Examinations

What are exam achievements?

Examinations are necessary for the successful completion of all types of courses/lectures (lectures, seminars, guided self-study, etc.). As the name implies, examinations serve to check whether a student acquired the respective skills and information of a course of studies – and to award grades. Depending on the type of course/lecture, this can be done in different forms. For example, some examinations will take place in the form of a written exam, others by an oral exam, a written paper, or other variants.

Furthermore, examinations are graded in different ways. In the Study and Examination Plan of the respective course of study, which can be found in the study regulations, you can look up how the individual examinations are graded. Examinations marked Standard are graded, while bnb indicates that an exam can only be passed or failed (without a grade). Further, this plan indicates which exam is an academic achievement (Studienleistung) and which is a subject examination (Fachprüfung).

What is the difference between academic achievements (Studienleistung) and subject examinations (Fachprüfung)?

Most commonly, you will come across academic achievements (Studienleistung) – which are often graded and, thus, add to your final grade, but can also be of the type “bnb” (passed / not passed). The most important thing about academic achievements, however, is that they can be repeated indefinitely. This does not mean that you can try as often as you like, until you are satisfied with the grade – but that you can try again in the case of a failed attempt. If you fail to complete an academic achievement, you can try again until you are successful.

A subject exam, however, is always graded. It usually also counts towards the final grade and is not just assessed as passed or failed. However, the most important difference to academic achievement is the aspect of being able to repeat an exam: usually, subject examinations can only be repeated twice, meaning that you have a total number of three attempts to pass a subject exam. If you fail in the third attempt, you will not be able to complete the course of studies. This leads to exmatriculation and, in addition, you will be blacklisted for the respective course of studies (within all of Germany).

What are the examination regulations?

The examination regulations (“Prüfungsordnung” or "Allgemeine Prüfungsbestimmungen / APB (opens in new tab) ") govern all the circumstances regarding examinations at Technische Universität Darmstadt. This does not only concern the procedure of an examination, but also, for example, the embedding in the individual modules, responsibilities of the administration, the issuing of documents, and many other topics. It should be noted that the APB apply to the entire Technische Universität Darmstadt – meaning that they are not restricted to a specific subject area or degree program.

As a student of TU Darmstadt, you do not have to know the examination regulations (APB) by heart. It is, however, a good idea to get an overview and to find out where to look for specific aspects. The examination regulations are not only of interest for the university administration and the lecturers, they are contain very important information for the students: How often can I repeat an examination? Until when can I unsubscribe from an exam? Are exams taken abroad recognized here? How are examinations assessed and what period of time is allowed? These and other questions are answered in the examination regulations, which consist of almost 30 pages. Thus, it worthwhile to take a closer look at the APB. If there are any urgent problems or critical cases, you can contact the respective office.