Andalusia PAU Latin II exam-day guide
Andalusia PAU Latin II · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
DNI or passport (original, valid)
Bring the original document, not a photocopy. Official photo ID is normally required to sit the exam and to sign the attendance sheet. Confirm with the provider which documents are accepted and whether the document must be the one used at registration.
Exam venue and seating confirmation
Check your assigned building, room, and call time on the official PAU documentation for your province (the Universidad de Sevilla, Málaga, Granada, etc. coordinate their own venues). Confirm with the provider where your specific centre is and when the doors open.
Printed or downloaded exam timetable
Latin II has a fixed slot in the PAU schedule. Note the exact start time and the session length, and check whether your venue applies a separate access window before the exam begins. Confirm with the provider if the published timetable differs from what your centre sent you.
Blue or black ballpoint pens (at least two)
Write the exam in ink, not pencil, unless the instructions say otherwise. Bring spares; there is no guarantee you can borrow one.
Pencil, eraser, and a small sharpener
Useful for rough work, underlining, and drafting translations before writing the final version in ink.
Clear pencil case or transparent bag
Many venues restrict what can be on the desk. A transparent case makes invigilator checks quick. Confirm with the provider whether pencil cases are allowed at all.
Analog watch (no smart features)
There may be no visible clock in the room, and phones must normally be switched off and stored away. Bring a simple watch you can read quickly.
Water in a clear bottle, label removed
Stay hydrated for a long writing session, but check the venue's rules on drinks. Confirm with the provider whether bottles are permitted at your centre.
No dictionaries, grammars, or electronic aids
The Latin II paper is normally taken without reference materials. Confirm with the provider and your teacher what the current instructions allow, because rules can vary by exam and year.
Phone switched off and out of reach
A phone that rings or vibrates during the exam can be treated as misconduct. Switch it off before entering the room and leave it in your bag, not your pocket.
Review the paper's structure the night before
Know in advance how many sections there are (typically translation, morphology/syntax, and literary or cultural questions), the marks for each, and the order you plan to answer them in.
Plan your route and arrival time
Aim to arrive well before the call time to allow for transport delays, finding the room, and ID checks. Confirm with the provider the exact call time and whether late entry is allowed.
Plan the day
Work through the official PAU model papers or past papers for Latin II from your regional university, under timed conditions. Focus on the translation passage first, then the grammar and set-text questions. Mark exactly which constructions you missed (subjunctive types, ablative absolute, indirect statement, gerund/gerundive) and revise those points the next day.
Re-read the prescribed authors and passages. Make a one-page summary of each set text: main characters, key events, style features, and likely short-answer points. Keep it short enough to reread in ten minutes on the morning of the exam.
Check the exam logistics: venue, room, call time, ID requirements, and what you may bring. Confirm with the provider anything that is not explicitly stated in the official instructions you have.
Do one full timed mock: translation with a strict time limit, then the analysis questions. Practise allocating time so that you leave a few minutes to check noun-adjective agreement, verb endings, and case endings.
Light revision only: vocabulary lists, principal parts of common irregular verbs, and the case functions you keep confusing. Do not start new material. Reread your one-page set-text summaries.
Prepare your bag: ID, pens, pencils, eraser, sharpener, watch, water, and your printed timetable. Set out clothes and transport details. Check the weather and travel time.
Get a full night's sleep. Avoid staying up late memorising; a rested brain translates better than a tired one.
Eat a proper breakfast and arrive early. Do a short warm-up: read one short Latin sentence and identify its main verb and subject, just to switch your brain into Latin mode.
Before entering the room, switch off your phone and put it away. Check you have your ID and pens. Use the toilet before the exam starts, since breaks may be limited.
Read the whole paper before writing. Note the marks for each section and confirm the translation passage and the questions you must answer. Decide your order: usually translation first while your mind is fresh, then grammar, then set-text questions.
Read the passage once for sense, then translate sentence by sentence. Identify the main verb of each clause before translating. Keep close to the Latin word order where it makes sense in Spanish, and do not leave blanks: a partial attempt can earn partial credit.
Answer precisely. For morphology, give the form, the lemma, and the grammatical description (case, number, gender, or tense, mood, voice, person). For syntax, name the construction and explain its function in the sentence. Use the technical terminology your course has taught.
Check agreement, verb endings, and that every question has an answer. Make sure your name and candidate details are filled in correctly. Do not rewrite whole answers; make targeted corrections.
Do not spend time comparing answers with others in a way that unsettles you for the next paper. Note any specific grammar point you found hard, and confirm with the provider the dates for results and any review or appeal procedure.
Rules to check
Bring original photo ID and place it on the desk if asked. The name must match your registration. If your document is expired or the name differs, confirm with the provider before exam day, not on the day.
Arrive by the published call time. Entry after the exam has started may be refused or may cost you time that is not added back. Confirm with the provider what the late-entry policy is at your centre.
Keep only permitted items on the desk. Bags, notes, phones, and smart devices must be stored where the invigilator instructs. A phone that is on or within reach can be treated as misconduct.
Do not communicate with other candidates once the exam has begun, and do not look at another candidate's paper. Raise your hand and wait for an invigilator if you need something.
Write your answers in the language and format the paper requires, normally Spanish, with Latin terms quoted as needed. Answers in the wrong language may not be credited. Confirm with the provider if the instructions are ambiguous.
Use ink for final answers unless instructed otherwise, and keep rough work clearly separate or crossed out so it is not confused with your answers.
Breaks are normally not permitted during the exam; leave the room only with an invigilator's permission, and expect to be accompanied. Confirm with the provider whether any supervised break is allowed.
Scoring is based on the official marking criteria for the paper: accuracy of translation, correctness of morphological and syntactic analysis, and content knowledge for the set-text questions. Partial answers can earn partial credit, so attempt every item. Confirm with the provider the weighting and any penalties for incorrect answers.