Index

First of all, it is important for you to understand that the exam system at FAU is proably 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 to 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 during 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!

 

• If you fail an exam you have to take the repeat exam in the following semester and are automatically registered for it. This mandatory registration for the repeat exam is independent of whether the respective course is offered in the respective semester or not, as you have access to the study materials via StudOn and can study on your own. You have three attempts in total for each exam. If you fail a third attempt for any exam in your program, you are deregistered from it.

 

• If you have registered for a first attempt of an exam and don’t feel well prepared you can undo your registration via your Campo account until the end of the third working days (Mon-Fri) before the exam day. After that deadline, or if the registered exam is a mandatory repeat exam, 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: