Overview
The final examination (Abschlussprüfung) ends dual vocational training in Germany. Dual training combines work at a company with classes at a vocational school. The Vocational Training Act (Berufsbildungsgesetz, BBiG) requires a final exam in every recognised training occupation.
The IHK, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, runs the exam for commercial and industrial training occupations. Under the Act, the chamber is the competent body for vocational training in non-craft trades. Craft trades fall under the Chamber of Crafts, agriculture under the Chamber of Agriculture, and some professional fields under their own chambers. For craft occupations the Act's exam sections do not apply, and the Crafts Code (Handwerksordnung) governs instead.
There is no single national paper. The content depends on the training occupation, because the exam is based on the training regulation (Ausbildungsordnung) for that occupation. Check the regulation for your occupation and your chamber's exam information for the papers, dates and fees that apply to you.
This page covers the legal framework from the Act. It does not describe the papers of any particular occupation.
Who can apply
You are admitted to the final exam if you meet all three of these:
You have completed the training period, or it ends no later than two months after the exam date.
You took the required intermediate exams and handed in the training record.
Your training contract is entered in the register of training relationships, or is missing from it for a reason that neither you nor your legal representatives are responsible for.
Other routes under the Act:
Early admission: trainees can be admitted before the end of the training period if their performance justifies it. This requires a hearing of the trainer and the vocational school.
Training at a vocational school or another institution: you are admitted if the course matches training in a recognised occupation in content, requirements and time, is run systematically and includes enough practical training.
External candidates: you are admitted if you can show that you worked in the occupation for at least one and a half times the prescribed training period. Time spent training in a related occupation counts. The minimum can be waived in whole or part if you can credibly show that you have the required occupational competence, and foreign qualifications and work abroad must be taken into account.
Current and former soldiers on fixed-term service are admitted, with the minimum work period waived, if the Federal Ministry of Defence or a body it names certifies that they have gained skills and knowledge that justify admission.
People who obtained a certificate of full comparability of their occupational competence under a recognition procedure are also admitted.
Exam pattern
The exam is meant to establish that you have gained occupational competence. You must show that you master the required skills, have the necessary knowledge, and are familiar with the vocational school content that matters for the training. The exam is based on the training regulation.
Some occupations hold the final exam in two parts at different times. Admission is decided separately for each part. Part 1 cannot be retaken on its own. You can be admitted to part 2 if you took part 1, were exempted from it by regulation, or missed it for reasons you are not responsible for. In the last case, part 1 is taken together with part 2.
The competent body (here the IHK) sets up examination boards to run the final exam. They may ask third parties, such as vocational schools, for expert opinions on assessing performance that is not oral.
Marking and results
You receive a certificate. On request, an English and a French translation is attached.
On request, the results of the vocational school's performance assessments are shown on the certificate.
The trainer can ask for the exam results of their trainees.
If the exam is in two parts, you must be told your part 1 result in writing or electronically.
A failed final exam can be repeated twice.
Fees
The final exam is free of charge for trainees. The sections of the Act read for this page say nothing about fees for other candidates, such as external candidates, so ask your chamber.
Preparation tips
Get the training regulation for your occupation and check what the exam covers.
Keep the training record up to date, because you need to hand it in to be admitted.
How many times can I retake the final exam?
Twice if you fail. If the exam has two parts, the first part cannot be retaken on its own.
Can I take the exam without an apprenticeship?
In some cases, yes. The Act admits people who have worked in the occupation for at least one and a half times the prescribed training period, subject to the conditions above.