About the SweSAT

Since 1977, the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SweSAT; Högskoleprovet) has served as a selection instrument for higher education in Sweden, providing an alternative to grade-based selection when there are more qualified applicants than available study places. There is significant interest in taking the test, often to compete in two selection groups, but for many, the test may be the only way to access programs with competitive admission.

The test measures knowledge relevant to succeeding in higher education. It is divided into a verbal section, focusing on vocabulary and reading comprehension, and a quantitative section, emphasizing mathematical skills and the ability to interpret and understand graphical information. The test is usually administered twice a year. While it was open to everyone for many years, there is now a minimum age requirement of 18. The test can be taken multiple times, and if an applicant has several valid test results, the best result is considered. Since a test result is valid for several years, it is important that scores can be compared over time. This places high demands on the quality and design of the test. Each test aims to be unique yet comparable to previous tests in content and difficulty, and the test results are fine-tuned based on the difficulty level of each test through a process where the raw scores are converted to a normed scale (0.00-2.00).

Developing a test like the SweSAT is a rigorous task, as it is an important test with significant implications for both test-takers and higher education institutions, as well as society at large. The development process takes about two years, as all test items are reviewed, empirically tested, and statistically analyzed, sometimes multiple times. There is also extensive post-test work to analyze the outcomes and report the results. Currently, 14 people work full or part-time on the construction, development, and research of the test.