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This Friday, September 25, the Colombian Institute for the Evaluation of Education (Icfes) will publish the individual results of more than 500,000 people who took the Saber 11 – Calendar A test on July 26.
For those completing secondary education, this result marks an important stage in their educational journey. The Saber 11 exam not only provides information that can be considered for university admissions, but also allows each student to recognize their strengths, identify areas for improvement, and have the tools to guide their academic decisions and the development of their life plan.
Based on individual results, educational institutions and different actors in the system can also have information for self-evaluation, analysis, and decision-making related to improving the quality of education in the country.
The State Examination for Secondary Education, Saber 11, is a standardized assessment that officially measures the quality of formal education provided to those who complete the secondary education level.
What will the student find in their report?
Since 2021, ICFES has published a results report designed to provide a more comprehensive interpretation of performance. Therefore, the information goes beyond a simple score: it allows users to see their overall result, their performance on each test, their ranking compared to other test takers, and the skills and knowledge associated with their achieved level.
Saber 11 assesses five subjects: Critical Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies and Citizenship, Natural Sciences, and English. Each subject is scored on a scale of 0 to 100 points.
The report begins with the data that allows the student and the corresponding application to be identified: full name, municipality and department, identification number, DANE code and name of the educational establishment, registration number, application date and date of publication of the results.
How is the overall score obtained?
The overall score is expressed on a scale of 0 to 500 points and appears on the left side of the report. It is calculated using a weighted average: Critical Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies and Citizenship, and Natural Sciences each have a weight of three, while English has a weight of one.
To obtain it, the results of the first four tests are multiplied by three, the English score is added, the resulting figure is divided by 13 and then multiplied by five.
What does percentile mean?
The percentile shows how a student’s score compares to that of other test takers. It indicates the percentage of test takers who scored lower.
For example, a percentile of 70 means that the student obtained a result higher than approximately 70% of those evaluated.
The report also includes the overall score and the results of the five tests: Critical Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies and Citizenship, Natural Sciences and English.
What are performance levels?
Performance levels complement the numerical results. They describe the knowledge and skills the student demonstrates on each test and are assigned according to established score ranges for each one.
The levels increase progressively in difficulty. Classification at a particular level means that the student has developed the skills and knowledge corresponding to that level, as well as those of the previous levels.
In tests that use this classification, the highest level is level 4. In English, the results are presented according to the levels established in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, with B+ being the highest level reported.
Saber 11 is neither passed nor lost
Saber 11 is an assessment that allows us to understand the performance of students completing secondary education in the various competencies evaluated. Therefore, the report should be read holistically: the overall score, the results for each test, the percentiles, and the performance levels offer different perspectives on the outcome.
Students will be able to check their individual results starting this Friday, September 25th at www.icfes.gov.co .
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