Before you start studying for an IHK final examination, first note the exact job title, the applicable training regulations, the examination part, the date, and the responsible IHK. Only then can you create a meaningful 6- to 8-week plan: check the structure and weighting, review materials, practice with authorized tasks, train written and practical parts separately, and significantly reduce your workload in the final week. There is no general list of permitted aids for IHK exams; the documents for your specific exam are binding.
In short: Identify the exam, secure the official structure, diagnostically test your material, prioritize weaknesses, and check your invitation and permitted aids before the final practice block.
You can find further study and examination topics in the Spickboy™ Guide.
First clarify: Which IHK exam are you actually taking?
"IHK examination" is not a single, uniform test. Even within apprenticeships, there are differences between classic and extended final examinations, part 1 and part 2, as well as written, practical, oral, or project-related components. A new training regulation can change the structure and weighting, even if the job title remains the same.
Therefore, create this examination profile:
- Profession: full official job title.
- Standard: training regulation or ordinance with the year.
- Examination system: classic final examination or extended examination with part 1 and part 2.
- Date: examination period and personal data for written, practical, and oral parts.
- Responsibility: local IHK and the responsible task-setting body.
- Sections: names, duration, weighting, and pass requirements according to the current regulation.
- Deadlines: report, project, application, documentation, or other documents to be submitted.
- Permitted aids: current list or announcement for your profession, section, and date.
The job title alone is not enough. Note the version of the ordinance as well. During transitional periods, candidates with similar job titles may be examined according to different structures.
Do not mix up final apprenticeship exams and advanced training exams
This article primarily covers the IHK final examination in an apprenticeship as well as the corresponding external examination.
- Apprenticeship and external examination: The basis is the current profession-specific training regulation. The local IHK organizes the examination; depending on the profession, the AkA, PAL, ZPA Nord-West, or another body may create the written tasks.
- Advanced or further training examination: Specialists (Fachwirt), Master Craftsmen (Meister), Business Managers (Betriebswirt), and similar qualifications follow their own legal ordinances and examination structures. For nationally standardized examinations, the DIHK-Bildungs-gGmbH provides information on dates, structure, and permitted aids, among other things.
If your invitation states "advanced training examination" (Fortbildungsprüfung), do not adopt the structure of a final apprenticeship examination. Check the ordinance, examination title, and documents for your specific qualification.
School-leaving examinations and university exams are separate systems. A school or university rule regarding permitted aids is not proof of eligibility for an IHK exam – and vice versa.
Where can you find the official examination structure?
According to the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), the current training regulation defines examination areas, instruments, weightings, and pass requirements. The BIBB vocational search leads to the current occupational profiles and ordinances.
After that, check the professions page of your local IHK and your invitation. For centrally created written tasks, additional official bodies may be relevant:
- AkA: responsible for certain commercial and commercial-related professions.
- PAL: creates tasks for many industrial-technical professions.
- ZPA Nord-West: responsible for its own group of commercial professions.
- Other task-setting bodies: may be responsible for other professions or areas.
It is not the most well-known name that decides, but your profession and examination area. The central body may publish written dates or tasks; personal times for practical or oral parts are often provided by the local IHK. Your specific invitation is binding. The DIHK also points out that general statements regarding common written dates cannot be applied to Baden-Württemberg without verification.
Material inventory: four stacks instead of one big binder
Sort your material by function. This will help you identify early on what is official, current, and actually suitable for practice.
1. Binding basis
- current training regulation or advanced training ordinance,
- examination regulations of your IHK,
- information on the profession and examination area,
- invitation, deadlines, and current notices regarding permitted aids.
2. Subject matter and teaching material
- vocational school or course materials,
- workplace examples,
- textbooks and your own summaries,
- examination catalog or framework curriculum, if provided for your exam.
An examination catalog describes possible content but is not automatically a complete study list or a guarantee for specific tasks.
3. Authorized practice tasks
- Use free sample tasks from the responsible task-setting body and officially sold past exam papers. AkA refers to the U-Form-Verlag for its examination catalogs and task sets. For industrial-technical areas, the IHK Munich also mentions Christiani as a source. These are area-specific paths; they do not imply that every profession will find all material there.
When using old exam papers, always check:
- Does the task belong to your profession?
- Does it match your training regulation and the correct examination part?
- Is the solution authorized or just a private suggestion?
- Are the duration and permitted aids still consistent with your exam date?
According to its own information, the AkA does not publish complete solution notes for every unbundled task part. Therefore, do not label every circulating file as an "official sample solution."
4. Your own diagnostic material
Keep a brief error log with the examination area, task type, cause of error, correct path, and new test date. For a practical part, add observations regarding procedure, time, quality, and the technical discussion.
The 6- to 8-week plan
The following framework only works if you fill it with your examination profile. If your profession has no practical or oral part, move these blocks to the sections actually provided.
Week 8: Rules and baseline
- Complete your examination profile.
- Secure the current regulation, invitation, and deadlines.
- Work through a few representative tasks for each written section.
- Check practical requirements or project status.
- Mark strengths, gaps, and missing material.
Week 7: Organizing core knowledge
- Structure the material by examination area rather than by binders.
- Actively recall terms, processes, and calculation methods.
- Practice initial practical sequences or short technical discussions.
- Submit unclear questions regarding structure or aids in writing to your local IHK.
Week 6: Confidently handling standard tasks
- Start working on common task types without looking at the sample solution.
- Note time and cause of error.
- Connect theory with a workplace or practical example.
- Retest errors after a short break.
Week 5: Mixing topics
- Combine tasks from multiple areas.
- Alternate between knowledge questions, calculation methods, and case-based decisions.
- Practice practical sequences with realistic materials, as far as it is safe and intended.
Week 4: First exam simulation
- Work through a longer authorized task set or a realistic section under time pressure.
- Correct it completely afterwards.
- Record time issues, knowledge gaps, and careless mistakes separately.
- For projects or reports, perform a formal interim check against current specifications.
Week 3: Targeted repairs
- Prioritize the most frequent causes of error.
- Rework weak task types.
- Simulate technical discussions, presentations, or practical sequences with follow-up questions if they are part of your exam.
Week 2: Dress rehearsal
- Plan a second realistic written simulation or several complete sections.
- Practice practical execution, presentation, or discussion in one go.
- Evaluate the result on the same or the following day.
- Clarify remaining organizational questions.
Week 1: Reducing and organizing
- Do not start collecting any new material.
- Briefly review your error log, core terms, and known task types.
- Double-check your invitation, travel plans, deadlines, and permitted aids.
- Significantly reduce your volume and maintain a normal sleep routine.
If only six weeks remain, combine the first two phases and subsequently combine week 6 with week 5. Do not skip the official exam check or the dress rehearsal. Schedule a free buffer so that an absence does not immediately derail the entire calendar.
Written, practical, and oral parts require different training
Written sections
Practice selection, order, and timing. Solve tasks without looking at the solution early. Correct not just the result, but also units, justifications, calculation paths, and the required format. The current exam determines what is graded.
Practical or project-related sections
Practice the actual procedure according to the official criteria: preparation, execution, result verification, and explanation. Different requirements and deadlines apply to reports, projects, or documentation. Do not adopt a format from another profession.
Technical discussion or oral part
Answer in a clear sequence: core statement, justification, example, reference back to the question. Let others ask follow-up questions and practice clarifying ambiguities factually. Fluency does not replace technical knowledge. Further practice forms can be found in the guide Preparing for the oral examination.
Checking permitted aids correctly
Which aids are permitted is determined by the rules of your specific exam. Review the applicable examination regulation, current exam-specific notices on aids, the invitation, and task instructions together. Resolve contradictions in advance in writing with the responsible IHK. Spickboy does not provide universal admission assurances.
Check for every examination section:
- exact designation and date,
- permitted books, collections, forms, or devices,
- permitted editions, additions, and markings,
- required state of devices,
- material provided by the examination body.
The general AkA list of aids already contains profession- and area-specific differences within its own scope. It is not a list of aids for all IHK examinations. For in-depth questions about calculators, use the separate rule check Calculators in the IHK examination; this study plan does not repeat model or memory lists.
The last week before the IHK exam
Seven to five days before
- Complete the final long written walkthrough.
- Conduct the last full practical or oral simulation.
- Only carry over errors that can still be addressed in a targeted manner.
Four to three days before
- Test your error log in short sets.
- Explain terms, processes, and standard cases freely.
- Complete formal project or documentation checks.
Two days before
- Compare invitation, location, start time, travel route, and permitted aids.
- Have all material ready.
- Only short reviews; no more full exams.
The day before
- Go through the core summary lightly one last time.
- Check alarm clock, travel route, and bag.
- Finish on time and do not plan any all-nighters.
Checklist for exam day
Pack only what your invitation and current specifications allow or require:
- invitation and official proof of identity,
- approved writing and working materials,
- explicitly permitted collections of laws, formulas, or tables,
- only the device and accessories permitted for your area,
- required documentation for practice, project, report, or presentation,
- if applicable, required work or protective equipment,
- travel plan and time buffer.
Also check food, backup material, or your own technology against specific information. A list brought along from another profession or an earlier exam date is not a free pass.
Frequently asked questions about the IHK final exam
Which exam date applies to me?
The notification from your responsible IHK is binding. Central task-setting bodies publish written dates for their area, while practical and oral dates are often determined locally. Do not apply a date from another profession or chamber district.
Are six weeks of preparation enough?
That depends on prior knowledge, examination parts, working time, and gaps. Six weeks are no guarantee of passing. They can be enough for a focused plan if you diagnose early, practice in an exam-like manner, and schedule time for corrections.
Where can I get old IHK exams?
- Use the official website of the profession or task-setting body and the authorized sources mentioned there. Check the profession, examination part, and the version of the ordinance. PDFs shared randomly can be incomplete, outdated, or problematic due to copyright issues.
Does the AkA list of aids apply to every IHK exam?
No. It applies to the respective AkA examinations and contains further exceptions there. PAL, ZPA, advanced training, and local exams may have different documentation.
Is a calculator allowed in the IHK final exam?
That can only be answered for the specific profession, examination area, and date. Read the current notice on aids and your invitation. A permitted calculator in one section is not approval for all parts.
What changes with an IHK advanced training exam?
Advanced training exams follow their own regulations, structure, and material requirements. Use the documents from your local IHK and, for nationally standardized exams, the current information from DIHK-Bildungs-gGmbH. Do not adopt the apprenticeship plan unchanged.
Your next step
Open your invitation and current regulation now. Fill in your profile with the profession, regulation year, examination system, responsible IHK, all dates, examination areas, and permitted aids. Only when these lines are clear should you distribute tasks over six to eight weeks. This is how you build your plan around the real exam – not around a general idea of "the IHK exam".
Sources and status
Sources checked on August 24, 2026. Examination structures, dates, and aids can change; before publication and before your exam, the current status must be checked again.
- DIHK / IHK Organization: Ausbildungsprüfungen, without visible page date. Scope: Overview of the organization of IHK apprenticeship exams; binding data comes from the responsible IHK.
- Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB): Ausbildungsprüfung and Informationen zu Aus- und Fortbildungsberufen, without visible page date. Scope: profession-specific regulations and general system.
- AkA: Prüfungen und Termine, zugelassene Hilfsmittel, list of aids displayed as of January 24, 2024, as well as Aufgabensätze. Scope: the specifically designated AkA professions and examination areas.
- PAL / IHK Region Stuttgart: Prüfungstermine und Übersichten, with individually versioned 2027 documents. Scope: PAL-supported industrial-technical professions; practical dates are set by local IHK.
- ZPA Nord-West: Unsere Aufgabe, page output from August 11, 2026. Scope: written exams supported by ZPA, not general IHK responsibility.