Everything important at a glance

Whether registration deadlines, exam dates or exam contents: Here you can find out everything you need to know about the Gymi exam 2024. Read the whole article or jump directly to the desired topic.

Table of contents

1. Long-Term or Short-Term High School
2. Registration for the entrance examination
3. Application deadlines & required certificates
4. Multiple registrations
5. Exam dates
6. Choice of grammar school
7. Contents of the entrance examination & Evaluation
   7.1. Entrance examination for the long grammar school
   7.2. Entrance examination for the Short-Term Highschool, HMS and FMS
8. Receipt of the test results
9. Final tips

1. Long-term or short-term gymnasium?

In Switzerland, there are two gymnasium paths, both of which lead to the same degree (Matura):

• The long-term gymnasium follows on from the 6th grade of primary school, with the entrance examination taking place during the 6th grade in March. The long-term gymnasium lasts a total of six years.
• The examination of the short-term gymnasium takes place in the second or third grade of lower secondary school (level A or B). The exam is open to all students who have directly entered lower secondary school after the 6th grade of primary school.

IMPORTANT: Students who had made the leap to long-term gymnasium but had to transfer to lower secondary school after the probationary period are also eligible for the short-term gymnasium exam.

2. Registration for the entrance examination

Registration for the Gymi exam is done online at: Zentrale Aufnahmeprüfung.

For the registration is necessary for the application. After registration, you will receive your login details for registration. A fee of 50.00CHF is due upon registration.

IMPORTANT: It is also essential that students admitted without an examination register in good time. We present the deadlines for registration in the next section.

3. Application deadlines & required certificates

Registration is only possible in the specified time windows.

The following deadlines apply to the various schools:

• Long-Term High School: 10/02/2024
• Short-Term High School: 10/02/2024
• Commercial College: 10/02/2024
• Computer Science Middle School: 30/092024
• Vocational School & Secondary technical school: 10/02/2024
• Arts and Sports (K+S) High School Rämibühl: 15/012024

IMPORTANT: Pupils need the January report for the registration at the Long-Term High School, the Short-Term High School, the commercial middle school, the technical middle school and the apprenticeship-accompanying vocational baccalaureate school (BM 1). For enrollment in the Arts and Sports (K+S) High School, students may submit the January report card until start of February 2024.

4. Multiple applications

Dual/multiple registrations for the 2025 Gymi Examination are possible in the following combinations:

• Short-Term High School and commercial gymnasium (HMS): In the 2nd secondary class with only one exam.
• Information technology middle school (IMS), Short-Term High School and commercial middle school (HMS): In the 3rd secondary class, the exam for the IMS can be taken in October and the exam for the Short-Term High School/HMS in March.
• Secondary technical school (FMS) and apprenticeship vocational school (BM 1): In the 3rd secondary class with only one exam.
• Short-Term High School and secondary technical school: In the 3rd secondary class with two exams.

5. Examination dates

The exams always take place on site at the respective high schools. The dates at a glance:

• Long-term gymnasium: Monday, 4/03/2024 at 8 a.m.
• Short-term gymnasium: Monday, 4/03/2024 at 9 a.m.
• Art and sports gymnasium: Monday, 4/03/2024
• Secondary technical school (FMS) and vocational school (BMS): Wednesday, 6/03/2024
• Computer Science Middle School: Monday, 30/10/2024

6. Choice of gymnasium

All grammar schools in the canton of Zurich offer information events at the beginning of the school year. Take advantage of this opportunity and inform yourself comprehensively. You will then find the current dates for the information events of the Zurich grammar schools on the website of the Zentrale Aufnahmeprüfung.

7.1 Entrance examination for the long gymnasium:

There is a written exam with the following content:

• German: Text comprehension and language observation (45 minutes)
• German: Essay (60 minutes)
• Mathematics: (60 minutes)

This is how the final score is made up:

• 50 % Exam grade (Average of German and Mathematics)
• 50 % Experience grade (Average of German and Mathematics of the February report) 

A final grade of at least 4.75 is required to pass the entrance examination. Those who score less than 4.75 have not passed.

Final grade for private students

In the case of students from private schools, the final grade is composed of exclusively from the examination grades together. The requirement for passing the exam is a grade point average of at least 4.5. Here you can find more information about the examination criteria for private students.

7.2 Entrance examination for Short-Term High School, HMS and FMS:

There is a written exam with the following content:

• German: Text comprehension and language observation (45 minutes)
• German: Essay (90 minutes)
• Mathematics: Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry (90 minutes)

IMPORTANT: The entrance examinations of the Short-Term High School, the HMS and the FMS have the same structure and only minor differences in content.

This is how the final score is made up:

• 50 % Exam grade  (average of German and Mathematics)
• 50 % Experience Note  (Average of German, Mathematics, French, English, Nature & Technology)

To pass the entrance examination, a Final score of at least 4.75 required. Those who score less than 4.75 have not passed.

Final grade for private students

For students from private schools, experience grades do not matter. To pass the examination, the grade point average must be at least 4.5. Here you can find more information about the final grade for private students. 

8. Receipt of the test results

The examination results are usually available within two to three weeks after the examinations and are sent by mail as well as being made available on the website www.zentraleaufnahmepruefung.ch. The exams themselves are not sent to the examinees. Those who wish to view the correction must do so within the framework of a specific viewing appointment.

9. Final tips

Whether Short- or Long-Term High School, comprehensive exam preparation is useful for all students. Experience grades are important for both types of schools since 2023. That's why we also recommend supplementary courses or courses that accompany the school. This way, your child can set the course for good experience grades and high chances of passing the exam at an early stage.

You can use the following orientation values as a guide:

• For the Long-Term High School, a grade point average of at least 5.0 in German and Mathematics is recommended from the end of the 5th or beginning of the 6th grade.
• For the new 2023 audit regulations of the Short-Term High School, there are only few empirical values. Our recommendation would be a grade point average of at least 4.75 in the subjects relevant to the exam.