Around 60% of applicants choose the UNAM baccalaureate options

Cesar Arellano Garcia

Newspaper La Jornada
Monday, June 20, 2022, p. 17

More than 50 percent of the 282,596 applicants who applied to enter high school this year selected one of the two subsystems of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) as their first option, said Daniel López Barrera, spokesman for the Metropolitan Commission of Public Institutions of Mexico. Higher Secondary Education (Comipems).

More than half request educational alternatives from the National University. About 60 percent choose the National Preparatory School and the College of Sciences and Humanities. The most requested alternatives in terms of institution are the UNAM and the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).

At a conference, he said that 121 locations were enabled for the application of the exam distributed in the metropolitan area and that 725 educational options are offered in 484 schools. He pointed out that the demand for young people for the exam had a slight increase, registering 7 thousand more applicants than last year, due to preventive measures to avoid covid-19, such as the application of the vaccine.

He added that this weekend 140 thousand 45 applicants presented the exam and next Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 there will be 142 thousand 551 supporters. Each day’s exams have different questions. There is a very robust bank of items and the versions are not the same, in order to prevent questions from being copied. In fact (young people) are asked not to bring cell phones.

López Barrera indicated that the venues were disinfected and additionally everyone was asked to wear a face mask, apply antibacterial gel and keep a healthy distance.

He added that according to the number of hits obtained in the test, one of the schools they have chosen is assigned and that the results will be published on August 9 on the page www.comipems.org.mxin addition to being sent by email to each of the applicants.

Susana Balcázar accompanied her daughter to the campus where she took the test. Among his options he chose the South CCH and the East. She prepared herself in a propaedeutic course for more than 10 months. Last year she didn’t stay; although her average was not low, she did not learn anythingbecause the classes were online.

Alejandro chose a CCH from UNAM as his first option. I did well in the exam. I studied a lot. I felt confident in the exam. I answered all the questions, some were difficult.

Emiliano traveled to the Iztacalco delegation from Chalco, state of Mexico, to present the exam. The test is a bit complicated. It has a lot of reasoning, but I think I’ll do well. I took a course to prepare myself and studied the Comipems guide. Online high school classes are tedious and unintelligible, it is not the same as face-to-face.