Matura or Graduate Examination in Austria

Matura, officially known as Reifeprufung in Austria, is a secondary school leaving qualification exam in Austria. It is taken by students in the age group of 17 to 20 years at the end of their secondary education.  It is mandatory to take Matura for admittance to a Higher Education Institution in Austria.  After passing the written and oral examinations, a certificate is issued, known as Maturazeugnis. It is a school leaving certificate demonstrating the grades gained from the Reifeprufung examinations.

Structure of Matura in Austria

In the Gymnasium (AHS), the Matura consists of :
  • Written Examinations: It comprises of 3 to 4 written exams referred to as Klausurarbeiten, to be held on consecutive mornings of May. The duration of these exams is four to five hours each. 
  • Oral Examinations: It also comprises of three to four oral examinations that are held on the same half-day about a month later, usually in the month of June. 
All examinations are held at the school, which the applicant last attended.Applicants can even write a academic paper called Fachbereichsarbeit , thereby, reducing the number of written exams by one, and submitting the same at the beginning of the February preceding the final exams. 

Compulsory Subjects in Matura Austria

Compulsory subjects for the written examinations are German, Mathematics, and foreign language, mainly English, Italian, French, Latin, Ancient Greek or Spanish. Schools with emphasis on science may require their pupils to take written exams in Biology or Physics. 

Matura Grading Mechanism

The Maturazeugnis comprises only the grades of the written and oral exams. The grading is done on a scale of 1 that means Very Good to 5 meaning Fail. 

 Austrian Scale
Grade Description    
 1.00 - 1.99 Very Good (Sehr gut)
 2.00 - 2.99 Good (Gut)
 3.00 - 3.99Satisfactory (Befriedigend) 
    4.00 - 4.99  Adequate (Genugend)
 5.00 - 5.00 Unsatisfactory (Nichtgenugend)

Also, it contains an overall summary of the grades in terms of GPA (Grade Point Average) gained by the pupil in the examinations:

  • Distinction: a GPA of 1.5 and a maximum of grade 1 (Very Good) to grade 3 (Satisfactory) in all subjects
  • Good Pass: a GPA of at most 2.0 and only grade 1 (Very Good) to grade 3 (Satisfactory) in all subjects
  • Pass: Refers to passing grades in all subjects
  • Fail: An "Insufficient" grade gained in one or more subjects
Applicants, who have failed in the first attempt, can re-appear for it in September/October or February/March of the following school year.
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