One option for special admissions used at the University of Tartu (TÜ) is the academic test, which assesses applicants' logical reasoning and ability to apply provided information. The academic test is also a mandatory entrance exam for the school's medicine, dentistry and psychology programs.

However, the academic test can be substituted with the equivalent SAT, an English-language standardized test widely used for college and university admissions in the United States.

This year's numbers show growing interest in the SAT as an alternative, with the number of applicants using SAT scores instead of taking the academic test rising from 109 to 177 on year.

Unlike TÜ's academic test, the SAT features more standardized tasks that are easier to study for.

The current academic test also lacks separate sections on vocabulary and reading comprehension, which the SAT does include.

According to Tuuli Kaldma, head of admissions at TÜ, the rise in SAT-based applicants is due to increased awareness of the test among young people coupled with the overall high number of applications this year.

While the number of bachelor's program applicants at the university is up 16 percent, the number applying with SAT scores has grown by more than 38 percent.

Kaldma also believes that for those whose native language isn't Estonian, the English-language SAT may be easier to take than the university's Estonian-language academic test.

Gerli Silm, chair of the University of Tartu's academic test examination board, confirmed that the basis for equating the SAT with the academic test is score distributions from previous years.

If an applicant scores higher than 65 out of 100 on the academic test, it guarantees admission to most fields of study at the University of Tartu. For the SAT, the equivalent threshold is a 1250 out of 1600.

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