This paper presents the development and initial validation of measures of critical thinking and non-cognitive attributes to be eventually used in the admission system to higher education in Chile. The technical rigor and political support of the instrument development, piloting and implementation are crucial as the results from this pilot study may affect the decision making process regarding admissions to some of the most prestigious and competitive universities in the country. The instruments were pilot tested on a group of high-school seniors (n=1,568) and first-year college students (n=1,443) during 2008. The sample included students from 20 schools and 4 universities. Initial results are promising and show that the measures are effectively assessing attributes that are not currently considered in the Chilean higher education admissions process. In addition, performance on the new instruments is less correlated with students´ sociodemographic characteristics than indicators currently used for undergraduate admissions.

Admission system to higher education, non cognitive attributes, critical thinking, motivation, extracurricular activities.