Studying in Germany: Examinations

Your courses at university already started, you got used to your new environment in a new country with a new culture, found new friends and got to know some people and your new city. Everything seems to work out more or less but during the semester, you come to the question: “What about the exams and tests I have to write? How does it work here in Germany?”

Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Though it can be difficult to get accustomed to all the new rules and formalities, you just need a little time and some tips. That is the reason we want to provide you with some information about everything directly affecting your grades – including essays, exams, presentations and more.

Even if you are already studying diligently at your courses, seminars and lectures, you have to keep in mind to apply – or in case sign off – for your examinations. To be participant of a university course does not imply that you are registered for the final exam you have to take automatically. Therefore, you have to enroll yourself separately at an internet portal or with a formula as well as you have to cancel your registration in case you are not able to take the exam. The period of time or due date of the registration and cancellation differs from university to university and from study course to study course. Often, the applications already open up during the semester. Hence, it is best just to inform yourself at your departments’ office or course early if you have not already received the information at the beginning of your semester either way.

Tip: Even though it is quite important for Germans to follow formalities and rulings in principle, it is not a shame if you forget to register yourself or cancel your registration on time once. Just go to the “Prüfungssekretariat” (examination secretary) of your department and ask politely if they can register you belated. Even if most of the time they are very obliged to enroll you after the due date, be aware of the fact that this service is only for emergencies and you should not make use of it too often. Otherwise, you might be excluded from important examinations.

Final examinations such as big tests and thesis papers usually are the final task you have to pass to finish a course and its module. In some cases, you additionally have to pass an intermediate exam to be allowed to take the final one or just to add some extra points and have a possibility to influence your final grade. According to that, you have the great chance to improve your final grade during the semester already. Furthermore, in some courses you have to do a presentation, a project work or write a short essay dealing with the courses topics during the semester. What form of exercise you are obligated to fulfil and which amount of work is necessary to do so is based on the kind of course and the amount of credit points you would receive passing it. Sometimes they are not just necessary to pass the course, you also benefit from those additional works by deepening your knowledge constantly and prepare yourself for the final test.

Tip: If it’s not an essay, intermediate examinations often are group projects. Therefore, it is good to find a sympathetic seeming group with at least one German student at the beginning of the semester. This way, you do not only get to know some locals easily but can also find a contact person that is familiar with the processes at the university and at best knows the teachers already.

It is common that all subjects at public universities follow a scientific approach and are theoretical in their core but still can be taught in different ways. Many of the scientific and mathematic subjects like business administration, economic sciences and engineering mostly consist of lectures whereas humanity-oriented subjects like for example media science, music science and lectureship consist more likely of seminars. The difference is the way professors teach: In lectures, the professor just talks about the main topics in a huge lecture hall for as many students as possible. Usually, there is not much time for discussions, the teacher explains the relevant issues for the final exam and the students take notes helping them preparing for the exam later on. Sometimes there are additional “Übungen” or “Tutorien” (practice units or tutorials) where the students can apply the information given in the lectures in smaller groups with some practical exercises. A seminar is more similar to school lessons – maximum 40 up to 50 (in many cases even less) students join a class and discuss the main themes of a subject together. Often, they have to read plenty of texts and do homework they subsequently discuss in one of the weekly meetings to come to a final conclusion of the courses topics at the end of the semester. Seminars are based on a continual conversation between the teacher and its participants.

Tip: It does not affect all subjects but most of them: The final examination of a lecture is a written exam most of the time, whilst a seminar requires a long academic paper mostly.

As already explained before there are different kinds of examinations one can need to do to pass a course. Most prevalent amongst students are big tests or written exams already known from the time spend at school. Whilst there can be different forms of written exams, for instance consisting of open or closed questions, written exams are mostly taking place at the end of a semester. Still, there is another very common form of getting your final degree for a module: Writing an essay, more likely known as an academic or thesis paper. Within this paper, you have to answer a scientific question with an analysis based on other relevant scientific readings dealing with your topic. Therefore, you have to stick to specific formalities like the rules of quotations and paraphrases. There are different kind of styles and therefore varying rules for that. In Germany, it is most common to work with footnotes but some professors also want their students to work with short references like those that the MLA-system uses. The formalities of those papers are handled differently from one to another university and sometimes even from one to another professor. Therefore, it is especially important to talk to your adviser about the specific guidelines. Mostly, an academic paper consists of about 12 to 15 pages. Usually, you have a couple of weeks for preparing and writing it before handing your paper in. The specific due date is arranged individually with your professor most of the time as well.

Tip: Although the mentioned forms of examinations are the most common ones at German universities, in some cases you are obliged to do something different like an oral exam, a (scientific) project work or a portfolio consisting of different kinds of exercises. These forms can be required additionally or instead of a written exam or thesis paper. Therefore, it is important to make sure which form of examinations are required for a course or module early enough.

Failing an exam or a test can be quite frustrating but should not make you fall in total despair, as there are always more possibilities to pass a course. Normally, students get at least three chances to pass, whereas the third try often can be taken as an oral exam. In many cases, the second possibility to write the exam takes place during the same semester so that you will not have to spend another one for the same course. Sometimes there are two exam dates offered from the beginning and students can decide which one fits their schedule best. To make sure to finish a course in the same semester it is most safe to choose the first date offered though, so you still have the possibility of retaking it on the second date.

Tip: This is not ought to make you feel scared but it is important to know that at most German universities failing the third attempt of an examination means that you are forced to get exmatriculated from your studies and therefore are not allowed to continue to study this specific subject in Germany anymore. Still, this is not a reason to panic! If you study enough and inform yourself about the requirements early, you probably will not even need the second or third attempt at all. 

Exams always are somehow annoying and can easily cause a bad mixture of stress and desperation for students. While you are good at some courses and easily pass those, from time to time there will be some subjects you just don’t understand that well and therefore become stressed before even taking the exam. As simple and annoying as it sounds – studying is the key! Many students also feel better when talking to their fellows about what they feel uncertain about concerning the test. This way, you will be recognizing fast that you are not the only one worrying and get the possibility to help and support each other. However, though studying might be hard and exhausting, at least you can easily reduce your stress level by keeping these information about rulings in your mind. Knowing how everything works, you won’t be surprised unexpectedly while preparing yourself for your exams, essays and Co.!