Scio NSZ English cheat sheet

The OSP (Study Prerequisites Test) is a general academic-aptitude instrument used by some Czech universities to assess readiness for university study; it typically tests verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical thinking, and general academic skills rather than subject-specific knowledge.

Verbal reasoning items assess comprehension, inference, and vocabulary in context: the correct answer must follow strictly from the passage, not from outside knowledge or plausible assumptions.

Quantitative items cover arithmetic, percentages, ratios, averages, and basic algebra; percentage change is computed as (new − old) / old × 100, and a ratio a:b means a/b of the whole only when the total is a + b.

Data interpretation questions require reading tables and graphs: check axis scales and units first, and distinguish absolute change from relative (percentage) change, since these can rank options differently.

Analytical reasoning (logic games) items are solved by drawing a diagram of entities and constraints; a valid arrangement must satisfy every stated condition simultaneously, and 'must be true' differs from 'could be true'.

Average speed over a trip is total distance divided by total time, not the arithmetic mean of the leg speeds; for equal distances at speeds v1 and v2 the harmonic mean 2v1v2/(v1+v2) applies.

Standardized-test strategy: answer every item (there is no penalty for guessing on most such tests), and skip-and-return on time-consuming items to protect the score on easier questions.

Work-rate problems use the rule that rates add: if A finishes a job in a hours and B in b hours, together they take ab/(a+b) hours.

Probability of independent events multiplies (P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B)); probability of either of two mutually exclusive events adds.

ZSV (Základy společenských věd) is the Czech secondary-school social-sciences subject covering philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, law, economics, and modern history; it is a common entrance-exam subject for humanities and law programmes.

Philosophy: Plato's theory of Forms holds that perceptible things are imperfect copies of eternal Ideas; Aristotle, his student, emphasized empirical observation and the four causes (material, formal, efficient, final).

Philosophy: Kant's categorical imperative requires acting only on maxims that could become universal laws, and treating persons as ends in themselves, never merely as means.

Psychology: Pavlov's classical conditioning pairs a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus alone elicits the response; Skinner's operant conditioning shapes behaviour through reinforcement and punishment.

Sociology: Durkheim distinguished mechanical solidarity (shared likeness in traditional societies) from organic solidarity (interdependence through division of labour in modern societies), and treated social facts as external constraints on individuals.

Political science: Montesquieu's separation of powers divides state authority into legislative, executive, and judicial branches; a unitary state concentrates sovereignty centrally, while a federation divides it between central and regional governments.

Law: in Czech law the Constitution (Ústava) and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (Listina základních práv a svobod) are the supreme legal documents; statutes must conform to them, and the Constitutional Court can annul unconstitutional laws.

Economics: GDP measures the market value of final goods and services produced within a country in a period; inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level, reducing purchasing power, and is often measured by the consumer price index.

Modern history: the Treaty of Versailles (1919) formally ended World War I between Germany and the Allies and imposed reparations and territorial losses on Germany; the Munich Agreement (1938) ceded the Sudetenland to Germany without Czechoslovak participation.