Proficiency exam to become mandatory for all university graduates

AMMAN — All students expected to graduate from private and public universities will be required to sit for a proficiency exam starting in November, a higher education official said Sunday.

Bashir Zu’bi, the president of the Higher Education Accreditation Commission (HEAC), said the move aims to evaluate the success of university academic programmes based on students’ exam results.

“The proficiency exam measures students’ academic capacities and reveals if they succeeded in gaining the skills imparted through university requirements and compulsory courses in their specialties,” Zu’bi told The Jordan Times over the phone.

He added that universities should adjust academic plans for their programmes according to the evaluation report the HEAC provides them based on the results of each examination round.

Previously, a random sample of 40 per cent of graduating students sat for the exam at the end of every academic semester, but the new regulation makes it compulsory for all students to sit for the exam by the end of their graduation semester.

“The universities’ performance in the exam, which is based on the performance of their students, should be taken into consideration when ranking them,” Zu’bi said, urging universities to educate their students on the importance and seriousness of the test. 

He noted that the cost of the exam for each semester exceeds JD60,000, including the expenses of writing new questions and monitoring the examination in university halls.

Expecting the cost to nearly double with the new regulations, Zu’bi said nominal fees of around JD5 might be charged for the exam.

He added that the HEAC will coordinate with the Civil Service Bureau to spare students who passed the proficiency exam from sitting for the bureau’s assessment exam.

Students who pass the exam should be eligible for more job opportunities and higher education programmes, Zu’bi said, highlighting the potential to make passing the test a graduation requirement.