Online-Self-Assessments (OSA)
Online-Self-Assessments (OSA) are tests designed to help prospective students choose a subject by providing insights to the respective subject. With an OSA, you can take as much time as you need to find out whether your expectations regarding a specific subject are realistic and whether your interests and skills match the subject requirements. In short: Find out if a subject is right for you.
No one but yourself will see your score, and your performance on the test will not influence your chances of admission or application! The OSA is a tool designed to help you identify your academic strengths and interests.
Please note: The OSA are offered in German. Only the OSA for the MA English Literatures and Cultures is offered in English.
New OSA portal
At the moment, we are at work updating our OSAs and gradually moving them to a new system. This is why the OSAs are currently available on different platforms. The OSAs for the subjects Asian Studies, Dentistry, Geodesy and Geoinformation, Geography, Law, Mathematics, Media Studies, Meteorology and Geophysics, Pharmacy and Romance Studies are available at osa.zem.uni-bonn.de.
Original OSA portal
Before they are moved to the new OSA portal, existing OSAs for many other subjects continue to be available at selbsttest.uni-bonn.de/testmaker, of course.
Note: For technical reasons, a certificate of completion cannot be issued for this OSA.
Frequently asked questions
Further information about Online Self-Assessments
01.
Why do a self-assessment?
By taking an OSA, you gain deeper insights into a given subject, its contents and requirements. The test is not about being able to answer all questions correctly!
The detailed feedback helps you assess whether the subject at the University of Bonn is a good match for your aptitudes and interests. Keep in mind, however, that you will only get meaningful feedback if you answer the questions and problems sincerely and seriously.
02.
What’s in the assessment?
Depending on the subject, the OSA contains different kinds of assessments:
- You review your expectations of the subject.
- Sample problems give you a realistic idea of what studying that subject would be like at university.
- Some OSAs test foreign language skills that may be important when you begin your studies.
- Based on a questionnaire, you assess your interest in the contents of a subject, for example.
Some of the questions and problems may be tricky–but don’t let that discourage you.
03.
How do I take the self-assessment?
An OSA takes about 45 to 60 minutes to complete. Ideally, you take it on a PC, but a cell phone or tablet will work as well. We recommend creating an account before taking the test. This will allow you to interrupt the OSA and continue later where you left off.
To get meaningful results, it is worthwhile taking the OSA in a quiet location and with sufficient time.
04.
What's next?
The OSA cannot answer all questions; it may even give rise to new ones. To get these questions answered, you are welcome to make a personal appointment with the degree program counselors or with the Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service at the University of Bonn.
Once you have decided to apply at the University of Bonn, further information on deadlines and application procedures is available under Application, Admission and Enrollment.
Feedback
"Thank you for the insights into this degree program. I now feel much more confident regarding my choice of program."
“The OSA simply gives you a good idea of what awaits you and whether it’s what you’re interested in.”
“I was positively surprised by the clear breakdown of results and the level of detail. Just loved it.”
“I was positively surprised by the clear breakdown of results and the level of detail. Just loved it.”
Additional information
The OSAs cover nearly the full range of undergraduate degree programs at the University of Bonn, including bachelor's, teaching and state examination degree programs.
- The OSAs for Asian Studies, Dentistry, Geodesy and Geoinformation, Geography, Mathematics, Law, Media Studies, Meteorology and Geophysics, Pharmacy and Romance Studies are available at our new platform https://osa.zem.uni-bonn.de.
- OSAs on the following subjects can be completed at www.selbsttest.uni-bonn.de (with registration) or here (without registration): Agricultural Sciences, Archaeologies, Art History, Biology, Catholic Theology, Chemistry, Classical Philology (Greek, Latin), Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, Computer Science and Cyber Security, Economics, English Studies, English Literatures and Cultures (MA), Food Chemistry, Geosciences, German as a Second and Foreign Language, German Language and Literature, History, Medicine, Molecular Biomedicine, Musicology/Sound Studies, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Protestant Theology, Philosophy, Physics, Politics and Society, Psychology.
Are you wondering whether studying to become a teacher would be right for you? The following tools can help you learn more about the teaching profession and whether it suits you:
- SeLF – Self exploration for prospetive teaching students including videos
- CCT – Career Counseling for Teachers
For subject orientation, we recommend you to work trough the OSAs in the subjects that correspond with the school subjects you plan to teach:
Subjects for prospective teachers at grammar and comprehensive schools (Gymnasium & Gesamtschule)
- Biology » OSA Biology
- Chemistry » OSA Chemistry
- German » OSA German Language and Literature, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies
- English » OSA English Studies
- Protestant Religious Education » OSA Protestant Theology
- French » OSA Romance Studies (French language, BA)
- Geography » OSA Geography
- History » OSA History
- Greek » OSA Classics
- Computer Science » OSA Computer Science
- Italian » OSA Romance Studies (Italian language, BA)
- Catholic Religious Education » OSA Catholic Theology
- Latin » OSA Classics
- Mathematics » OSA Mathematics
- Philosophy » OSA Philosophy
- Physics » OSA Physics
- Social Sciences » OSA Politics and Society
- Spanish » OSA Romance Studies (Spanish language, BA)
Subjects for prospective teachers at vocational schools (Berufskolleg)
- Agricultural Science » OSA Agricultural Science
- Catholic Religious Education » OSA Catholic Theology
- Chemistry » OSA Chemistry
- Computer Science » OSA Computer Science
- German » OSA German Language and Literature, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies
- English » OSA English Studies
- French » OSA Romance Studies (French language, BA)
- Mathematics » OSA Mathematics
- Nutrition Science and Home Economics » OSA Nutrition Science and Home Economics
- Philosophy » OSA Philosophy
- Physics » OSA Physics
- Protestant Religious Education » OSA Protestant Theology
- Social Sciences » OSA Politics and Society
- Spanish » OSA Romance Studies (Spanish language, BA)
At the University of Bonn, you currently do not need proof of participation in the OSA in order to apply or enroll in a subject.
Some other universities ask for proof of applicants’ participation in an academic orientation program as a prerequisite for enrollment. The University of Bonn’s OSA certificate may satisfy this requirement – please ask at the universities in question for further information.
After completing an OSA on the platform osa.zem.uni-bonn.de, you will receive a certificate confirming your OSA participation. For technical reasons, a certificate of completion cannot be provided for OSA at www.selbsttest.uni-bonn.de.
Your data will remain absolutely confidential. Your entries will be used only for scientific purposes to further improve the OSA tool. (For more detailed information on how we process your data, see our privacy statement).
≈165.000
OSA tests taken
34
self-assessments
Contact
Marlene Schütz
2.001
Poppelsdorfer Allee 49
53115 Bonn, Germany
Our service for you
Do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, if you would like your OSA evaluated or if you wish to develop a new OSA.
Kooperationen und Netzwerke
Collaborations and networks
Bonn’s OSAs are developed in close collaboration with the Center for Evaluation and Methodology (ZEM) at the University of Bonn as a partner with technological and methodological expertise.
Network of Online Self-Assessments (NOSA)
Consortium of eight universities who create and further develop their own OSAs based on scientific evidence.