The competitive examinations for educational guidance counsellors are an excellent option for all professionals wishing to work in secondary education and, in addition, in academic guidance.
Educational guidance focuses on activities aimed at pupils, parents and teachers, with a view to supporting them as they carry out their respective roles within the specific context of schools or secondary schools ( IES).
In short, the educational counsellor is responsible for advising pupils on the possible study options that best suit their profiles and abilities, whilst also informing them of the respective career prospects available to them through the various educational pathways. Academic guidance counsellors play a vital role in helping pupils make decisions; they are also key professionals when it comes to preventing academic failure and identifying pupils with special educational needs.
Requirements for sitting the competitive examinations for educational counsellors
Would you like to pursue a career in educational guidance? In this post, we’ll help you understand all the steps you need to take to achieve the goal you’ve set yourself. Without a doubt, the competitive examinations for educational guidance are the key to making your goal a reality. Read on!
Before you dive straight into preparing for the competitive examinations for educational counsellor, you must meet a series of requirements, as you must first have obtained the qualification that allows you to sit these examinations. To do so, to become an educational counsellor, you must belong to one of the following professional groups: psychologists, educationalists, or educational psychologists ( to qualify as an educational psychologist, you can undertake an online Master’s in Educational Psychology after completing your bachelor’s degree in psychology ), teachers of therapeutic pedagogy (you’ll need to complete a master’s degree afterwards) and other secondary school teachers (teachers who hold a Master’s degree in Teaching ).
Being a school counsellor in secondary education, as mentioned above, is a vital profession for guiding pupils who are at a crucial stage in their lives: deciding their future and, therefore, choosing what to study in order to make the transition into the world of work, whether by undertaking an online vocational training course, an online bachelor’s degree or a dual university degree.
Educational guidance competitive examinations: what they involve and how to prepare
Now that we’re well and truly underway, having submitted our application to sit the competitive examinations for educational guidance, long hours of study lie ahead to ensure we’re as well prepared as possible for the exams. Our aim is to secure a post and gain a stable job. For this reason, it is well worth planning our study schedule and channelling all our energy into achieving the goal we have set ourselves.
What do the competitive examinations for educational counsellors involve? We’ll tell you!
The competitive examinations consist of two stages: the examination stage and the selection stage. We need to achieve the highest score we can to secure a post. The overall mark for the examinations is calculated by weighting the examination stage at 60 per cent and the selection stage at 40 per cent.
Examination phase:
The mark for the competitive examination phase is the arithmetic sum of the two tests in this phase. It is important to emphasise that you must pass these tests, achieving at least 5 marks in each, in order to progress to the selection phase.
As mentioned, 60 per cent of the final mark corresponds to the competitive examination phase. This phase consists of an initial written test followed by a practical test ( scored from 0 to 10). This is followed by a second teaching test, which is also scored from 0 to 10. After successfully passing this first stage of the competitive examination with the highest possible mark, you will receive a maximum of 6 marks (if you achieve a score of 10); bear in mind that this score is weighted at 60 per cent. On the other hand, if we manage to achieve the minimum required to progress to the next stage – 5 marks – this means we will move on to the selection stage with 3 marks.
Competition phase:
Once in the competition phase, which accounts for 40 per cent of the total mark achieved, this means we have passed the competitive examination phase and have not been eliminated. We are still in the running for a post as an educational counsellor!
In the competition phase, the following criteria are taken into account when assessing candidates:
- Academic qualifications, from 0 to 6 points (weighted at a maximum of 40 per cent): 1.5 points.
- Previous professional experience, from 0 to 7 points (weighted at a maximum of 40 per cent): 1.75 points.
- Other merits, from 0 to 3 points (weighted at a maximum of 40 per cent): 0.75 points.
To pass the competitive selection process, candidates must achieve a minimum score of 5 points or more, which is the sum of the scores from the two stages of the selection process.
The weighting of the marks from the competitive examination and selection process phases to arrive at the overall mark will be 2/3 for the competitive examination phase and 1/3 for the selection process phase.
We hope this information has been helpful. And as you know, if you want to sit the competitive examinations for educational guidance, studying educational psychology will be a great help in tackling the demanding tests with the best possible preparation. Are you up for the challenge?
