Only the aids provided for by the current rules of your specific examination are permitted. There is no general list for school, university, and IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce). Check the institution, subject or profession, exam part, date, and possible processing rules for each aid. The governing examination regulations and the associated notes on aids or examination instructions are authoritative. If any point remains unclear, ask the responsible authority in good time and in writing.
In brief: "Calculator permitted" says nothing about programs or memory. "Legal texts permitted" says nothing about markings. "Open book" says nothing about electronic devices.
Important note: Which aids are permitted is determined by the rules of your specific examination. Check the examination regulations, list of permitted aids, and examination instructions together. Clarify any ambiguities in writing with the responsible authority. Spickboy does not provide a universal authorization guarantee.
You can find further guidance on exams and preparation in the Spickboy™ Guide.
What counts as an aid in an examination?
An aid is an object, document, or technical system that you are allowed to use while completing an exam. Typical groups are:
- Writing and drawing materials,
- Calculators or other digital mathematical tools,
- Formula collections and reference books,
- Legal texts, standards, or professional books,
- Dictionaries,
- Self-created summaries within an expressly permitted scope,
- Technical devices for presentations or practical examinations,
- Individually approved accommodations for disabilities or medically necessary aids.
Whether something belongs in this category depends on the examination context. A ruler may be a matter of course in a technical exam and may not even appear in another list. A formula collection may be provided, required to be brought by you, or completely excluded. This is why the exact version is more important than a general equipment list from the internet.
Which documents must you read together?
A reliable examination begins with a document check. Depending on the system, several levels may interact:
- Examination Regulations: These govern the institutional framework, responsibilities, and possible consequences of violations.
- Exam-specific list of aids: This names objects, devices, or editions for a specific profession, subject, or exam part.
- Invitation or exam announcement: This assigns the date, location, and specific organizational instructions.
- Task or implementation instructions: These can specify the part of the exam from which an aid may be used.
- Addenda and written information: These clarify changes or open model questions within the regulated area of responsibility.
Do not invent your own hierarchy in the event of contradictions. Document both sources and ask the authority responsible according to the regulations for written clarification.
School, university, and IHK: Why examination systems remain separate
| Context | Official documents | Check additionally |
|---|---|---|
| School or Abitur | State requirements, subject or Abitur decree, school notice | Federal state, educational pathway, course, and exam part |
| University | Examination regulations, faculty or module notice, exam announcement | Degree program, module, semester, and responsible authority |
| IHK | Examination regulations, profession-specific list of aids, invitation | Chamber, profession or further education, exam part, and date |
School and Abitur
In the German Abitur, the states implement common task frameworks through their own requirements. Up to and including the 2029 exam year, the IQB notes distinguish in mathematics, among other things, between parts without digital aids and parts with a defined tool framework. This does not result in nationwide model approval. For 2027, the calculator check by federal state shows how much functional requirements and examination conditions differ.
For other school examinations, you need the appropriate state, school type, and subject rules. An Abitur requirement must not be transferred to a classroom test or final exam without verification.
University and College
Even at the same university, modules may provide for different aids. The Joint Examination Board for Economics at the University of Wuppertal defines a "non-programmable calculator" in its notification NR 02/2024 for its area based on several features. Another Wuppertal department or another university may use different documents.
Therefore, check the module, exam date, and responsible authority. The article Calculators in university exams guides you through the model search and the written inquiry.
IHK examinations
With the IHK, the exact scope is also crucial. For the written commercial intermediate exam, the AkA task department lists a "non-programmed, battery-powered calculator without the possibility of communication with third parties" on its aids page. Conversely, the IHK Potsdam lists a battery-powered, non-communicative, programmable calculator for its written AEVO exam part. This is not a contradiction, but shows two different exams with their own requirements.
The article Calculators in IHK exams explains which documents belong together for your profession or qualification.
Reading formulations correctly
A single word cannot standardize multiple examinations. Pay attention to additions and verbs.
"Not programmed" or "not programmable"
"Not programmed" may refer to the current state of user-defined content. "Not programmable" may describe a device's capability. Whether an examination board uses this distinction in the same way only becomes clear from its own definition and possible model notes.
"Uncommented"
For legal texts or standards, "uncommented" can refer to both the edition and your own entries. The IHK Munich explains in detail for its advanced training exams which markings, sticky tabs, and paragraph references are permitted within its scope and which additions are not. Do not use this local explanation as the rule for another chamber."Open book"
The term can mean a specific book, all printed documents, your own notes, or a digital environment. Check the format, number of pages, annotations, electronic devices, and communication individually.
"No communication capability"
Clarify which interfaces and states are covered. Airplane mode, offline use, or lack of internet connection do not automatically prove that a device meets the required definition.
The ten-point checklist before your exam
1. Name the exam exactly
Note the institution, educational pathway or degree program, subject or profession, exam, part, and date.
2. Find the official landing page
Start with the ministry, university, examination office, IHK, or the officially designated task department – not a forum or retailer.
3. Read the scope of validity
Check whether the document, year, semester, and exam part truly apply to you.
4. Capture all aids individually
Create a list of writing materials, books, formula collections, calculators, devices, and permitted personal documents.
5. Note processing rules
Markings, registers, notes, inserts, and digital files may be regulated separately.
6. Compare device functions
Check programs, text, formulas, graphics, CAS, communication, file storage, and recognized exam mode for the exact model.
7. Clarify provision
Is a formula collection handed out? Do you have to bring a book yourself? Is a specific edition prescribed?
8. Ask open points in writing
State the exact source, model, and function. A precise question is better than "What am I allowed to bring?"
9. Secure answers and versions
Save official PDFs, addenda, and written information with the date. Do not rely on an old screenshot without a source.
10. Prepare compliant substitutes
Only plan a substitute that clearly meets the same requirements. Additional devices "just in case" can be problematic themselves.
What belongs in a good written inquiry?
A concise inquiry can be structured as follows:
I will be taking the exam [exact designation] on [date] in exam part [part]. In the official information [title and link], it states [wording]. My calculator is [complete model and software version] and has [specific open function]. Does this model meet the requirements for this specific exam part? If another department is responsible, I kindly ask for the correct contact path.
The template does not demand blanket product approval. It connects the exam, source, and open feature. Keep the answer together with the relevant regulation.
What should you consider on the day of the exam?
- Take only the cleared aids into the exam area.
- Use books and legal texts only in the permitted edition and condition.
- Wait for the invigilator's instruction for devices permitted in specific sections.
- Do not change a prescribed device or exam state on your own authority.
- Ask before use if the situation communicated differs from the documents.
- Follow organizational instructions and document any subsequent ambiguity objectively.
A possible violation does not have the same consequences everywhere. The article Attempted cheating in an exam explains different procedures without claiming a universal sanction.
Frequently asked questions about permitted aids
Is there a general list of permitted aids for Germany?
No. Rules differ by institution, exam, subject or profession, date, and exam part. Use the current official information for your specific context.
Is everything allowed that is not expressly forbidden?
This cannot be said generally. Some lists are exhaustive and expressly exclude other aids. Others describe categories. Check the wording and scope of validity instead of deriving permission from a gap.
Am I allowed to write in permitted legal texts?
Only to the extent of the specific rule. Underlining, registers, paragraph references, and your own words may be treated differently. Check the edition and processing rules separately.
Is my smartphone permitted as a calculator?
Not automatically. A smartphone possesses additional storage and communication functions. It is only usable if the specific rule expressly provides for exactly this device or form.
Does an approval from the last semester still apply?
Only if the current rule and exam context are unchanged and the responsible authority still supports the statement. Open the current version for every date.
What do I do in case of contradictory information?
Send both official sources to the authority responsible under the examination regulations and ask for written clarification in good time. Do not transfer a rule from elsewhere and do not decide the hierarchy yourself until then.
Conclusion: A reliable list is always concrete
Permitted aids cannot be derived from habit or a general web list. Name your exam exactly, open the official documents, check the scope and processing rules, and compare technical functions individually. If a point remains open, a written, concrete inquiry provides more security than a blanket statement about schools, universities, or the IHK.
Sources and status
Sources checked on August 24, 2026. The examples show different regulatory paths and apply exclusively within the stated scope of validity.
- Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB): Notes on the use of aids in mathematics up to and including the 2029 exam year, as of January 23, 2024; Scope: common task framework of the Abitur task pools, no state or model approval.
- University of Wuppertal, Joint Examination Board for Economics: Notification NR 02/2024 "Non-programmable calculator as a permitted aid", issued on April 17, 2024; Scope: the economic science exams recorded there.
- AkA – Task Department for Commercial Final and Intermediate Examinations: Notes for the autumn 2026 intermediate examination, edition 07/26, page 2; Scope: the written commercial intermediate examinations listed there in autumn 2026.
- IHK Potsdam: Instructor Aptitude Examination according to AEVO, page checked live on August 24, 2026; Scope: written and practical AEVO examination of the IHK Potsdam described there.
- IHK for Munich and Upper Bavaria: Permitted aids for advanced training examinations, page checked live on August 24, 2026; Scope: local explanations and linked lists for the advanced training examinations recorded there.