Index

How do the examination and grading system at FAU work? (Info valid from WS 24/25)

First of all, it is important for you to understand that the exam system at FAU is probably very different from what you are used to from your home country. Hence, it is not recommended to approach the exams at FAU with your expectations and preparation strategies that you are used to, as they may lead you to failure and consequently, at lot of frustration.

On a positive note, you have a good chance at doing well in your exams if you are aware of the following:

  • You will not be able to pass exams if you just memorize the lecture content and reproduce it in the exam. You can also not expect that the exam questions will cover exactly what has been taught in the lecture and exercises. The teaching philosophy at FAU is that you should understand the course contents on such a deep level that you are able to apply the acquired knowledge to new tasks, even if you have never seen those tasks before. The exam design and questions vary from semester to semester. If you have to take a repeat exam, it is not going to look the same as your previous exam.
  • All exams can only be taken once per semester. They either take place in the first exam period (= first two weeks of the holidays) or in the second one (last four weeks of the holidays – the second exam period partly coincides with the beginning of the new semester). Exams will only be offered in one of those two periods. Please be aware that both examination periods can be slightly extended (regarding their start or end date), if there are public holidays within those periods or major time/room conflicts occur. It is therefore not recommeded to book flights/holiday trips etc. close to the exam periods.
  • You have to register for exams via the Campo system. It is only open for registration for three weeks in the middle of the lecture period. Your lecturers and study advisor will let you know when the exam registration starts. Attending a lecture doesn’t mean that you have to take the corresponding exam or are automatically registered for it. You have to register for every exam you want to take otherwise you cannot participate!
  • You generally have a maximum of four attempts for each exam (exception: you have only two attempts for the master’s thesis). If you fail an exam you can decide if and when you want to register for the repeat exam. For the few mandatory modules in your program (see footnotes in your module catalog), you have to pass the exam at some point during your studies, but you can decide if you want to take the repeat exam(s) in the following semester(s) or later. We strongly recommend that you register for your repeat exams in the semester following your failed attempt, as it is not guaranteed that the repeat exam will be offered for a prolonged period of time. You should avoid postponing exams and tendencies of procrastination, as you will self-sabotage your studies this way (please keep your duration of studies and your study visa in mind!). If you fail a non-mandatory exam, you can choose not to register for the repeat exam but to take another exam from the same module group instead. For this new module, you will start again with your first exam attempt.
  • If you fail a fourth attempt for any exam, you are deregistered from our Medical Engineerig program and cannot return to it.
  • If you have registered for an exam and don’t feel well-prepared you can undo your registration via your Campo account until the end of the third working day (Mon-Fri, public holidays don’t count) before the exam day. After that deadline, you can only cancel your registration with a medical certificate, which you have to send to our examinations officer Mrs. Jahreis (helga.jahreis[at)fau.de).
  • If you have passed an exam you cannot repeat it in order to improve your grade. Failed exam attempts will not be listed in your final transcript of records or Master’s certificate. All passed exams will be listed in your transcript of records.
  • The best grade in the German academic system is 1.0, the worst passing grade is 4.0:
Grades Interpretation
1.0/1.3 Very Good
1.7/2.0/2.3 Good
2.7/3.0/3.3 Satisfactory
3.7/4.0 Sufficient
4.3/4.7/5.0 Unsatisfactory