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Preparation for IMS entrance exam also useful for BMS and Gymnasium

Anyone wishing to take the IMS entrance examination in the canton of Zurich must present a multi-check with a minimum score in certain areas when registering for the IT secondary school examination.

Many students are therefore afraid that they will be preparing for the IMS exam in vain if they do not achieve the required minimum score in the Multicheck. However, this concern is unfounded, because the IMS preparation can also be useful for the BMS exam and the short-term grammar school exam (short-term Gymnasium examination), where no multi-check is necessary.

Start preparing for IMS now!

Table of content

What is the IT secondary school (IMS)?

In the IT secondary school (IMS) in the canton of Zurich, students receive vocational training with a focus on informatics and economics. 

Students transfer to the IMS after the third year of secondary school, provided they have passed the IMS entrance exam. The IT secondary school lasts four years, one of which involves practical work in the IT industry.   

The IMS concludes with the Federal Certificate of Competence in Informatics (EFZ) and the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate in Economics and Services (Economics type). With these degrees, students can study at a university of applied sciences, for example in business informatics. 

The IMS is an alternative to in-company training and is suitable for those interested in programming and application development.

IMS entrance exam

In order to be able to transfer to the IT secondary school (IMS), students must have passed the IMS entrance exam, for which they must first register.

 

Requirements for IMS exam

The next IMS entrance exam in the canton of Zurich will take place on Monday, 27 October 2025. The following requirements must be met in order to participate in the IMS exam:

  • Registration to IMS entrance exam between 1 September 2025 and 30 September 2025
     
  • Submission of a Multicheck test ‘Computer Scientist EFZ Application Development for Computer Science Secondary Schools (IMS)’, in which the candidate must have achieved at least 50 points in both the ‘Potential’ and ‘Job-Specific Skills’ sections; When booking the Multicheck test date, please note that it must be booked and taken between 1 June and 25 September in the IMS examination year; according to the Secondary School and Vocational Training Office of the Canton of Zurich, this Multicheck test may not be repeated.
     
  • are attending or have attended the third year of secondary school in section A or B
     
  • be born after June 15, 2008 (upon entry into the 2026/27 school year)
     
  • Spring semester or July school report for the 2nd secondary class, 2nd semester
     
  • Pupils from Department B of the secondary school: additional written recommendation required by the class teacher
     
  • Registration fee: 50 Swiss francs


You can find out the minimum grades required to pass the IMS exam on our grade calculator page, where you can calculate the required IMS exam grade if your preliminary grade counts towards the overall grade.
 

IMS preparation

It is recommended that you prepare for the IMS exam by attending an IMS preparation course, as the tasks are different from those that students are familiar with from regular school lessons. 

Book your IMS preparation course now!

However, IMS preparation courses from private institutes are subject to fees, which is why many candidates fear that the money they have invested in IMS preparation will be lost if they fail to achieve the required score on the multi-check required for IMS exam registration. However, this fear is unfounded, as there are alternatives to the IMS exam if you are not admitted due to insufficient Multicheck test results.  

We recommend attending a Multicheck preparation course!

 

Alternatives to the IMS exam

These alternatives to the IMS examination include the BMS examination (examination for vocational baccalaureate school) with the long-term goal of becoming an IT specialist EFZ and the short-term gymnasium examination with the long-term goal of studying computer science at University or ETH. Although the BMS and short-term gymnasium exams differ from the IMS exam in certain points, as can be seen from the exam requirements of the canton of Zurich, there are also many similarities between these three exams and similar exam tasks, which is why preparing for the IMS examination also provides a solid foundation for the BMS and short-term gymnasium examinations.

 

Similarities between IMS, BMS, short-term gymnasium exams

The following similarities exist between the IMS, BMS and short-term gymnasium exams:

  • Examination subject: German
    • Part 1: Writing a text
    • Part 2: Text comprehension and language analysis
  • Examination subject: Mathematics


And by the way: The BMS exam is identical to the FMS exam (examination for secondary technical school), although the FMS exam is graded more rigorously than the BMS exam. And the short-term gymnasium exam is identical to the HMS exam (examination for commercial secondary school).
 

Differences between IMS, BMS, short-term gymnasium exams

But there are also some differences between the IMS, BMS and short-term gymnasium examinations, particularly with regard to the scope of the specific requirements for the school material examined.

The short-term gymnasium exam is based on Curriculum 21 with regard to the end of the first semester of the second secondary school year and with regard to the compulsory or alternative compulsory teaching materials for secondary school.  

The BMS exam is based on Curriculum 21 with regard to the end of the first semester of the third secondary school year and with regard to the compulsory or alternative compulsory teaching materials for secondary school.  

The IMS exam is based on Curriculum 21 with regard to the end of the second semester of the second secondary class and with regard to the compulsory or alternative compulsory teaching materials for secondary school.

However, anyone who has prepared for the IMS exam is already largely prepared for the exam material of the short-term gymnasium exam, as the short-term gymnasium exam covers less exam material, with very few exceptions. The BMS exam covers slightly more material. However, both the short-term gymnasium exam material and the BMS exam material can be easily reviewed in a holiday preparation course for the respective exam.

Choose your BMS holiday course now!

Choose your short–term gymnasium holiday course now!
 

 

 

Multiple registrations possible

It is also possible to register for several exams at different types of schools within one school year in order to take advantage of the alternatives to the IMS exam. 

In total, students can register for three different entrance exams in connection with the IMS exam within one school year in the canton of Zurich:   

  • IMS exam in October
  • Short-term gymnasium exam and/or HMS exam in March
  • FMS exam or BMS exam (BM 1, vocational baccalaureate school accompanying apprenticeship) in March

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