PAU Applied Mathematics for Social Sciences II - Canary Islands / ULPGC & ULL

The Canary Islands PAU is organised jointly by the public universities of the archipelago, with ULPGC and ULL as the main reference institutions. Each university publishes its own calendar, instructions and marking criteria for its district. Check the official PAU or acceso section of the university website for the year you are sitting, since procedures are updated annually.

The official body publishes the current structure, duration and instructions for each call, and these can change between years. Do not rely on what an older student tells you. Download the current model paper and instructions from the ULPGC or ULL PAU website and read them before you plan your revision timetable.

Regional PAU rules permit a calculator, but with restrictions on the model: programmable or graphing calculators and those with communication capability are normally excluded. The exact list of permitted and prohibited features is published with the exam instructions each year. Confirm your model against that list well before the exam so you are not caught out on the day.

It is generally considered more accessible than the science-track Mathematics II, because it avoids complex numbers, heavy trigonometry and formal proof. The difficulty lies in modelling word problems, discussing systems with parameters, and interpreting optimisation results in context. Careless arithmetic and weak justification cost more marks than conceptual gaps for most candidates.

Yes, PAU calls are held more than once per year, and candidates may resit to improve their admission score, subject to the rules in force. The number of calls, the validity of previous results and the improvement procedure are set out in the official regulations published each year by the organising universities, so verify the current conditions there.

Start with matrices, determinants and systems, including Rouché–Capelli discussion, because these skills recur and build confidence. Move to linear programming, which is highly examinable and quickly improved with practice. Then take limits and derivatives, followed by optimisation and areas. Finish with probability and binomial/normal distributions, which are compact and reward systematic drilling.

Failing to justify steps, giving only the final answer, misreading which alternative block was chosen, and arithmetic slips in matrix operations. In linear programming, students often forget to check the objective function at every vertex or ignore the integer or non-negativity constraints. In probability, mixing up conditional probability with joint probability is a classic error.

Treat them as the primary resource. Sit full papers under timed conditions, then mark yourself using the published solutions and criteria, noting not just wrong answers but missing justification. Keep an error log by topic and revisit it weekly. Aim to cover several years of Canarias papers so you see the recurring question styles rather than a single year's quirks.

Passing and grade thresholds are set by the official regulations and vary by call and by the degree you are applying for; they are not fixed numbers you can memorise. The universities publish the applicable criteria and the admission cut-off marks each year. Consult the official PAU documentation for the current figures rather than relying on rumour.