your answers in the time allotted for the section. You will not be given time to fill in the answer sheet after the time has elapsed.

Do not fold the answer sheet, use tape on it, or write anywhere other than in the designated places. These actions could interfere with the optical scanner and affect your score. If your answer sheet is torn, gets wet, or is damaged in any way, raise your hand and report it to the proctors. You may use the test booklet for scrap paper if you want to make notes to help answering the questions; the answer sheet or other papers are not to be used for this purpose.

Note: You bear sole responsibility for what appears on the answer sheet. It will be read exactly as you filled it in. If you mistakenly marked answers in the wrong place, there is no way to reconstruct what you really intended, and the answer sheet that you filled in incorrectly will determine your score.

Writing Task

In the last section of the test you will be required to write an essay in Hebrew. The assignment for the essay is given on the last page of the test booklet. You should write your essay on the back of the answer sheet. Start by copying the assignment into the allocated box on the back of the answer sheet. Before you begin to write your essay, read the assignment carefully. Make sure that the essay is relevant to the assignment and try to write in a well-organized fashion and in correct Hebrew. The essay should be between 12–15 lines long. Use the line numbers on the answer sheet to check how many lines you have written. Make sure to write only in the allocated area of the sheet and not to write outside the marked margins. You should write only in pencil, and you may use an eraser to make corrections. If you want scrap paper to write an outline or a preliminary draft of the essay before writing on the answer sheet, you may use the back cover of the test booklet, which is headed “Draft”.

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Use Your Time Wisely

As mentioned previously, the time allotted for answering each section appears at the beginning of the section. The proctors will announce the time allotment at the beginning of each section and write the start and finish times on the board (according to their watch/clock). The proctors will announce when there are five minutes left to complete the section. At the end of the allotted time, you will be instructed to turn to the next section, and you will not be allowed to return to the previous section.

Below are some suggestions for how to use the allotted time efficiently:

• In the multiple-choice sections, try to answer each question in a reasonable amount of time. Once you have answered one, go on to the next question. If you cannot answer a question, do not spend too much time on it! Remember, you must answer all of the questions in the section. If you spend too much time on one question, you will not have enough time to answer the remaining questions and to receive points for them. Easy questions and difficult questions have equal weight for scoring purposes, so there is no point in getting stuck on one difficult question. In the time that you save, you could answer several easier questions.
• If you feel that you know how to answer a question but need a bit more time, mark it and return to it later. If you have time at the end of the section, go back to all of the questions that you marked and try to answer them.
• If you feel that you will not be able to answer a question even if you spend more time on it, make a guess! Your guess does not need to be at random. You might be able to rule out some of the possible responses on the basis of partial knowledge, and this will increase your chances of guessing correctly. The test score is calculated only on the basis of correct answers, and no points are deducted for incorrect answers. Therefore, if you are unable to answer a question, it is worth taking a guess. Guessing cannot harm your score; it can only improve it.
• Leave yourself a minute before the end of the section. Randomly guess the answers to all of the questions that you skipped – in other words, mark any answer on the answer sheet without trying to solve the question or rule out possible responses. At this stage, there is no time to do anything except quickly fill in missing answers and make sure you have marked an answer for every question.
• When starting the writing task, spend a few minutes thinking about the ideas you want to present. If you decide to begin by writing a rough draft, remember that the time it will take to copy the draft to the answer sheet is included in the total time allotted for the section, and no additional time will be given for copying the draft. Of course, you may erase words or entire sections on the answer sheet, but remember that your handwriting must be legible and the flow of the essay must be clear. A short while before the end of the allotted time, read over the writing assignment again to make sure it is legible and comprehensible.

Compromising the Integrity of the Test and Cheating

NITE views very seriously any attempt to compromise the integrity of its tests, including any behavior that infringes on the confidentiality of the test or the use of its results. We also view very seriously any attempt to obtain a score by illegal means, such as copying during the test or impersonating someone else. Among other things, cheating may lead to situations in which unsuitable candidates are accepted, sometimes even at the expense of candidates who are better qualified for the study program in question. The National Institute for Testing and Evaluation has methods for detecting cheating and attempts to compromise test integrity, and reserves the right to react to such situations using all means at its disposal and at its discretion. These may include:

1. Invalidating the test
2. Prohibiting an examinee from taking any test administered by NITE for a period of 12 months
3. Filing a civil suit
4. Submitting a complaint to university or college disciplinary committees

Please note: Impersonating another person (such as sending someone to take the test in your place) is a criminal offense. If someone is suspected of committing such an offense, a complaint will be filed with the police and with university disciplinary committees.

It is strictly forbidden to copy, distribute or teach the contents of a test or any part of it, in any form or by any means, without written permission from the National Institute for Testing and Evaluation.

Any of the following constitutes grounds for disqualifying an examinee:

• Disruptive behavior during the test
• Copying, and giving or receiving help in answering a question
• Using forbidden study aids, such as papers, books and dictionaries
• Opening the test booklet before being instructed to do so
• Turning to another section without being instructed to do so
• Continuing to work on a section after the end of the allotted time
• Taking test material out of the test hall
• Being in possession of an electronic device such as cellular telephone, computer, music player, etc. during the test
• Disregarding the proctors’ instructions

After the Test

If you have any questions or complaints about the test, please address them in writing to the Customer Relations Department at the National Institute for Testing and Evaluation within one week of the test date. You will receive a personal reply.