Gymnasium/Grammar School Preparation at Nachhilfe Akademie in Zurich and Winterthur
Attending grammar school or gymnasium, as it is called in Switzerland, brings a lot of benefits with it. It offers an in-depth school education, which does not only prepare the pupil for higher education at a university but also actually provides a direct way to the university through the Matura. The Matura is the certificate that is given to the pupils after successfully passing the final exams of grammar school. It is part of the application for a degree and therefore enables access to universities. However, before the Matura the pupils first need to pass the entry exam to be able to attend gymnasium.
What Is the Gymnasium Entry Exam?
The entry exam is a complex exam that tests pupils’ abilities in various areas, such as analytical thinking, understanding, and applying learned knowledge. It consists of tests of up to three subjects: a German test, a French test and Maths test. The exam can be taken in sixth class of primary school or in the second and/or third year of secondary school. The exam in sixth class of primary school is called the exam for Langzeitgymnasium (long-term grammar school) as the pupil will attend grammar school for approximately six years. The exam in secondary school is called the exam for Kurzzeitgymnasium (short-term grammar school) as the pupil will attend grammar school for around four years.
| Name of the Exam | Time of the Exam | Subjects Examined |
| Exam for Langzeitgymnasium | In sixth class of primary school | German, Maths |
| Exam for Kurzzeitgymnasium | In the second and/or third year of secondary school | German, Maths, French |
Preparing for the Entry Exam
Since the exam has shown to be rather difficult, a comprehensive and thorough preparation is vital to successfully pass. It is especially important to start preparing for the exam early enough, in order to be able to revise the wide range of topics that will be tested on the exam. While the math exam focuses on pupils’ abilities in analytical and strategic thinking as well as applying knowledge to solve different kinds of exercises, the German and French exams require skills in Writing, Reading and Listening.
At Nachhilfe Akademie we offer preparation courses in the cities Zurich and Winterthur. The pupils are prepared for the entry exam in small groups of up to four participants from August until right before the exam, meaning they will be accompanied by a competent and qualified team of teachers through the whole preparation process. Working in small groups has proven to be highly effective as the teacher can specifically address the strengths and weaknesses of the individual pupils and work on problematic areas. That way, it is ensured that the pupils revise the topics thoroughly. To promote understanding, at Nachhilfe Akademie we use particular learning material that we have worked up through years of experience in preparing pupils for the gymnasium entry exam. The material is specifically designed so that the necessary skills for each topic are acquired through three effective steps; First, there is a theoretical part that focuses on explaining the learning content in a simple way. Then the learned material is applied through exercises that further strengthen the theoretical knowledge. In a third step the pupils solve real exam questions from previous entry exams. This guarantees that the pupils understand the theoretical part to a degree that they can solve exam questions. Any difficulties or troubles with understanding that might emerge while solving the exam questions can be targeted and resolved immediately. This strategy has over years of experience shown to be the most effective in ensuring complete and comprehensive understanding of the topics for the exam.
Our qualified and experienced teachers are looking forward to helping you or your child in effectively and comprehensively preparing for the entry exam.
What Now?
Interested? Visit our website at https://nachhilfeakademie.ch/en/ for more information or contact us at 043 540 09 53 or info@nachhilfeakademie.ch. We are happy to advise you on our offers.
