Profession-Specific Entrance Assessment (PSEA)

The Profession-Specific Entrance Assessment (PSEA) is used to evaluate your ability to answer questions delivered in written format and your capacity to understand and follow directions. The assessment may include multiple-choice and short-answer questions on reading comprehension, math, science, career awareness, typing skills, reasoning, and career awareness.

This assessment may be written at any time beginning August 1. One assessment must be completed for each health program and intake you are applying to at SAIT. Only one assessment result will be accepted per program application. 

Once you pay for the assessment, you must write it immediately. We recommend not submitting the payment until you are ready to write your exam.  

PSEA cost

The PSEA costs $25 USD. You will pay separately for each program entrance assessment. The cost of applying to multiple programs is $25 per program entrance assessment.

Test fees are non-refundable.

PSEA deadlines 

Dates and deadlines are subject to change. Tests submitted after posted deadlines will not be reviewed or accepted.

_{*The PSEA deadline is 4:30 pm MST on the specified date.}

Preparing for the PSEA test 

The test typically takes 40-60 minutes to complete and must be completed in one sitting. The exam includes multiple-choice, math calculation, short-answer and/or typing questions in an online exam format. You must be prepared to demonstrate that you know the subjects at the level listed as an academic requirement for the program.

Practice exams are not available for the PSEA assessment. You may prepare by reviewing:

• the Alberta curriculum material for the subjects listed in the admission requirements for the program 
• career information on the program page and the ALIS website.

Please review the assessment instructions to know what to bring to an assessment, as they differ by program. An external calculator is permitted only for the Nuclear Medicine Technology program. All other programs must use the PSEA built-in calculator.

Assessments are labelled by program name and intake term, for example, Medical Laboratory Assistant – Fall 2023.

You may be disqualified if you leave the test/room during the assessment. 

During the PSEA assessment 

You are expected to follow SAIT’s policies and procedures as it pertains to invigilation and security of examinations (AC.3.3.1 and schedules), distance education invigilation and security of examinations (AC.3.3.2 and schedules) and student academic conduct (AC.3.4.3 and schedules).

During the assessment, you must:

• remain seated in your chair
• complete the assessment in one sitting
• keep your face in the field of view of the camera
• only use permitted resources – no electronic devices except when permitted in the instructions
• verify your identity through the system
• complete the assessment with no support from additional resources.

PSEA results 

PSEA scores are generated automatically and sent to your program administrator. Once you have completed the entrance testing process and submitted your program application, you can log in to your admission status portal to monitor the status of your application.

Entrance exam booking process