Short answers · with the source

Questions about the ICS exam, answered and sourced

Eleven questions people type into Google every day about the Institut Català de la Salut exam. Each one gets a page with the direct answer, the official document behind it and an honest note on what is still unknown. No sign-up.

These answers come from three places and nowhere else: the terms of the call published in the DOGC, the official papers the ICS puts on its website, and the criteria notices signed by the examining boards. Where something has not been published yet, we say so instead of filling the gap with guesswork.

Every answer ends with the official document it comes from, so you can open it and read it yourself. If a figure looks odd, check it: that is exactly what the link is for.

The eleven questions

  1. How many questions does the ICS exam have?

    There is no fixed number: each category's board decides it.

    Read it there

  2. Do wrong answers subtract marks in the ICS exam?

    Depends on the category: 5 of the 8 published notices deduct ¼.

    Read it there

  3. What is the ICS exam like?

    Two eliminatory exercises, 50 + 50 points, 25 minimum in each.

    Read it there

  4. How long is the ICS exam?

    100 to 150 minutes for both exercises, depending on the category.

    Read it there

  5. What language is the ICS exam in?

    Catalan — clause 11.3 says so and the seven published papers confirm it.

    Read it there

  6. What level of Catalan does the ICS exam require?

    C1 for nursing, B1 for nursing assistant. A requirement, not a merit.

    Read it there

  7. How many posts are on offer in the ICS exam?

    6,037 posts across 74 categories: 1,713 nursing and 757 nursing assistant.

    Read it there

  8. When is the ICS exam?

    Second half of October 2026; exact date still pending.

    Read it there

  9. How does the ICS merit phase score?

    50 points: 30 for experience and 20 for curricular merits.

    Read it there

  10. What is on the ICS exam syllabus?

    Common (11 topics) + category: 8 for nursing, 5 for nursing assistant.

    Read it there

  11. How much does it cost to prepare for the ICS exam?

    With official material, €0. With us, €39–80 once.

    Read it there

Two more questions, answered on another page

We don't repeat them here: they already have a page that answers them properly.

  • Where can I find the ICS past papers?

    On the ICS website, by category and by call, with the paper and the answer key. We keep a page that indexes every one of them with the format of each test.

    Index of past papers

  • How much of the exam is the common (transversal) syllabus?

    Between 3 and 10 % of the test questions, depending on the paper. We counted it question by question across the seven published papers.

    Read the analysis of the 7 papers

Start with Topic 1 — it's free

If you are preparing for this exam, Topic 1 (LOSC, SISCAT and the Health Plan of Catalonia) is open: the full text and its test, no payment and no card.

Try Topic 1 free

Edition a1-2026-07-31 · Links checked on 31.07.2026

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.