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Tips for the 2027 grammar school exam (Gymnasium Zurich)

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Tips for the 2027 grammar school exam (Gymnasium Zurich)

Published: 11.08.2024, 00:00

In our article "Tips for the 2027 grammar school exam," we provide advice on how to prepare for the grammar school exam, which can increase a student’s chances of passing the entrance exam for the gymnasium, whether for admission to the long-term or short-term gymnasium in Zurich.

We also answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the gymnasium entrance exam in the canton of Zurich, including questions about registration, what to do in case of illness, and what options are available if you fail the 2027 gymnasium entrance exam.

Start your gymnasium preparation course now!

Table of content

Preparation tips for Gymnasium exam 2027
Frequently asked questions about the 2027 gymnasium entrance exam (FAQs)

Preparation tips for Gymnasium exam 2027

Those who wish to attend a long-term or short-term gymnasium in the canton of Zurich must usually pass the so-called gymnasium entrance examination, also known as the gymnasium exam or grammar school exam .

Only in certain cases is it possible to transfer to a gymnasium without taking the exam.

The next gymnasium entrance examination in the canton of Zurich will take place in 2027. But how can one pass the gymnasium entrance examination? In the following sections, we provide tips for the 2027 gymnasium entrance examination or for preparing for this admission test. By following these tips, one can increase their chances of passing the admission test for the gymnasium.

When should students start preparing for the Gymnasium entrance exam?

When it comes to the question of when to start preparing for the gymnasium entrance exam, one has to make a distinction. For the entrance exam itself, one should start exam preparation half a year before the exam. It is not enough to just learn the exam material by heart. The student must understand the material in order to be able to apply it in the gymnasium entrance exam. Only then will the material be properly understood and can be recalled even under exam stress.

However, since preliminary achievements are included in the overall grade of the entrance exam, preparation for admission to the gymnasium should start years in advance, so that one can also achieve good grades in school in the last year of primary or secondary school. This way, one can achieve good grades in the decisive school report of primary or secondary school.

Grammar school preparation courses

In addition to early preparation for the gymnasium entrance exam, you should also seek support in your exam preparation in the form of preparatory courses for the gymnasium entrance exam. There are providers who specialise in offering such gymnasium preparation courses, including in the canton of Zurich.

The Lern-Forum is one such provider of gymnasium preparation courses in Zurich and has years of experience in the field. They offer both preparatory courses for the long-term gymnasium and preparatory courses for the short-term gymnasium.

At the Lern-Forum, prospective gymnasium students learn from highly qualified teachers. In addition to the relevant school material for the preliminary grade and/or the gymnasium entrance exam, our teachers also teach abstract thinking and self-confidence.

Due to the small group sizes of 3 to 8 participants, the students can be addressed individually and the students can be specifically supported taking into account their individual needs.

In addition to learning and understanding the exam material, the students also benefit from the regular practice and independent application of the material at the Lern-Forum, as they are taught efficient work techniques.

And by the way: The course materials are created by the Lern-Forum experts themselves and are regularly adapted to the current requirements, which allows for a perfect alignment with the respective course.

The Lern-Forum not only offers regular preparation courses for the long-term and short-term gymnasium, but also holiday courses and online courses to prepare for the gymnasium entrance exam.

In addition, students can also attend pre-courses for the gymnasium entrance exam at the Lern-Forum, which prepare them for the gymnasium as early as the 4th grade, thus increasing their chances of a better gymnasium entrance exam and better school grades:

Preparatory course for Gymnasium preparation 4. Primary class
Preparatory course for Gymnasium preparation 5. Primary class
Preparatory course for Gymnasium preparation 1. Secondary class

In addition, students can take supplementary courses to fill gaps in their English and French skills, and thus improve their grades even further.

Grammar school probation courses

If you pass the entrance exam to the gymnasium, you are entitled to transfer to the gymnasium, but only initially on probation, during a six-month probationary period. Only if you also pass the gymnasium probationary period can you stay at the gymnasium.

Since you have to put in about the same amount of effort to pass the probationary period at the gymnasium as you did to pass the gymnasium entrance exam, you should also seek help for the probationary period.

The Lern-Forum offers special probationary period courses to increase the chances of passing the probationary period, and you can choose whether to take a probationary period course during the summer holidays before the probationary period begins or a probationary period support course during the probationary period or during the autumn holidays. To be on the safe side, you can of course also attend all three types of courses, i.e. summer and autumn holidays probationary period courses as well as the probationary period support course.

Gymnasium entrance exam simulation

Another tip for preparing for the gymnasium entrance exam is for the candidate to take part in a simulation of the gymnasium entrance exam. The Lern-Forum also offers simulation exams for admission to the gymnasium.

The subjects tested in the simulation exams are the same as in the real gymnasium entrance exam: mathematics and German ("writing a text (essay)," "language analysis and text comprehension"). The same applies to the duration of the exam. The assessment of the exam performance is also designed to simulate real assessment criteria.

By taking part in a gymnasium simulation exam, candidates have the following advantages, among others:

Candidates become familiar with the exam situation, which can lead to a more stress-free and routine-oriented approach to the real gymnasium entrance exam
The candidate’s learning and practice needs are checked, as gaps in the candidate’s knowledge become apparent during the simulation exam

You can register for the gymnasium simulation exams with the Lern-Forum here.

Frequently asked questions about the 2027 gymnasium entrance exam (FAQs)

In 2027, there will again be a Gymi exam (grammar school exam), which is the entrance examination for the gymnasium. There are always questions about the registration process, the exam procedure, the registration deadlines, and much more. In the following sections, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the Gymi entrance examination, including both general questions and specific questions about the grammar school exam 2027.

What is the gymnasium in Switzerland?

In certain Swiss cantons, the gymnasium is also called the cantonal school, for example in the canton of Zurich. In colloquial speech, the short form "Kanti" is often used. Other cantons use the term "gymnasium" and in colloquial speech the short form "Gymi".

The gymnasium is completed with the so-called maturity (also called Matura), which allows access to university, i.e. to study at a university (including ETH and EPFL) or at a teacher training college. However, for medical studies and sports and exercise science, admission restrictions exist in German-speaking Switzerland at least.

Those who want to attend a university of applied sciences must, in addition to the Matura, have one year of relevant professional experience in many fields of study or have attended a preparatory course. In some fields of study, aptitude assessments are carried out.

To continue learning at a higher vocational school, one needs at least one year of work experience in addition to the maturity.

In some cantons - for example, in the canton of Zurich - there is a short-term gymnasium that either follows the second or third secondary class, and a long-term gymnasium that begins after the 6th primary class. The short-term gymnasium lasts 4 years (except at the Liceo Artistico and the Kunst- und Sportgymnasium Rämibühl, where it lasts 5 years), while the long-term gymnasium lasts 6 years (except at the Kunst- und Sportgymnasium Rämibühl, where it lasts 7 years).

At the long-term gymnasium, the first two years are called the lower gymnasium, and the time after that is called the upper level of the long-term gymnasium.

As far as the choice of subjects at the Gymnasium is concerned, all students attend the same compulsory subjects. From the 3rd class of the long-term grammar school and from the 1st class of the short-term grammar school, students must choose a maturity profile with certain core subjects and an additional subject during their education. In the canton of Zurich, the following six maturity profiles are offered:

Classical Languages Profile
Modern Languages Profile
Mathematical-Scientific Profile
Economic-Legal Profile
Musical Profile
Philosophical/Psychological/Pedagogical Profile

Furthermore, there are, for example, in the canton of Zurich, special Gymnasia which differ from the normal Gymnasia by a fundamental focus on certain subjects:

Liceo Artistico at the Kantonsschule Freudenberg (only short-term gymnasium)
K+S Gymnasium Rämibühl (Art and Sports Gymnasium) (short-term gymnasium and long-term gymnasium)

The alternatives to the Gymnasium are the Vocational Matura School (BMS) and the Specialised Secondary School (FMS).

What exam is meant by the gymnasium entrance exam?

When people talk about the gymnasium exam, they mean the entrance examination for the Gymnasium, which is one of the central entrance examinations (ZAPs). As a rule, attending the Gymnasium in Switzerland is only possible after passing the Gymi entrance examination.

An untested transfer to a Zurich Gymnasium, for example, is only possible under very specific circumstances, such as when transferring from another canton or from abroad, in both cases certain conditions must be met.

The central entrance examinations (ZAPs) are divided into three different categories: ZAP1, ZAP2 and ZAP3. The differences between these three categories lie in the time of the examination and the type of school for which admission is sought, i.e. the long-term gymnasium, the short-term gymnasium, the HMS, the IMS, the BMS or the FMS:

	ZAP1	ZAP2	ZAP3
School type	long-term gymnasium	short-term gymnasium Commercial College (HMS)	Vocational Maturity School (BMS), BM 1 and BM 2 Specialised Secondary School (FMS) Computer Science Secondary School (IMS)
Time of examination	after the 6th class of primary school	after the 2nd or 3rd class of secondary school	after the 3rd class of secondary school

For the long-term gymnasium, the ZAP1 must be taken, for the short-term gymnasium the ZAP2.

Which gymnasium should I choose: long-term or short-term gymnasium?

In the canton of Zurich, there are both the long-term and the short-term gymnasiums. The difference between the long-term and the short-term gymnasium is that the long-term gymnasium lasts longer than the short-term gymnasium, which only lasts 4 years, as the name suggests.

Another important difference is that the long-term gymnasium starts after the 6th primary class, whereas the exam can only be taken once. If you fail the exam, you can still take part in the exams for the short-term gymnasium, for admission after the second secondary class and/or for admission after the third secondary class.

In the question of which gymnasium to choose, you can be tactical in order to increase your chances of admission to the gymnasium in general, and you can do this by taking part in the exam for the long-term gymnasium. If you fail this exam, you can try again later with the admission exam for the short-term gymnasium during the second secondary class. And if you also fail this exam, you can still take part in the admission exam for the short-term gymnasium during the third secondary class.

What percentage of students pass the gymnasium entrance exam?

In 2025, 47.56% of students passed the gymnasium entrance exam in the canton of Zurich. If you look at the results separately by type of gymnasium and time of exam, the results for 2025 are sometimes quite different:

Entrance exam for long-term gymnasium: 53.6% passed
Entrance exam for short-term gymnasium from the 2nd secondary level: 38% passed
Entrance exam for short-term gymnasium from the 3rd secondary level: 45.2% passed

You can find more information on this topic in our article "Results of the 2025 gymnasium entrance exam".

What are the requirements for the 2027 gymnasium entrance exam for the long-term gymnasium in Zurich (ZAP1)?

To be eligible to take the 2027 grammar school exam for the long-term gymnasium, you must meet the following requirements:

Attendance of the 6th primary class
Birth after 31 July 2012 (for entry into the 2027/28 school year)
Certificate from the 1st semester of the 6th primary class (autumn semester or January certificate)*
Registration for the Gymi exam
Additional requirements must be met to attend the K+S-Gymnasium

* Those who register for the K+S-Gymnasium can upload the certificate after the final registration, as the registration deadline for the K+S-Gymnasium is already 15 January 2027.

What are the requirements for the 2027 gymnasium entrance exam for the short-term gymnasium in Zurich (ZAP2)?

To be eligible for the 2027 Gymi exam for the short-term gymnasium, you must meet the following requirements:

Attendance or completion of 2nd Secondary School Class (Division A or B) or 3rd Secondary School Class (Division A or B)
Birth after 31 July 2010 (for entry in the 2027/28 school year)
Certificate from the 1st semester of 2nd Secondary School Class or 3rd Secondary School Class (autumn semester or January certificate)*
Examination candidates from Division B of Secondary School: additional recommendation from the class teacher (recommendation form on the Zurich Cantonal Government website)
Registration for the Gymi entrance exam
For attendance at the Liceo Artistico and the K+S Gymnasium, additional requirements apply

* If you are registering for the K+S Gymnasium, you can upload the certificate after the final registration, as the registration deadline for the K+S Gymnasium is already 15 January 2027.

Which subjects are tested in the gymnasium entrance exam?

The subjects tested in the gymnasium entrance examination are German and mathematics. The German test is divided into the following two parts:

"Composition of a text (essay)"
"Language analysis and text comprehension"

Is there an oral exam in the gymnasium entrance exam?

The gymnasium entrance exam is a purely written test of the subjects German and mathematics. There is no oral exam.

What can you bring to the gymnasium entrance exam?

The following aids are allowed in the Gymnasium entrance examination, with some differences depending on whether it is the entrance examination for the long-term Gymnasium or the entrance examination for the short-term Gymnasium. Unless otherwise indicated, the following aids are allowed for both the entrance examination for the long-term Gymnasium and the one for the short-term Gymnasium:

Fountain pen, ballpoint pen, felt-tip pen (the pen ink may only be blue or black)
Ink eraser, Tipp-Ex
Pencils only in geometry problems, if specifically requested
Ruler
In the German essay:
the dictionary used in primary school (entrance examination for the long-term Gymnasium) or the dictionary used in secondary school (entrance examination for the short-term Gymnasium), or
Duden, Band 1: "Die deutsche Rechtschreibung"
In the mathematics test:
Pencil and eraser only in geometry problems, if explicitly requested
Compass, 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 Gymi exam)
in the admission test for the short-term gymnasium, a calculator may also be used, but only one of the following models:
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 Gymi exam:

erasable pens (except pencil, if explicitly requested in geometry problems)
own paper (in the exam, candidates will receive sheets of paper)
all digital devices, such as smartphones and smartwatches, must be handed in to the test supervisor before the test; it is therefore recommended to bring an analogue watch to the test. With the help of an analogue watch, you can check the time at any time during the test, which makes it easier to manage your time.

When is the gymnasium entrance exam in Zurich passed?

Whether the entrance examination to the gymnasium in 2027 is deemed passed depends on whether a prior achievement grade is included in the overall grade in the case of both the long-term and the short-term gymnasium:

Overall grade with prior achievement grade: at least 4.75 (applies to both the short-term and the long-term gymnasium)
Overall grade without prior achievement grade: at least 4.5 (applies to both the short-term and the long-term gymnasium)

In the case of the long-term gymnasium, prior achievements are compulsorily included in the overall examination grade of the gymnasium entrance examination for students who are in the 6th primary class at the time of registration. In all other cases, prior achievements are not taken into account.

In the case of the short-term gymnasium, prior achievements are compulsorily included in the overall examination grade for candidates who meet one of the following conditions:

Attendance of a public secondary school A without requirements levels in the canton of Zurich
Attendance of a public secondary school A with requirements levels in the canton of Zurich, whereby the subjects that are offered with requirements levels must be completed at the highest requirements level

In all other cases, prior achievements are not taken into account.

How is the preliminary grade, gymnasium entrance exam grade and overall gymnasium grade calculated?

The overall Gymi exam mark for candidates who have to provide prior work is calculated as the average of the prior work mark and the Gymi exam mark.

The calculation of the prior work mark depends on whether the candidate is taking the exam for the long-term or the short-term Gymi:

Calculation of the prior work mark for the long-term Gymi:
- each of the following subjects counts for half:
  - German
  - Mathematics
Calculation of the prior work mark for the short-term Gymi:
- each of the following subjects counts for one-fifth:
  - German
  - Mathematics (2nd Secondary School: two-thirds arithmetic and algebra, one-third geometry; 3rd Secondary School: only arithmetic and algebra)
  - English
  - French
  - Nature and Technology

If there is no mark for one of these subjects, it is not possible to provide prior work.

The Gymi exam mark is calculated as one-quarter of the German exam part "Composition of a text (essay)," one-quarter of the German exam part "Language analysis and text comprehension" and half of the mark for the mathematics exam.

For candidates who do not have to provide prior work, the Gymi exam mark is the same as the overall Gymi exam mark.

How does the application process for the gymnasium entrance exam work?

The registration process for the central entrance examinations ZAP1 (examination for the long-term gymnasium) and ZAP2 (examination for the short-term gymnasium) requires two steps:

Registration on the ZAP registration page of the canton of Zurich
Completing the registration

The registration is only valid for the respective year and must be repeated when registering the following year.

For those candidates whose previous achievements are included in the overall grade of the gymnasium entrance examination, the January report card must be uploaded when registering. An exception is the registration at the K+S Gymnasium Rämibühl, where the registration deadline is already on 15 January 2027, which is why the report card can also be uploaded after the final registration.

After selecting the desired school and paying the examination fee, the final registration can be completed.

Further specifics regarding the registration at the desired school apply to the following two gymnasia:

Liceo Artistico at the Kantonsschule Freudenberg
K+S Gymnasium Rämibühl (art and sports gymnasium)

Is it possible to transfer to the long-term gymnasium without an entrance exam?

Under certain conditions, it is also possible to transfer to the long-term gymnasium without taking an entrance examination:

Transfer to the long-term gymnasium from another canton: Anyone who has successfully completed the admission procedure for a public long-term gymnasium in another canton can enrol at a long-term gymnasium in the canton of Zurich without taking an entrance examination.
Transfer to the long-term gymnasium from abroad: Anyone who comes from a foreign education system can either take the entrance examination for the long-term gymnasium or be admitted as a guest student (usually for 2 semesters) at the long-term gymnasium, at the discretion of the school management.

Is it possible to transfer to the short-term gymnasium without an entrance exam?

Under certain conditions, it is also possible to transfer to the short-cycle Gymnasium without taking an entrance examination:

Transfer to the short-cycle Gymnasium from the long-cycle Gymnasium: A transfer from the long-cycle to the short-cycle Gymnasium is possible in two cases, namely
- either for students who can transfer to the next class from the 2nd or 3rd class of a public long-cycle Gymnasium
- or for students who can repeat the 3rd class of a public long-cycle Gymnasium
Transfer to the short-cycle Gymnasium from another canton: Anyone who has successfully completed the admission procedure for a public short-cycle Gymnasium in another canton can register for a short-cycle Gymnasium in the canton of Zurich without taking an entrance examination.
Transfer to the short-cycle Gymnasium from abroad: Anyone who comes from a foreign education system can either take the entrance examination for the short-cycle Gymnasium or be admitted as a guest student (usually for 2 semesters) to the short-cycle Gymnasium, at the discretion of the school management.

How much does the gymnasium education cost?

For high school students who are residents of the canton of Zurich, attending a Zurich high school is free of charge. However, high school students must bear the costs of teaching materials, school supplies, excursions, school trips, project weeks, foreign language stays, their own electronic devices such as a computer, external certificates, etc.

Another exception applies to optional instrumental instruction, for which a parental contribution of Fr. 640 per semester is due, unless it is a high school in Winterthur, as in that case the optional instrumental instruction takes place at external music schools.

How much is the application fee for the gymnasium entrance exam?

The fee for registering for the gymnasium entrance exam is Fr. 50 per school year in the canton of Zurich. If someone registers multiple times during a school year, they only have to pay the fee once.

Students who can enter the gymnasium without taking the exam do not have to pay a registration fee.

Multiple registrations in connection with the gymnasium entrance exam are possible in the following cases:

For candidates who are in the 2nd secondary school class: They can register for the ZAP2 exam for admission to the short-course gymnasium with the option of entering the commercial vocational school. Depending on their overall grade, they can then either transfer to a short-course gymnasium or to a commercial vocational school.
For candidates who are in the 3rd secondary school class or have completed it:
- IMS exam
- HMS exam and/or short-course gymnasium exam
- FMS exam or BM 1 exam

When can I apply for the 2027 gymnasium entrance exam?

The registration deadlines or windows for the gymnasium entrance exam are the same for all gymnasia with one exception:

Long-term and short-term gymnasia: 1 January 2027 to 10 February 2027
The Kunst und Sport (K+S) Gymnasium Rämibühl (both long-term and short-term) is an exception: 1 January 2027 to 15 January 2027

When is the gymnasium entrance exam in 2027?

In 2027, the Gymi exams in the canton of Zurich will take place on Monday, 8 March 2027:

The times at which the respective exams or parts of the exams will take place on 8 March 2027 depend on whether it is the entrance exam for the short-term or the long-term gymnasium:

	Long-term gymnasium	Short-term gymnasium
German: Language study and text comprehension	8:00 to 8:45	9:00 to 9:45
Mathematics	9:15 to 10:15	10:15 to 11:45
German: Writing a text (essay)	10:45 to 11:45	13:15 to 14:45

Where does the gymnasium entrance exam take place?

The examination candidate must appear for the gymnasium entrance examination at the gymnasium for which they have registered when applying for the gymnasium examination.

What should be done if the candidate becomes ill before the exam?

If the candidate is unable to take the exam, for example due to illness or an accident, he or she must submit a medical certificate to the gymnasium where the exam is to be held within three days. The candidate is then excused for his or her absence and can take the gymnasium re-exam.

However, it should be noted that candidates who have taken the entrance exam cannot be excused for illness or accident at a later date. Candidates who take the exam are considered to be fit to do so.

When will the results of the gymnasium entrance exam be announced?

The results of the entrance examination for the gymnasium will be sent to the respective candidate by post about two weeks after the examination.

Alternatively, you can also view the exam results online in your ZAP file, usually one day after the results have been sent by post.

What if you fail the gymnasium entrance exam?

If you have not passed the gymnasium entrance exam, there are various options available for repeating the ZAP exam until the prescribed age limit is reached:

If you have not passed the entrance exam for the long-term gymnasium, you can take the exam for the short-term gymnasium later during or after the 2nd secondary class or during or after the 3rd secondary class, as long as the prescribed age limit has not been reached.
If you have not passed the entrance exam for the short-term gymnasium during or after the 2nd secondary class or during or after the 3rd secondary class, you can repeat the exam the following year, as long as the prescribed age limit has not been reached.

What happens after passing the gymnasium entrance exam?

If one passes the gymnasium entrance exam, one is entitled to enter the probationary period at the gymnasium in the following school year.

Although the principle of free school choice applies to secondary schools in the canton of Zurich, students can freely choose which long-term or short-term gymnasium they want to attend, which is already done when they apply for the gymnasium entrance exam. However, the choice of the desired gymnasium is not final, and transfer to exactly that gymnasium is not guaranteed. To prevent overcrowding of certain schools, it may happen that students are redistributed before or after the entrance exam, about which the affected students are informed in writing.

If the candidate has taken part in several ZAP exams and has also passed several of them, he or she must deregister from the schools he or she will not attend via the registration mask of the Central Entrance Examination. The candidate must observe the deregistration deadline, which can be found in the admission decision.