University admission tests should not discriminate against low-SES applicants. However, high test-taker fees could lead to inequality of opportunity. Therefore, in Germany, there is an upper limit of 100 Euro gross.
Why do some admission tests exceed this limit by factor 2 or even 3? The reasons are obvious: Good tests need financial resources for development, implementation, services and evaluation. If you would limit the price of a car by law to 10,000 Euro, it would be impossible for BMW to keep the quality-level.
The financial issue for admission tests can be solved if universities or institutions make a financial contribution. From an applicants’ perspective, this is logical and fair: If both, universities and applicants, profit from a good admission test, why should only applicants pay the bill?
We found a solution that guarantees low test taker fees and high quality standards. One example: For the test TM-WISO, an admission test for master programmes in business administration and economics, participants pay a fee of 100 euro gross. Each university using this test pays an annual fee, depending on the number of applicants who want to use the test results for application at this university. The annual contribution per university is currently between 4,000 and 12,000 euro.
With this contribution, universities take their part of responsibility and help to keep the test taker fees at a low level.
Critical thinking: a future skill—or old wine in new bottles?
In the August issue of HE Admissions Insights, our international survey on key competencies for academic success ranked critical thinking as the #1 competency across disciplines. Critical thinking has been
5. January 2026
