How the ICS exam works: structure, scoring and merit scale for call 100-2025
Two eliminating exercises worth 50 points each, 25 needed to pass each of them, plus a merit phase worth another 50. This page sets out everything the official terms fix and, just as importantly, flags what they do not fix and leave to each category's examining board.
The ICS publishes 27 frequently asked questions about this call and every one of them is administrative: identification code, fees, registration, tie-breaks, exclusions. None says how many questions the test has, whether wrong answers are penalised, or how the two phases add up. All of that is in the terms published in the DOGC, spread across common clauses 11.3, 11.4, 11.5 and 12 and each category's annex.
This page reads them one by one and puts each figure next to the clause it comes from. The call is 100-2025, approved by Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20.06.2025, published in DOGC 9441 on 26.06.2025, with 6.037 posts across 74 categories. The two covered here are Nursing (A2-129) and nursing care assistant, TCAI (C2-159).
Two things to know before you read any further. The examining board writes the paper in Catalan — common clause 11.3 says so explicitly — and the official syllabus is published in Catalan only. And every document linked from this page is in Catalan: there is no official English version of the terms, the annexes or the boards' minutes.
What the test consists of
The competitive phase is ONE test made of TWO exercises, both compulsory and both eliminating: a multiple-choice knowledge test and one or more practical cases. Each exercise is worth 50 points and you need at least 25 to go on. Falling below 25 in either one excludes you from the call.
| Exercise | What it is | Maximum | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| First: knowledge test | Multiple-choice questionnaire with 4 options and only one correct answer, on the cross-cutting syllabus and the category syllabus | 50 | 25 |
| Second: practical cases | One or more practical cases on the content of the category syllabus | 50 | 25 |
Common clause 11.3, points a) and b). The competitive-phase score is the sum of both exercises (clause 11.3.1).
Three marking rules are worth memorising. Unanswered questions and questions with more than one mark are not counted. If the board annuls a question — faulty wording, no correct option, or more than one — the exercise is marked over the number of questions finally held valid, not the original number. And candidates are called once only: not turning up for the test, or for either exercise, means exclusion from the selection process (clause 10.2).
The second rule has a consequence that surprises people: if questions are annulled, the 25-out-of-50 pass mark does not move, but the weight of each correct answer does. With fewer valid questions, each correct answer counts for more.
The test is sat in Barcelona and, if the number of candidates requires it, also in Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. The city was chosen in a binding way at registration (clause 10.1), so it cannot be changed now.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · DOGC record for Resolution SLT/2380/2025
How many questions, and how long
The terms do not say. There is no question count and no duration anywhere in Resolution SLT/2380/2025: each category's examining board sets them in a minute of assessment criteria published a few weeks before the sitting.
On 30.07.2026 the ICS published the minutes of 8 categories of this same call. Side by side they are the best proof that there is no single format: same call, same publication day, and the test ranges from 60 to 80 questions, the practical part from 20 to 45, and the time allowed from 100 to 150 minutes. Neither Nursing (A2-129) nor TCAI (C2-159) is among them.
The other solid reference is the seven past papers the ICS publishes with their marking keys. Counted question by question, the test runs from 50 to 100 questions and the practical part from 20 to 25. In 2022 Nursing sat 70 test questions and 25 practical ones in 2 hours; TCAI, 60 and 20 in 1 hour 40 minutes.
So: any site giving you an exact question count for Nursing or TCAI in 2026 today is either inventing it or copying it from an older call. The number appears when your category's minute appears, on the ICS news page.
Where this comes from: ICS — News page for permanent-post calls (where the tribunals' minutes are published) · ICS — Support material for exam preparation (past papers and marking keys) · Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages)
Are wrong answers penalised?
The terms of the call set no penalty. The only rule they fix is that unanswered questions, and questions with more than one mark, are not counted. Whether wrong answers subtract is decided by each category's board in its minute of assessment criteria.
And this is the change that matters for how you practise. Of the 8 minutes published on 30.07.2026, 5 apply a deduction and 3 do not. The ones that do all use the same formula.
Les preguntes contestades erròniament descomptaran ¼ del valor d'una pregunta contestada correctament.
In the past papers of our two categories that carry a criteria sheet — 2018 and 2022 — the rule was the opposite: wrong answers did not subtract and simply scored nothing. The 2015 and 2016 papers carry no criteria sheet, so nothing can be asserted about them.
As of today neither the Nursing board (A2-129) nor the TCAI board (C2-159) has published its criteria minute for call 100-2025. Until it appears, practise on the assumption that wrong answers may be penalised. If they turn out not to be, you have lost nothing; the other way round, you have.
Where this comes from: ICS — News page for permanent-post calls (where the tribunals' minutes are published) · ICS — Support material for exam preparation (past papers and marking keys)
How the points add up: 100 for the exam, 50 for merits
The final score is the sum of both phases: up to 100 points from the competitive phase and up to 50 from the merit phase, 150 in all. Clause 11.1 puts it as a proportion: two thirds of the total score come from the exam and one third from merits.
| Phase | What it is | Points | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam — exercise 1 | Knowledge test | 50 | 1/3 |
| Exam — exercise 2 | Practical cases | 50 | 1/3 |
| Merits | Merit scale | 50 | 1/3 |
| Total | Final score | 150 | — |
Common clauses 11.1, 11.3, 11.5.1 and 12.1.
Merits only count once you have passed the competitive phase: merits are assessed after that phase closes (clause 11.5.3), and both exercises are eliminating. A 50-point CV is worth nothing if you score 24 in one exercise.
Ties in the final score are broken in this order (clause 12.1): more points in the exam phase; then more points in the merit phase; then more days of service in the Spanish National Health System in that category; and finally the older candidate.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages)
What counts in the merit scale (the 50 merit points)
The 50 points split 60 % for service (30 points) and 40 % for other qualifications (20 points). Only merits obtained up to and including 26.06.2025 — the day the call was published in the DOGC — are counted.
| Professional experience (maximum 30 points) | Per full month | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| At the ICS and at other National Health System services, as temporary statutory staff in the same category called | 0,358 points | 30 points |
| At SISCAT, other public administrations and university care centres, in a comparable category (50 % of the above) | 0,179 points | 15 points |
Clause 11.5.1.a. Months are calculated by dividing the total days credited by 30,41 (365/12); the result, with decimals dropped, is multiplied by the scale value.
Read this one carefully if your experience is from abroad: the scale credits service in the Spanish National Health System, in SISCAT, in other Spanish public administrations and in university care centres. References to Spanish bodies are read as covering the equivalent bodies of other EU member states (clause 11.5.2), and the supporting documents must be officially translated into Catalan or Spanish. Experience outside the EU has no route into this scale.
| Other qualifications — groups A1 and A2 (Nursing) | Value | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Having passed an ICS competitive process in the same category and stream without obtaining a post, in the last completed call within the past 10 years | 5 points | 5 points |
| Doctorate | 3,2 points | 8 points (combined) |
| Official university master's related to the category | 2,4 points | |
| Holding the specialty of the general category called | 2,4 points | |
| Continuing education (courses, workshops, seminars, non-official master's and postgraduate courses), up to 300 hours | 0,017 points/hour | 5 points |
| Catalan certificate above the level required for the category | 1 point | 1 point |
| ACTIC digital competence certificate and equivalents (basic / intermediate / advanced) | 0,5 / 0,8 / 1 points | 1 point |
Clause 11.5.1.b, groups A1 and A2. If you hold more than one ACTIC level, the higher one is scored.
| Other qualifications — remaining groups (TCAI) | Value | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Having passed an ICS competitive process in the same category and stream without obtaining a post, in the last completed call within the past 10 years | 5 points | 5 points |
| Continuing education up to 300 hours | 0,044 points/hour | 13 points |
| Catalan certificate above the level required for the category | 1 point | 1 point |
| ACTIC digital competence certificate and equivalents (basic / intermediate / advanced) | 0,5 / 0,8 / 1 points | 1 point |
Clause 11.5.1.b, remaining professional groups. Note there is no doctorate or master's here: the weight moves to continuing education, worth almost three times as much per hour.
Entry requirements never score as merits — clause 11.5.1 says so in those words. The degree that lets you apply adds nothing, and neither does the Catalan level required of you. What does add is a Catalan certificate ABOVE the required level, worth 1 point.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · ICS — FAQ on the 2025 competitive-examination call (last updated 27.06.2025)
The Catalan requirement, and when the Spanish test applies
The Catalan level is an entry requirement, not a merit, and it varies by category: Nursing (A2-129) requires the proficiency certificate (C1) or higher, TCAI (C2-159) the elementary one (B1) or higher, both issued by the Directorate-General for Language Policy. Candidates who cannot produce the certificate sit a compulsory, eliminating test marked pass or fail.
| Category | Level required | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing (A2-129) | Proficiency (C1) or higher | Annex 35, point 2.c |
| TCAI (C2-159) | Elementary (B1) or higher | Annex 68, point 2.b |
The levels sit in each category's annex, not in the common clauses. Other categories in the same call ask for B2 or A2, so always check your own annex.
Not holding the certificate does not shut you out of the call: it means you sit the language test, which is pass/fail and is scheduled after the main exam. The dedicated page covers the exact format, who is exempt and where to practise.
There is also a Spanish-language exercise, compulsory and eliminating, but only for candidates who do not hold Spanish nationality and cannot otherwise evidence their Spanish. It is a composition of 200 to 300 words plus a conversation with the board, capped at 45 minutes for the first part and 15 for the second. Having studied your qualifying degree in Spanish exempts you.
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · Directorate-General for Language Policy — Catalan certificates
Posts, streams and reserved places
Nursing (A2-129) offers 1.713 posts: 1.371 in the open stream — 137 of them reserved for candidates with recognised disability and 4 part-time — plus 342 in the internal-promotion stream, with 34 reserved. TCAI (C2-159) offers 757 posts, all open stream, with 75 reserved and 2 part-time.
| Category | Total | Open stream | Reserved (open) | Internal promotion | Reserved (internal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (A2-129) | 1.713 | 1.371 | 137 | 342 | 34 |
| TCAI (C2-159) | 757 | 757 | 75 | — | — |
Annexes 35 and 68 of Resolution SLT/2380/2025, point 1 of each. Internal-promotion posts left unfilled are added to the open stream (clause 5).
The nationality question, which is what most international readers are here for. Clause 4.1 opens the call to Spanish nationals, to nationals of EU member states and of states covered by the relevant treaties, on the usual free-movement terms. On top of that, annex 35 expressly WAIVES the nationality requirement for the nursing category (A2-129), in line with the ICS human-resources plan. Annex 68 (TCAI) contains no such waiver, so the general rule applies there.
A qualification obtained abroad needs the corresponding homologation credential or, where applicable, a certificate of equivalence — unless your professional qualification has been recognised under EU law for a regulated profession (clause 4.3). Nursing is a regulated profession, so the qualifying degree must be one that grants the right to practise; the reference register is the Spanish RUCT.
Reserved posts need more than a disability certificate of 33 % or above valid during the registration window: they also need an opinion from the multi-professional assessment teams issued for this call, stating that you meet the functional capacity conditions of the category. That opinion could be filed from the day after the call was published until 15 days after the final list of admitted candidates (clause 8).
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · Decree 66/1999 on access to public service for people with disabilities and multi-professional assessment teams
What paperwork is required, and when
Almost nothing at registration: merits and requirements are evidenced later, when the board opens the window. Merits go into the Gestor de Currículum within the period each minute sets, and originals are produced when requested.
- The required qualification (or proof of payment of the issuing fee) plus a certificate stating the date studies ended. If it is missing, the board opens 10 working days from its minute; if it is still missing, it proposes exclusion.
- An original certificate of service from the relevant human-resources body, stating category and specialty, type of appointment, periods worked and total days. Annex 4 of the call contains the template for temporary service in the National Health System and SISCAT.
- Evidence for every other merit claimed: continuing-education certificates with hours, doctorate or master's certificates, ACTIC certificate, Catalan certificate above the required level.
- For a foreign qualification, the homologation credential or certificate of equivalence, and official translations into Catalan or Spanish of any supporting document from another EU state.
- Functional capacity, at the very end: a certificate from the occupational health doctor of the ICS occupational risk prevention service, or an official medical certificate (clause 12.3).
The rule that costs posts: a merit that is claimed but not evidenced is not scored (clause 11.5.2). Claiming is not evidencing. And in the appeal against the provisional merit assessment you may NOT add new merits — only supporting documents for merits already claimed.
Appeal windows are always 10 working days and always through a specific electronic procedure: against the provisional list of admitted candidates (clause 11.2.2) and against the provisional merit assessment (clause 11.5.3). Appeals sent by any other channel are not processed. Once appointed, you have 1 month from the day after publication in the DOGC to take up the post; missing it forfeits every right derived from the process (clause 12.4).
Where this comes from: Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages) · TALICS-SELECCIÓ — the application where you check your application and your result · Generalitat generic request form (the electronic channel for appeals)
What is not published yet (and is therefore not on this page)
These four are the most searched and the most frequently invented. Neither of the categories covered here has them published as of this page's review date.
- How many questions the 2026 test will have for Nursing (A2-129) and TCAI (C2-159), and how many the practical part will have.
- How long each exercise will last.
- Whether wrong answers will be penalised, and by how much.
- The day, time, city and room of the sitting.
All sources for this page
- Resolution SLT/2380/2025 of 20 June — terms of call 100-2025 (PDF, DOGC 9441, 26.06.2025, 199 pages)
- DOGC record for Resolution SLT/2380/2025
- Resolution SLT/2292/2026 of 3 July, amending the call (DOGC 9705, 10.07.2026)
- Resolution SLT/2518/2026 of 16 July, correcting SLT/2292/2026 (DOGC 9714, 23.07.2026)
- ICS — News page for permanent-post calls (where the tribunals' minutes are published)
- ICS — FAQ on the 2025 competitive-examination call (last updated 27.06.2025)
- ICS — Support material for exam preparation (past papers and marking keys)
- TALICS-SELECCIÓ — the application where you check your application and your result
Read next
- Timeline of call 100-2025What has happened, what is coming, and when each step is published.
- The Catalan and Spanish language testsLevels, exemptions, real format and where to practise.
- Analysis of the seven published papersHow much of the paper is cross-cutting syllabus, counted question by question.
- Index of past papersOfficial papers and marking keys, by category and year.
Syllabus and tests by category
Each page sets out the full syllabus, what access includes, the price and the official sources each topic rests on.
- ICS Nursing exam (A2-129) — 8 category topics + the 11 topics of the transversal block See the full syllabus →
- ICS Nursing Assistant exam (C2-159) — 5 category topics + the 11 topics of the transversal block See the full syllabus →
Start with Topic 1, which is free
If you are preparing for this exam, Topic 1 (LOSC, SISCAT and the health plan) is open: the full text and its test, no payment and no card details.
Take Topic 1 freeHow this page was made
Every figure was read in the primary document — the 199-page PDF of the Resolution in the DOGC, each category's annex and the ICS's own publications — and the exact clause or annex is stated beside it. Where the official source says nothing, this page says so instead of filling the gap. Verbatim quotations are reproduced in Catalan, the language of the original, with an English gloss. A healthcare professional reviews the text before publication and every review is dated here.
Last reviewed 06.08.2026 · Links checked on 06.08.2026 · Published on 06.08.2026
OposICS is an independent project. It is not affiliated with the Institut Català de la Salut or the Generalitat de Catalunya. Official documents belong to their authors and are linked directly.