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.

Start Gymnasium preparation early!

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: 01/01/2027 - 10/02/2027
Short-Term High School: 01/01/2027 - 10/02/2027
Commercial College: 01/01/2027 - 10/02/2027
Computer Science Middle School: 01/09/2026 - 30/09/2026
Vocational School & Secondary technical school: 01/01/2027 - 10/02/2027
Arts and Sports (K+S) High School Rämibühl: 01/01/2027 - 15/01/2027

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 can submit their January report at a later date, whereby the deadline for submission must be requested from the Arts and Sports (K+S) High School.

4. Multiple applications

Dual/multiple registrations for the 2027 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.

7. Contents of the entrance examination & evaluation

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.

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.