The number of programs with a compulsory start test has more than tripled during this term of office. “Thanks to the start test, students know in advance what to expect from the program and which shortcomings they may need to make up for,” says Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA). “With a good orientation, we save many a disappointment later.”
The start test is a calibration test to which, in the event of negative results, a mandatory remediation process is linked. In concrete terms, the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences involves approximately 1,000 students who will from now on have to take a starter test before the start of their first year.
It is already the twelfth study program for which a start test is now being organised. Since the start of this Flemish government, the number of courses of study with a compulsory start test has tripled. This should ensure better orientation or rapid reorientation of starting students.
“Step by step, we are further expanding the system of the start keys,” says Weyts. “Anyone who underperforms on the start test can immediately work on the shortfalls. So this is really in the interest of the students. This also fits in with the initiatives to improve the quality of education: not only in compulsory education, but also in higher education.”