Overview
The master craftsman exam (Meisterprüfung) is the top qualification in a German craft trade. This page covers the exam for crafts that need a licence to operate (zulassungspflichtige Handwerke), as set out in the Crafts Code (Handwerksordnung, HwO). Advanced-training qualifications outside the licensed crafts follow separate regulations under the Vocational Training Act. There, the federal ministry issues advanced-training regulations that fix the title, level, content, admission conditions and exam procedure. They are not described here.
The exam checks whether you can practise a licensed craft at master level, run it independently and train apprentices properly. Passing it also gives you the advanced-training title Bachelor Professional. You may use the title Meister together with the craft, and may add Bachelor Professional in that craft. The craft title may be used only by someone who passed the exam for that craft.
The detailed content, the weighting and the dates differ by craft. They are set in a separate regulation for each craft. This page is based on the legal framework and does not describe the papers of any single craft.
Who can apply
You are admitted if you have passed one of the following:
A journeyman's exam (Gesellenprüfung) in the same licensed craft, or in a related licensed craft.
A corresponding final exam in a recognised training occupation.
An exam under a regulation issued under the Code or an advanced-training regulation.
Or you hold a recognised equivalence decision for the craft or a related craft.
If your qualifying exam was in an occupation with a training period under three years, you need at least one year of work in the craft you want to take the master exam in.
You can also be admitted with a different journeyman's or final exam if you have worked for several years in the craft. The same applies if you hold a certificate of full comparability of your occupational competence and worked several years in the craft, at least one of them after the certificate. No more than three years of work can be required. Completing a technical school (Fachschule) counts as one year of work if it lasted one year, or two years if it lasted longer.
Time worked independently, as a foreman or in a similar position counts. The Chamber of Crafts can shorten the three-year period on request, waive the conditions in exceptional cases, or waive them wholly or partly in light of foreign qualifications and work abroad. The chair of the examination board announces the admission decision.
Exam pattern
The exam has four independent parts.
| Part | What you show |
|---|---|
| Part I | You can carry out essential tasks of your craft at master level (practical). |
| Part II | The required craft-specific theoretical knowledge. |
| Part III | The required business, commercial and legal knowledge. |
| Part IV | The required vocational and work-pedagogy knowledge (training skills). |
In part I, the regulation for a craft can define specialisations. For the specialisation you choose you show master-level skills, and for the common area you show the basic skills and knowledge needed to do the work properly.
Marking and results
The legal sections read for this page do not set marks, pass thresholds or the number of retakes. These are in the regulation for the craft and the exam rules, which are not covered here.
You can be exempted from parts of the exam:
By a comparable exam passed under a qualifying regulation, or before a public or state-recognised educational institution or a state examination board, if it matches the part in content and scope.
From parts III and IV if you passed a master exam in another licensed or unlicensed craft or in a craft-like trade.
From part IV if you hold the proof required under the regulations for trainers.
On request, from parts for which you passed another German state or state-recognised exam with at least equal requirements.
The examination board also decides on request on exemptions based on foreign qualifications.
After the exam
Master exams in the licensed crafts are run by examination boards (Meisterprüfungsausschüsse). These are state examination authorities set up at the seat of each Chamber of Crafts for its district. The Chamber supports them by running day-to-day business. Passing gives you the right to the Meister title in your craft and the Bachelor Professional title.
Preparation tips
Find the master exam regulation for your craft and the exam rules of your Chamber of Crafts to see the exact content of each part.
Check early whether an earlier exam, such as another master exam or a trainer qualification, lets you skip part III or IV.
How many parts does the master exam have?
Four: practical (I), craft theory (II), business, commercial and legal (III), and vocational and work pedagogy (IV).
Do I get a title besides Meister?
Yes. Passing the master exam also earns the advanced-training title Bachelor Professional, which you may use with the name of your craft.