Education in Germany: school types, the Abitur and university entry

In short

Education in Germany is the responsibility of the 16 federal states (Länder), not the national government, so school types, curricula and exam rules differ from state to state. The states coordinate through the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). Schooling is compulsory from the age of six, and after a shared primary school pupils move to different secondary school types. The route to university runs through the Abitur, the school-leaving certificate that qualifies a student for higher education. Vocational training, in which an apprentice works at a company and attends a vocational school, is an equally established route into a career.

School stages

1. Primary school (Grundschule): Usually grades 1 to 4, ages 6 to 10. In Berlin and Brandenburg it runs to grade 6. Pupils learn German, mathematics, general studies and often a first foreign language.
2. Secondary school: After primary school, pupils move to one of several school types, depending on the state:
   • Hauptschule: Leads to a basic school-leaving certificate and usually to vocational training.
   • Realschule: Leads to an intermediate certificate (Mittlere Reife).
   • Gymnasium: Academic track that leads to the Abitur.
   • Gesamtschule and similar schools: Combine tracks in one school, and several states use their own names for them.
3. Upper secondary level (Oberstufe): The last years before the Abitur. Pupils take advanced courses and basic courses in chosen subjects. Whether the Gymnasium lasts eight or nine years depends on the state.

Grades and the Abitur

School grades run from 1 (very good) to 6 (insufficient). In the Oberstufe, courses are scored in points from 0 to 15. The final Abitur grade combines results from the Oberstufe courses with written and sometimes oral examinations in the final year. The best Abitur grade is 1.0 and the lowest passing grade is 4.0.

Because the states set their own exams, an Abitur from one state is recognised in all the others under KMK agreements. Subjects usually include German, mathematics, a foreign language and a science, with each state setting its own mix of advanced and basic courses.

University admission

Holders of the Abitur can apply to universities. For popular subjects, places are limited and awarded by Abitur grade, waiting time and sometimes subject tests or interviews. Places in medicine are allocated through a central process run by the foundation Stiftung Hochschulstart. Many medical faculties also use the Test für Medizinische Studiengänge (TMS) as one criterion. Students from abroad generally need to show German language skills with a certificate such as TestDaF or the DSH, unless their programme is taught in English.

Vocational training

Many young people leave school after the Hauptschule or Realschule and start an apprenticeship. In the dual system, the apprentice learns at a company and attends a vocational school (Berufsschule) alongside. Companies commonly use aptitude tests, often called Einstellungstests, to choose applicants. These test mathematics, logic, German and general knowledge.

Practising on GetMyMockTest

These are practice questions we wrote for study. They are not the official exams, and we do not claim they match an exam's current format. Free practice for Germany:

• Abitur: mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, German literature and language, history, and politics and economics, with timed tests.
• TestDaF and Goethe-Zertifikat: reading, grammar and vocabulary practice for German as a foreign language.
• TMS: text-based practice for the medical-studies admission test.
• Ausbildung aptitude test: maths, logic, language and general knowledge for apprenticeship applications.
• German general knowledge: history and politics, geography and nature, and science, arts and culture.