Does placing a favorite major first reduce my odds?

No. The choice order in SNBT is a processing priority, and the score stays the same at any position. The first choice is processed first, and if the score is insufficient, the system moves to the next. So your dream program is best placed in the first choice.

How many programs can I choose in SNBT?

SNBT applicants can choose up to four programs, combining academic and vocational. When choosing three, one must be vocational. When choosing four, one must be a D3 level. These rules keep your registration valid.

What is competitiveness and how do I read it?

Competitiveness is the ratio of seat capacity to applicants, usually in percent. The smaller the figure, the tighter the competition. One percent competitiveness means about a hundred people compete for one seat. This figure is an estimate because applicant counts use the previous year's data.

Are D3 and D4 vocational programs always easier to get into?

Not always. Some vocational programs are among the tightest in SNBT because of small quotas and clear career prospects. Vocational can be a strategic choice, provided you still pick a field you genuinely want to pursue.

How to Choose a Major and PTN in SNBT for Better Odds

Choosing a major and university in SNBT starts with estimating your own score, then matching it against the seat capacity and competitiveness of each program. In SNBT, applicants may pick up to four programs, and the order of choices signals priority without reducing your score. Understanding this rule opens better odds of admission.

SNBT allows up to four program choices
Choice order is a processing priority, with no score penalty
Balance ambitious choices with safe ones

What You Need

A score estimate from recent UTBK mock tests
Seat-capacity and applicant data from the SNPMB portal
A list of interests and desired career prospects

7 Steps to Choose a Major and University

These seven steps turn program selection from guesswork into a data-based decision.

Estimate your own score

Take the average score from several recent UTBK mock tests as a realistic picture of your current ability. This number becomes the benchmark for judging whether a program is ambitious, well-matched, or safe. Without a score estimate, program selection easily misses.

Tips

Use the average of several mocks for a more stable picture
Update the estimate as your practice progresses

Build a list of interests and prospects

Make a shortlist of programs based on genuine interest and desired career prospects. Avoid choosing merely to follow friends or for prestige alone. A program that fits your interest makes the study years more sustainable and the learning outcomes better.

Tips

Explore the courses and career fields of each program before adding it to the list
Consider the fit with your own academic strengths

Pull seat-capacity and applicant data

Take this year's seat capacity and last year's applicant numbers from the official SNPMB portal for each program on your list. Compute the competitiveness so the picture of competition becomes concrete. Official data prevents decisions based on unverified rumors.

Tips

Use data from the official portal as the main reference
Record each program's competitiveness for comparison

Categorize into Reach, Match, and Safety

Compare your score estimate with each program's competitiveness, then group them. Reach is an ambitious program whose target score is still above your estimate. Match is a program that fits your current ability. Safety is a program with high admission odds that you still want to pursue.

Tips

Make sure there is at least one program in the Safety category
Avoid filling all choices with equally tight programs

Place your dream program first

Since order does not reduce your score, the first choice should hold the program you want most, even if it is ambitious. The next choices are arranged with decreasing competitiveness, forming a safety net that loosens gradually.

Tips

First choice: the program you want most, even if ambitious
Next choices: competitiveness decreasing step by step

Make the last choice a real safety net

The last choice should be the program with the highest admission odds that still fits your interest. Vocational programs like D3 and D4 often make good safety nets, provided they remain a field you want to pursue. A safety net you have no interest in is of little use.

Tips

Pick a safety net you are genuinely willing to take
Explore the career prospects of vocational programs, which are often clear and specific

Follow the choice-combination rules

SNBT gives the freedom to choose academic and vocational programs at once, with certain combination rules. When choosing three programs, one must be vocational. When choosing four, one must be a D3 level. Following these rules keeps your registration valid.

Tips

Double-check your choice combination before finalizing registration
Understand the difference between bachelor, D4, and D3 levels before ordering

Category	Relation to your score estimate	Role in the order
Reach	High competitiveness, target score above your estimate	First choice, dream program
Match	Fits your current ability	Middle choice
Safety	High admission odds, still of interest	Last choice, safety net

How to Choose a Major and PTN in SNBT for Better Odds

Unsure how to strategize your program choices?

SNBT by the Numbers

Understand seat capacity, applicants, and competitiveness

7 Steps to Choose a Major and University

Estimate your own score

Build a list of interests and prospects

Pull seat-capacity and applicant data

Categorize into Reach, Match, and Safety

Place your dream program first

Make the last choice a real safety net

Follow the choice-combination rules

Reach, Match, and Safety Strategy

Checklist Before Finalizing Choices

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References