Tips for the FMS entrance exam 2026 (specialised secondary school Zurich) and FAQs
The chances of passing the FMS entrance examination 2026, which is required to be accepted into a specialised secondary school for a probationary period, can be increased by following some tips.
In addition to information on how to prepare for the FMS entrance examination 2026, we answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the FMS examination, such as how to register, what to do in case of illness, or what to do if you have not passed the FMS examination, all of which are specific to specialised secondary schools in the canton of Zurich.
Book an FMS preparation course with Lern-Forum!
Table of contents
- Preparation tips for FMS entrance exam 2026
- Frequently asked questions about the FMS exam 2026 (FAQs)
- What does FMS stand for?
- What does FMS exam mean?
- What are the requirements for the FMS exam?
- How does the FMS exam work?
- Which subjects are tested in the FMS entrance exam?
- Which aids are allowed during the FMS exam?
- When is the FMS exam passed?
- How is the preliminary grade, FMS exam grade and FMS overall grade calculated?
- How does the FMS exam application work?
- How does the exam-free application for the FMS work?
- Is it possible to apply for the FMS exam in Zurich from another canton without taking the exam?
- How much does the FMS exam application fee (ZAP3) cost?
- When can I apply for the FMS exam in 2026?
- When is the FMS entrance exam in 2026?
- Where does the FMS exam take place?
- What should I do if I fall ill before the exam?
- When will I find out the result of the FMS exam?
- If I fail the FMS exam, can I retake it?
- What are the next steps after passing the FMS entrance exam
- What does FMS stand for?
Preparation tips for FMS entrance exam 2026
To transfer to a specialised secondary school (FMS), you must first pass the entrance examination, unless you are eligible for exemption. The next FMS examination in the canton of Zurich will take place in 2026.
In the following sections, we provide tips on how to prepare for the FMS entrance examination.
When should FMS exam preparation begin?
Ideally, one should start preparing for the FMS exam about half a year before the actual exam. The exam material should not just be memorised, but also understood. Only then will the student have a good grasp of the subject matter and will be able to recall it even under exam stress.
However, since the preliminary grades from the first semester of the 3rd year of secondary school also count towards the overall grade of the FMS exam, students should work on achieving good grades at school years before they actually take the FMS entrance exam.
FMS preparation courses
To increase the chances of passing the FMS entrance examination, it is recommended to attend preparatory courses specifically tailored to the FMS examination.
One provider of such FMS preparatory courses is the Lern-Forum. There, students learn in small groups of 3-8 participants with the help of well-trained teachers and in a systematic way the school material relevant for the FMS examination in the subjects German and Mathematics. The material is then additionally consolidated with exercises.
The preparatory course also includes the course materials prepared by the Lern-Forum experts, which are adapted to the current requirements every year.
But not only the mastering of the school material is important, but also its independent application to solve the examination tasks, which is taught to the students at the Lern-Forum during the FMS examination preparation by teaching them an efficient working technique.
In addition to quarterly FMS courses, the Lern-Forum also offers FMS holiday courses.
Here you can find the suitable FMS preparatory course.
FMS simulation exam
Another tip for preparing for the FMS entrance exam is to take a FMS simulation exam. The Lern-Forum also offers such simulations of an FMS exam. In these exam simulations, the subjects German and mathematics are tested, just like in the real FMS exam. Apart from the execution, the duration and the evaluation are also the same as in the real FMS exam.
The advantage of a FMS simulation exam is that the candidates become familiar with the exam situation and can thus better assess where they still need to learn and practise.
Here you can register for the FMS simulation exams at the Lern-Forum.
Frequently asked questions about the FMS exam 2026 (FAQs)
There are a number of questions that are always asked in the FMS entrance exam and are also relevant for the FMS exam in 2026. We have compiled some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the FMS entrance exam here and provide the answers:
What does FMS stand for?
FMS is the abbreviation for "Fachmittelschule" (specialised secondary school). The FMS begins after the end of compulsory schooling in Switzerland, i.e. after the end of secondary school.
Alternatives to the FMS are the Gymnasium and the Vocational Maturity School (BMS).
After three years of schooling at the FMS, one can complete it with the federally recognised specialised secondary school certificate (FMS-certificate). With an FMS-certificate, one can transfer to a Higher Vocational School.
After obtaining the FMS-certificate, one can attend the FMS for an optional fourth year, which is practice-oriented, and there acquire the specialised maturity, which enables a university of applied sciences degree within the selected professional field.
There are different profiles at the FMS, depending on the subject area, whereby the teaching in the first year at the FMS is the same in all profiles; one also speaks of the basis year, in which the focus is on general education subjects.
In the second and third years, the teaching differs between the profiles. The following three profiles are offered at the FMS, each of which prepares students for different subsequent courses of study, and thus conveys different vocationally specific specialist knowledge:
- Profile "Health and Natural Sciences"
- Profile "Education"
- Profile "Communication and Information"
What does FMS exam mean?
When people talk about FMS exams, they mean the central entrance exam (ZAP) to attend a specialised secondary school. The ZAP is one of the requirements for attending a FMS. However, under certain conditions, it is possible to be admitted without taking the exam if you want to transfer from a Zurich gymnasium to a specialised secondary school.
The central entrance exams (ZAP) are divided into ZAP1, ZAP2 and ZAP3, depending on the school year in which the ZAP is taken and the type of secondary school (long-term grammar school, short-term grammar school, HMS, IMS, BMS or FMS) for which the exam is taken:
| ZAP1 | ZAP2 | ZAP3 | |
| School type |
|
|
|
| Time of examination |
|
|
|
What are the requirements for the FMS exam?
To be eligible to take the FMS exam in 2026, the following requirements must be met:
- Attendance or completion of the 3rd secondary class (department A or B)
- Candidate must have been born after 15 June 2008 if admission is desired in the 2026/27 school year
- Certificate of the 1st semester of the 3rd secondary class (autumn semester certificate or January certificate)
- Students in department B of the 3rd secondary class must also submit a recommendation from their class teacher (recommendation form on the website of the canton of Zurich)
- Registration for the FMS admission exam
Which subjects are tested in the FMS entrance exam?
The FMS exam tests the subjects German and Mathematics. The German exam consists of the parts "Composition of a text (essay)" and "Language analysis and text comprehension".
Which aids are allowed during the FMS exam?
The following aids are allowed in the FMS entrance examination:
- Fountain pen, ballpoint pen or felt-tip pen (ink blue or black)
- Eraser or Tipp-Ex
- Lead pencils (only in geometry tasks, if explicitly requested)
- Ruler
- For the German essay:
- the dictionary used in secondary school, or
- Duden, Band 1: "Die deutsche Rechtschreibung"
- For the mathematics test:
- Lead pencil and eraser (only in geometry tasks, if explicitly requested)
- Compass and protractor
- Candidates whose mother tongue is not German are allowed to use a bilingual dictionary "mother tongue - German" in the mathematics test (this must be indicated in the remarks field when registering for the FMS entrance examination)
- The following calculator models are allowed:
- TI-30 ECO RS (Texas Instruments)
- TI-30X IIS (Texas Instruments)
- CASIO FX-82 SOLAR II
- SHARP EL-501 T
The following items are not allowed in the FMS entrance examination:
- erasable pens (except for lead pencils, if explicitly requested in geometry tasks)
- own paper (paper sheets are provided during the test)
- digital devices (smartphones, smartwatches, etc.) must be handed over to the supervisor before the test, so it is recommended to bring an analogue watch to the test to keep track of time
When is the FMS exam passed?
When the 2026 FMS entrance examination has been passed, i.e. at what grade in the 2026 FMS examination admission to the FMS is possible for the probationary period, depends on whether the candidate can also bring forward credits (previous grades) for the overall grade.
Previous credits are only taken into account for students of the secondary level from department A of a public school, provided that it is a secondary level A without levels of difficulty or a secondary level A with levels of difficulty and all subjects offered in the levels of difficulty are attended in level I, i.e. the highest level. These students must achieve an average of 4.5 as an overall grade from the previous credits and the FMS examination grade for the FMS examination to be considered passed.
Students who cannot bring forward credits must achieve an FMS examination grade of 4.25, which is also the overall grade.
How is the preliminary grade, FMS exam grade and FMS overall grade calculated?
Those who can bring in preliminary grades will have their FMS overall grade calculated as the average of their preliminary grade and their FMS exam grade.
The preliminary grade is in turn calculated as one-fifth of the following subjects:
- German
- Mathematics (only arithmetic and algebra)
- English
- French
- Nature and Technology
If a grade is missing in one of these subjects, no preliminary grade can be brought in.
The FMS exam grade is calculated as one-quarter of the German exam part "Composition of a text (essay)" and one-quarter of the German exam part "Language analysis and text comprehension". Thus, the German exam makes up half of the FMS exam grade, while the other half is contributed by the mathematics exam.
Those who cannot bring in a preliminary grade will have their FMS overall grade calculated as the FMS exam grade.
How does the FMS exam application work?
The registration process for the Central Entrance Examinations (ZAP), including the ZAP3, i.e. the FMS exam, takes place in two steps:
- Registration on the ZAP registration page of the Canton of Zurich
- Complete the registration
Examination candidates must register again every year.
Examination candidates who can include prior achievements, i.e. preliminary grades, in the ZAP overall grade must upload their January certificate when registering.
After selecting the desired school and paying the examination fee, the registration is final.
How does the exam-free application for the FMS work?
Those who do not have to take an exam for the FMS because they can transfer to the specialised secondary school without taking an exam must only register for the specialised secondary school of their choice by 10 February 2026 via the registration page of the Central Admission Examination.
The requirements for a transfer to the specialised secondary school without taking an exam since the ZAP 2023 are that you were born after 15 June 2008 if you want to transfer to the school year 2026/2027, and that one of the following two conditions is met:
- that you can transfer to the next class from the 3rd class at a public long-term Gymnasium, or
- that you can transfer to the next class from any class at a public short-term Gymnasium, a public IT secondary school, a public commercial secondary school or a federally recognised vocational baccalaureate school for the acquisition of the BM 1
Is it possible to apply for the FMS exam in Zurich from another canton without taking the exam?
You can also apply to a Zurich vocational secondary school without taking an entrance examination if you have successfully completed the admission procedure for a public FMS in a canton other than Zurich. However, if you do not live in the canton of Zurich, you can only be admitted to a vocational secondary school if there are vacancies and if the costs can be covered.
Only those who live in the canton of Zurich can attend specialised secondary school in the canton of Zurich free of charge. However, expenses for teaching materials, school supplies, excursions, project weeks, foreign language stays, personal electronic devices such as a computer, external certificates, etc. are to be paid by the student.
How much does the FMS exam application fee (ZAP3) cost?
The registration fee for the central entrance examination ZAP3 (FMS examination) is CHF 50 per school year and must only be paid once if you register for the examination several times during a school year. If you transfer to the specialised secondary school without taking the examination, you do not have to pay the registration fee.
Multiple registrations are possible in the sense that you can register for three different entrance examinations within one school year:
- IMS examination
- HMS examination and/or short gymnasium examination
- FMS examination or BM 1 examination
When can I apply for the FMS exam in 2026?
The application for the entrance examination for the FMS is possible from 1 January 2026 to 10 February 2026. This period is also referred to as the application window.
When is the FMS entrance exam in 2026?
The FMS exam takes place once a year, usually in early March. In 2026, the date for the FMS entrance exam will be Wednesday, 4 March 2026. The times for the individual exam sections are also already fixed:
- 8:00 to 9:30: Mathematics
- 10:00 to 10:45: German: Language analysis and text comprehension
- 11:15 to 12:45: German: Writing a text (essay)
Where does the FMS exam take place?
The FMS examination takes place at the specialised secondary school for which the candidate has registered.
What should I do if I fall ill before the exam?
If one is unable to take the exam due to illness or accident, one must submit a medical certificate to the specialised secondary school where one should be examined within three days, so that one can take the FMS exam as part of the re-examination.
Once one has taken the exam, one cannot claim illness afterwards, as one is considered fit to be examined with the examination attempt.
When will I find out the result of the FMS exam?
The results of the FMS entrance examination are sent to the candidate by post about ten days after the exam.
If I fail the FMS exam, can I retake it?
Those who have not passed the FMS exam can retake the entrance exam the following year, as long as the candidate has not yet reached the age of 18 by the specified deadline.
What are the next steps after passing the FMS entrance exam?
If the student has passed the exam at a specialised secondary school in the canton of Zurich, he or she has the right to enter the probationary period at a FMS in the canton of Zurich in the following school year. To remain at the specialised secondary school, one must pass the probationary period of one semester there.
One can basically choose freely which specialised secondary school in the canton of Zurich one would like to attend, and this already at the time of registration for the specialised secondary school exam. However, choosing a particular specialised secondary school is no guarantee that one will be accepted at exactly that FMS. Because in the case of overcrowding at certain specialised secondary school, there can be a redistribution of students, which can mean that one is not accepted at the desired FMS, but at another one instead. The redistribution can take place before or after the entrance exam, in which case the candidates will receive written information in the event of redistribution.
If the candidate has passed several ZAP exams for different types of schools, he or she must deregister from the schools that he or she does not want to attend within the time limit stated in the admission decision. The deregistration must be made via the registration mask of the central entrance exam.
Book an FMS preparation course at the Lern-Forum
Registration for the FMS simulation exam at the Lern-Forum
Sources
https://www.lern-forum.ch/en/middle-school-preparation/fms-preparation
https://www.lern-forum.ch/en/gymnasium-preparation/fms-vorbereitung/registration
https://www.zap.zh.ch/newregistration.php
https://www.zh.ch/de/bildung/schulen/maturitaetsschule/zentrale-aufnahmepruefung.html
https://www.lern-forum.ch/en/gymnasium-preparation
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