Preparing for the Test & Practice Tests
- the Psychometric Entrance Test

Psychometric Practice Tests

After each test administration date, one of the Hebrew test forms from that administration is published on this page. Test forms in other languages are published once or twice a year.

 

Psychometric Practice Tests in other languages

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The importance of preparing for the test

The Psychometric Entrance Test measures abilities that are relevant to success in academic studies. These abilities develop over time, gradually and in different ways: studies at school, reading, pursuing hobbies and being active in fields of interest all contribute to verbal and quantitative abilities and proficiency in English. So for the most part, the test measures the abilities that you have already acquired during elementary school and high school and through the different experiences of your life.

As a rule, people do better in any test when they come to it prepared - that is, when they know the test date in advance, are familiar with the format of the test, take the time and trouble to go over the material being tested and take practice tests. The best preparation is gradual work over many years, but as with any other test, concentrated practice before the Psychometric Entrance Test is likely to improve your result. In areas where proficiency develops slowly, such as English vocabulary, a short period of practice is unlikely to be significantly useful, but in other areas it can definitely help.

Preparation tends to assist an examinee because the Psychometric test tests the optimum level of performance, not the typical level. For example, if you were asked to run a kilometer right now, you would probably succeed in doing so, but your time would probably not be the best time that you are capable of. On the other hand, if you were asked to do the run in two weeks’ time, and prepared for it during those two weeks, you would probably clock up a better time than you would if you hadn’t prepared. The same is true here: preparing before the test allows examinees to perform to the best of their ability.

Preparing for the test has another benefit: it prepares candidates, most of whom have not been in an educational framework for some years before the test, for the challenges they will face as students in the higher education system. Preparation reinforces the candidates’ basic academic abilities (verbal ability, quantitative ability, knowledge of English) and assists them in acquiring learning habits, managing their time, and handling test conditions. These are all important for students’ success in studying toward a first degree.

Methods of preparing for the test

There are three principal methods of preparing for the test: independent study, structured study in the form of psychometric preparation courses at an independent institute or with a private tutor), and structured private study through an online course. These methods differ from one another chiefly in the students’ degree of independence and in the extent of guidance that they receive, but they all require a large amount of independent study.

If you choose independent study, you will have to construct a study program for yourself that fits into the time you have allocated for study, to ensure that you have covered all the material on the test and to find your own solutions to difficulties and uncertainties arising during the course of study. Independent study is cheaper and more efficient than taking a course.

Preparatory courses at independent institutes are usually expensive. They provide a group study framework and, as a rule, systematically cover all the material on the test. In addition, the teachers can guide you and help you overcome difficulties arising during the course. It’s important to note that preparation in the courses is based on a comprehensive review of the subject areas, not on learning “tricks”. Private institutes that prepare students for the test sometimes make the mistake of claiming that they have magic formulas for success on the test, but the test developers know about these formulas and take them into account. There is really no way to answer the Psychometric Entrance Test questions without possessing the abilities that the test assesses.

Another method of structured preparation is studying with a private tutor. This method is suitable for someone who needs instruction but feels uncomfortable in a classroom setting. With this method, the nature and pace of study are adapted to the student’s personal needs, but it is liable to be an expensive process.

If you choose to study via an online course, you will effectively be combining the advantages of the other two methods. You will be free to set the pace of study according to your own abilities without depending on the needs of a class, while at the same time the online course includes all the required material in a clear and well-organized fashion that provides students with a convenient study framework.

Since January 2019, an online preparatory course for the Psychometric Entrance Test has been available through a digital learning initiative from the Ministry for Social Equality. The course was developed with the assistance and support of the National Institute for Testing and Evaluation and is available to all, free of charge.

See further details of the online course

Choosing a preparation method depends on many factors. If you have a firm grasp of the material required for the test, you will need a shorter preparation period than if you have not dealt with such material for many years. Naturally your personal preferences, the time at your disposal and the resources you are willing to invest in preparation all have an influence on which method is appropriate for you. First of all, you should define why you are taking the test. A candidate for medical school, with its high admissions requirements, should not take the test unprepared, but there is no need for someone planning to study in a program with lower admissions requirements to spend many months and large sums of money preparing for the test.

One way or the other, if you prepare for the test, your score will be higher than if you take it unprepared, and the degree of improvement in your score depends above all on your own dedication and commitment. In any case, we recommend not taking the test completely unprepared. Even a short period of preparation - including familiarizing yourself with the types of questions on the test, a short refresher of the topics it includes and taking one practice test - is likely to make a significant improvement in your score.