Spreading the Stress: Germany's Exam System under Review 

Article by Elisabeth Polivka (13.12.2025)

December for German students is marked by rising stress and anxiety as another exam season looms over them. Students face up to three written exams a week often with no end in sight. As pressure builds in classrooms across the country, the question arises: is there an alternative to this recurring cycle, or is this system still the best option?

The system used in Germany is known as continuous assessment, and its goal is to evaluate students over a longer period of time rather than relying on one singular, high-stakes exam phase at the end of the year. Instead of one concentrated testing period, students are assessed in several exam blocks spread across each semester. 

By contrast, many other countries use a finals-week system, which compresses all major exams into one short period, usually lasting one to two weeks. Rather than being tested repeatedly throughout the year, students prepare for a single, centralized examination phase.

Supporters of continuous assessment argue that this model leads to fairer grading, as one bad day is less likely to determine a student's entire accademic outcome. It also encourages long-term learning instead of short-term memorization. “Students need continuous and regular feedback”, says Dr. Dagmar Wolf, head of the Education program area at Robert Bosch Stiftung. 

However, many students experience the system very differently. Instead of occasional stress, they describe a feeling of constant academic pressure. “Deutsches Schulbarometer” release reports that “a fifth of students describe themselves as mentally stressed” and “the same number complain about low levels of well-being at school.” 

The finals-week model creates its own challenges, with extremely high pressure concentrated into a short time span. Yet it also offers a clear endpoint and a longer recovery phase afterward. Critics of this system point out that illness or anxiety during that one week can have serious consequences for final results.

Both models aim to measure performance as fairly as possible, but each places a different kind of burden on students. As debates about student well-being and mental health continue to grow, Germany’s exam structure remains a central topic of discussion in education. For now, December continues to signal not only the start of the holiday season, aswell as one of the most stressful periods of the school year.

Sources:

“Wars, Pressure to Perform, and the Climate Crisis – the German School Barometer Reflects Current Concerns of Students.” Robert Bosch Stiftung, www.bosch-stiftung.de/en/press/2024/11/wars-pressure-perform-and-climate-crisis-german-school-barometer-reflects-current?utm.com.

Anders, Florentine. “Deutsches Schulbarometer 2024 - Jeder Fünfte Junge Mensch Berichtet Von Psychischen Problemen.” Deutsches Schulportal, 2 June 2025, deutsches-schulportal.de/bildungswesen/deutsches-schulbarometer-schueler-2024-jeder-fuenfte-junge-mensch-berichtet-von-psychischen-problemen/?utm.com.

Heck, Felix. “Prüfungsangst: Migräneanfälle Und Panikattacken: Wie Eine Schülerin Mit Ihrer Angst Vor Prüfungen Umging.” DIE ZEIT, 31 May 2019, www.zeit.de/zett/2019-05/migraeneanfaelle-und-panikattacken-wie-eine-schuelerin-mit-ihrer-angst-vor-pruefungen-umging?utm.com.

Holzinger, Katharina. “Prüfungsangst: ‘Selbstvorwürfe Sind Wenig Hilfreich.’” DIE ZEIT, 9 Mar. 2022, www.zeit.de/campus/2022-02/pruefungsangst-studium-leistungsdruck-stress?utm.com.