The career tests you find online rarely help you decide anything. They give you back three or four careers you already suspected, leaving you just as undecided. Not because they're poorly designed, but because they don't answer the question you're asking.
What does work is asking yourself the right questions and, above all, knowing that this decision has a deadline sooner than you think.
Questions that do help
Forget "what I want to be." It's too big a question and you can't answer it at seventeen. Try these, which are specific and you can answer:
- What subject do you study that you find difficult to start? Not the one you like best, but the one you can sit down and get comfortable in without fighting with yourself. That says more than any test.
- Do you prefer problems with one correct answer or with several defensible answers? This clearly separates the scientific branches from the social and humanistic ones.
- Can you imagine working with people, with data, with objects, or with ideas? It's a simplification, but it eliminates a lot of noise.
- What part of a group project do you end up doing? What you take on without being asked is usually what you're good at.
- What do you look for to read when no one is forcing you to? That's where your real curiosity lies, not the declared one.
Respond in writing. Thinking about them is not the same as answering them: writing reveals the contradictions.
The five branches and which profile fits best
University degrees are grouped into five branches of knowledge. Knowing which one you're in narrows down the problem from hundreds of options to just a few.
| Foliage | It fits if… |
|---|---|
| Social and Legal Sciences | You are interested in how societies, organizations, or norms work, and you defend yourself by arguing |
| Arts and Humanities | You are driven by interpretation, language, or creation, and you tolerate questions without a single answer well. |
| Science | You enjoy understanding why things happen and you are comfortable with method and abstraction. |
| Health Sciences | You combine scientific interest with direct contact with people and tolerance for responsibility |
| Engineering and architecture | You enjoy solving problems by building something, and you find it natural to think in systems. |
Why this can't wait until June
Here's the practical part that almost no one tells you about in time.
Your admission score is up to 14 points: up to 10 from the access score and up to 4 more from the specific phase. These 4 points come from the subjects you are examined on, and each subject is weighted at 0,1 or 0,2 depending on the degree program and the university.
In other words, to know which subjects you should take exams in, you need to know what degree you want. If you decide in June, you've already chosen your subjects without the crucial information.
You don't need to have your degree program finalized, but you do need to know your specialization and two or three specific options. With that information, you can look at the weighting factors and choose wisely.
How to view the weightings
Each public university publishes the exam schedule at the beginning of the academic year in which the exam is held. Take your two or three candidate degrees, see which subjects have a weighting of 0,2 in each, and look for any overlap. If the same subject has a high weighting in all your choices, that's the one you absolutely must prepare for.
Choosing a university, not just a career
Two degrees with the same name at two different universities may not look very similar. Before ranking your preferences, consider the following:
- The actual curriculumSubject by subject. It's public and it provides the most information.
- The practices: if they are mandatory, how many hours and with what type of companies.
- The language of teaching. In Catalonia, some studies are taught entirely or partially in Catalan.
- Where is. One hour of commuting each day adds up to five hours a week for four years.
If you make a mistake
It's worth saying because it takes the pressure off: this decision is not irreversible.
You can change your degree program, and many people do. If you've already completed credits, you can transfer your academic record and some of the credits you've earned may be recognized. And your university entrance exam score is valid indefinitely, so you don't lose it if you change your mind.
What is difficult to recover are the grades for the university entrance exams, which are valid for the year following the exam and the two years after that. That is the only part with an expiration date.
If you want to discuss it with someone who knows the weighting factors and cut-off scores, we can cover it in the university entrance exam preparation courses.
FAQ
Are vocational tests useful?
As a starting point for elimination, yes. As an answer, no: they give you options you already suspected and don't take into account either the weighting factors or the cut-off scores.
When do I have to decide what career I want?
Before choosing the subjects for the specific phase, keep in mind that the weighting depends on the degree program. You don't need to finalize your choices, but you should have two or three specific options.
What happens if I choose the wrong subjects for the specific phase?
You're missing out on points. A subject weighted at 0,1 gives you half the points of one weighted at 0,2, with the same effort and the same exam.
Can I change my major if I make a mistake?
Yes. The transfer of academic records is possible, and some of the coursework you've already completed may be recognized. Your admission grade does not expire.
How do I know if a career is right for me before I start it?
Look at the course syllabus, subject by subject. It's public and describes the degree better than any brochure.
What if I don't reach the cut-off score I want?
You can improve your grade in a later exam session while always keeping the most favorable score, or enter through a nearby option and then consider a transfer.
