New Psychometric Exam: Format, Scoring, and Structure

The Council for Higher Education decided that when testing English proficiency, additional language skills beyond reading comprehension need to be evaluated. Assessing these skills—listening, writing, and speaking—is only possible via a computer-based test. In any case, separating the English section is the first stage in transitioning the entire psychometric exam to a computer-based format.

Starting from December 2026, the English section will be excluded from the psychometric exam. This means that the exams taking place on 04.12.2026 and 06.12.2026 will no longer contain English sections. All exams prior to December 2026—namely the fall 2026 psychometric exams—will be conducted in the old format and will include English.

The exam will consist of a writing task, followed by 5 multiple-choice question sections: two verbal reasoning sections, two quantitative reasoning sections, and one pilot section that could be either quantitative or verbal reasoning (which is not used for scoring).

Just like today, the order of the sections will be random. It is impossible to determine which of the five sections is the pilot. There are no changes to the writing task or the time allocated for each section.

The exam will be shortened by one hour because it will contain three fewer sections than now. The total duration of the exam will be approximately two and a half hours, including explanations and instructions.

Yes. According to the Council for Higher Education, passing an English proficiency test is mandatory for admission. After the English section is removed from the psychometric exam, Amirnet will become the sole exam through which one can obtain an English level placement or an exemption from English studies (“ptor”), unless otherwise specified by the registration rules of a specific study program.

No, retaking the exam is not required. Scores for the psychometric exam in the current format will remain valid even after the English section is removed from the exam. Psychometric scores are valid for at least seven years, regardless of the exam format. Some academic institutions have established even longer validity periods for the scores.

The registration fee for the new exam will be reduced. The new price will be published when registration opens for the winter psychometric exam (December 2026).

No. The English placement exam is can be taken only on a computer. Candidates with disabilities that prevent them from taking the exam on a computer must apply for special accommodations in accordance with the guidelines. Their application will be reviewed by the Special Accommodations Exam Department.

Amirnet will change gradually starting in 2027. An announcement regarding each change will be published in advance on the NITE website so that all examinees can prepare. The expected changes include the addition of listening and writing sections, and later, a speaking section. Sample tasks can be viewed in the study materials of the Okey preparation center.

This depends on what you find difficult. Amirnet will feature fundamentally new types of questions, the proportion of multiple-choice questions will decrease, and the number of question types will increase. It is also adaptive – if you do well on the first few sections, the next sections will feature harder questions. However, the participants are less pressed for time in Amirnet than they are in the English section of the psychometric exam. The overall difficulty level of Amirnet will correspond to the difficulty level of the English section in the psychometric exam, and Amirnet scores are comparable to English language scores.

Yes. Students taking the psychometric exam in a language other than Hebrew will be able to take the YAEL exam (in paper format), which will be administered immediately after the psychometric exam, just as it is now.

Yes. You must register and pay for each exam separately. To register for the psychometric exam click here. To register for the Amirnet click here.

The Amirnet exam is administered at NITE test centers nationwide throughout the year. You can choose the test center location and the date when you register for the test. However, you cannot select a specific time — it will be automatically assigned for your chosen date. You can register for the Amirnet exam here. Please note that availability of locations and dates varies, so it’s best to register in advance.

Amirnet can be taken an unlimited number of times, provided that at least 35 calendar days have passed since the last attempt.

No. You can take them in any order. They also don’t have to be taken within a short time of each other. However, it is important to choose dates that are convenient for you and to make sure that you will get your scores in time to submit your application to your chosen academic institution before the deadline.

You can take the Amirnet test at any of the NITE test centers: they are located in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva. You can sign up for the exam (and choose any of the listed cities) on the NITE website.

No. The only way to register for the test is through the NITE website, and the only accepted payment is by card.

Academic institutions have autonomy regarding all matters concerning their admission policy and the criteria for the selection of candidates. The National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (NITE) does not interfere in these decisions.

Some study programs factor the English language score into the overall admission score (the so-called composite score) alongside the results of the two-component psychometric exam and high school matriculation grades (bagrut).

In other programs, the English score will be used solely for assessing your English proficiency level.

Additionally, academic institutions are free to set the minimum English proficiency level required for admission.

Prior to opening registration for the new academic year, universities and colleges publish information regarding admission requirements and cut-off scores for various study programs. Stay tuned for announcements.

Usually, if an applicant has taken the exam multiple times, academic institutions consider their best score; however, the final decision in each specific case is made by the university itself.

NITE transmits scores directly to all universities. When registering for the exam through your personal account on the NITE website, you can cancel the transmission of scores to specific universities. However, we do not recommend doing this, because if the applicant later asks to send a score to a particular university, NITE may charge an additional fee for this service.

The two-component score will be calculated based on quantitative and verbal reasoning, with each component contributing 50% to the final score. The overall score range will remain the same: 200–800. In early 2027, prior to the start of registration for the new academic year, two-component scores will appear in the personal accounts of all applicants. English language results will also be visible there, regardless of which exam they were obtained from: the old psychometric test, Amirnet, Amir, or Amiram.

The scoring scale will not change. The two-component psychometric test will also be scored from 200 to 800 points. The score will consist 50% of the quantitative reasoning score and 50% of the verbal reasoning score. The verbal reasoning score will consist 20% of the writing task score and 80% of the multiple-choice questions in that area.

Each academic institution independently determines its admission criteria, so we recommend you contact your chosen academic institution and ask them. Starting in 2027, two-component scores will be available in students’ personal accounts on the NITE website. When registration for the spring 2027 semester opens, universities will publish their admission requirements for that semester.

No changes are expected in the publication timelines for the exam scores in the new format. It usually takes about a month for the scores to be calculated.

At this stage, no changes are expected in the scoring scale or the scores required to obtain an exemption from English studies at the university (“ptor”).

Yes. In early 2027, prior to the start of registration for the new academic year at universities, two-component scores will appear on the NITE website, in the personal accounts of applicants who took the psychometric exam in the old format. The scores will be valid for at least 7 years from the exam date.

The two-component psychotech score on a 200–800 scale can be calculated as follows: first, calculate the average score of the two areas using the formula (VE + QU) / 2, and then convert the resulting value into the final score using the table below.

Two-Component Score Conversion Table

Yes. The score for the English part is valid for at least 7 years, regardless of the exam type (psychometric exam, Amirnet, Amir, and Amiram).

Yes, the existence of weighted scores that empasize humanities and exact sciences will be preserved. In the exact sciences emphasis, the weight of quantitative reasoning relative to verbal reasoning is 3:1 (quantitative reasoning will constitute 75% of the final score, while verbal reasoning will contribute 25%). In the humanities emphasis, the ratio is reversed: verbal reasoning relates to quantitative as 3:1 (verbal reasoning will constitute 75%, and quantitative reasoning will contribute 25%).

If NITE has already approved your eligibility for special accommodations when taking one of its exams, then upon registering for an exam you will be prompted to choose one of the following options:

• decline to use special accommodations on the exam;
• apply to take the exam with special accommodations in accordance with the documents stored at NITE;
• request to take the exam under special accommodations and submit new documentation in addition to what NITE already has.

The application will be reviewed in accordance with your choice by the Special Accommodations Exam Registration Department.

Please note: The fact that in the past you had the right to take the psychometric exam with special accommodations does not guarantee that you will receive the same accommodations on any new exams you register for.

Yes. If you wish to receive special accommodations for two different exams, you must submit two separate applications. If you already provided documents to NITE to request special accommodations in the past, you can indicate this during registration — you do not need to resubmit the same documents.

Yes. Starting from December 2026, the English language sections will also be excluded from the accommodated psychometric format (the Maf’am exam).