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General information about the tests:
Information on which university and which degree programme uses the test result can be found on the page of the respective test.
We offer different dates for the tests in one year. The dates depend on the application deadlines set by the universities, so that you will receive your results well before the application deadline.
There are different test locations for each date. You can find the test locations for each date in our registration portal. Only the available test locations are displayed. The test locations correspond to the cities where our test centres are located. The exact address of the test centre will be provided to you with the invitation letter approximately one week before the test date. We cannot provide you with the exact address earlier, as there is more than one test centre in some examination locations and the allocation to the test centres is only made after the registration deadline.
We also offer proctoring for the TM-WISO and ITB-Business – testing from home via webcam and screen monitoring. You can find more information here.
As a rule, the results of our tests are valid indefinitely. However, please contact the university(ies) to which you would like to apply to find out whether there are any other university-specific regulations.
You can only take the test once in each calendar year. This means that you can only repeat the test in the next calendar year.
Please enquire directly with the university or universities to which you are applying. Unfortunately, we cannot make any binding statements at this point. As a rule, the result submitted with the application documents is taken into account. If the universities have several results, the most recent result is usually evaluated.
Some of our tests can be taken in both German and English. Some universities specify the language in which you have to take the test. Please ask the university in advance. Changing the test language is currently only possible during the registration period and in case of the TM-WISO during the late registration period and is subject to fees.
If you are free to choose the language in which you can take the test, we recommend that you take the test in the language in which you feel more comfortable.
Tests in English do not replace language tests such as TOEFL or TestDaF.
Please contact the support early enough (at the latest by the end of the registration phase of the desired test date) and explain your request. We will deal with each individual case carefully and individually.
Please note: If you wish to claim compensation for disadvantages, we need a current medical report from a specialist. On request, we will be happy to inform you about the exact contents of the report.
No, the test items are continually exchanged and replaced by new, previously tested items. However, the basic structure of the test remains unchanged over the years.
The test result is usually offset against your average university entrance qualification grade or your Bachelor’s degree grade and, if applicable, other criteria. The respective university or faculty determines how exactly these criteria are offset against each other. Please contact the respective university or faculty for details on the admissions process.
The average grades – i.e. the grades of university entrance qualifications from different schools or the Bachelor degrees from different universities – are often only comparable to a certain degree. Requirements often vary considerably and the grading scale is also handled in different ways. As a consequence, among other things, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that a second, grade-independent criterion for university admission to admission-restricted courses of study should be applied nationwide. Many national and international studies have shown that cognitive tests are the most effective. They are cost-effective to implement and eveluate, they are objective, and they predict academic success. This makes them clearly superior to other selection criteria such as interviews, letters of recommedation or letters of motivation.
We do not want applicants from demanding (higher education) institutions or from (higher education) institutions with a strict interpretation of the grading scale to be disadvantaged when it comes to the allocation of study places. Therefore, our tests provide a criterion that is independent of grades.
Registration:
You can only register for a test via the online registration system during the registration period and during the late registration period. The online registration system will guide you through your registration. You can also find more information about the registration process here.
When you register, you can then select the day of the test, testing time (morning or afternoon) and the test location. Only available capacities are displayed. Your registration is binding after successful payment.
Please first check whether the mail may have ended up in the spam folder or whether your mailbox size might simply be too crowded to receive any more mails. If this is not the case, please try to reregister. You may have made a typing error in your email adress when you first registered. You can then simply sign up again. If this does not work either, please contact our support.
By selecting the day of the test, the time of the test (morning or afternoon) and the test location, your time slot will be reserved for 24 hours. Your registration becomes binding with the successful payment of the participation fee. If you fail to pay within 24 hours, your reservation will be cancelled. In this case, you can re-select the testing day, the testing timeslot (morning or afternoon) and the testing location. If you have paid and your selection is still not displayed, please contact our support.
The times displayed in the registration portal are based on Central European Time (CET) or Central European Summer Time (CEST).
When booking a test with proctoring, the time slot in which the test must be started is also based on CET or CEST, regardless of the time zone in which the test is taken. For time zones before CET (or CEST), we recommend the early time slots, and for later time zones, the late time slots. Please check what time the test starts in your time zone – there are various time zone calculators on the Internet.
Only test locations with free capacity for the test day or test time are displayed in the booking portal. If the desired test location is not displayed, it is either not available for the test day or it is already fully booked.
We will then recommend either a different test location or proctoring, a different test time or a different test day. It is possible that places may become available again due to rebookings or cancellations. However, this is rarely the case and there are no waiting lists or other ways of being automatically booked onto the places that become free or being informed of this.
No, there are no waiting lists. This applies both to test registrations after the end of the registration period (including the late registration period) and to places that become available at certain test locations or at certain test times, e.g. due to cancellations. Registration for the test is only possible via the registration portal for the places listed there.
You can pay by credit card (MasterCard, Visa), giropay or PayPal. If you wish to pay by credit card, it is not necessary that you are the holder of the credit card.
Please try to book or pay again using a different browser and/or device, possibly at a later time. If you are still unable to pay for your booking, please contact us by email at test-info@itb-consulting.de.
A reregistration to another test location (incl. proctoring) and/or another testing time (e.g. morning or afternoon) is only possible during the registration period and the late registration period and within the current calendar year. A reregistration to another test date is only possible as long as both the registration period of the original test date and the registration period of the desired, new test date have not yet ended”. A reregistration is associated with a fee of 30 €. A reregistration is only valid after we have received the money. To reregister, please contact our support team by email or via our contact form and state your original booking and the desired reregistration.
Reregistration – regardless of date, test location, test conditions (proctoring vs. test centre) or test language – is only possible during the registration period or during the late registration period.
Reregistration for a different test date is only possible as long as both the registration period or the late registration period of the original test date and the registration period or the late registration period of the desired new test date have not yet expired.
Yes, the last free places or places that become free can be booked in the late registration phase. Please note that registration in the late registration phase is associated with higher fees and that the late registration phase is limited in time. Registration is no longer possible after the end of the late registration period. If you have any problems registering, please contact our support team during the respective registration phase, preferably by e-mail. The request within the respective registration phase does not imply any entitlement to a test place.
No, unfortunately we can no longer offer a test participation after the late registration phase has ended. There is no additional waiting list. Later registration is not possible for organisational and legal reasons. From an organisational point of view, we close the late registration phase at the latest possible date.
So please make sure to register within the regular resp. late registration phase. If you have any problems with your registration, please contact our support team, preferably by e-mail, during the regular resp. late registration phase. The request within the regular resp. late registration phase does not entitle you to take the test.
If you took a test last year, simply select the test with the current calendar year as soon as it is
available, and you can register for it again in the regular way.
We will not pass on your data to third parties – unless you agree to the results being sent to universities.
Your data is only accessible to project members of ITB Consulting GmbH and technical service providers. The staff of the test centres only receive the data required for the identity check. We have of course committed all service providers to the protection of personal data.
Invitation and preparation
You will be able to download your invitation letter on the registration system at the latest on that Monday prior to your test date. Please make sure to bring your invitation letter when taking the test. The invitation letter will also inform you about the adress of the test centre.
We offer free demo versions for TM-WISO, PhaST (German only) and ITB-Business for preparation. You can find the demo versions on the test page. The demo versions correspond to the original test in terms of duration and exercise types. You may repeat the demo version as often as you wish.
More tips for preparation can be found here.
We do not support fee-based preparation offers.
You will find the address of the test centre on the invitation letter in the registration system at least one week before the test. We are unable to provide you with the address earlier as we do not assign test takers to a test centre at the test location until the registration phase is completed.
There are some test centres located in larger buildings. In these cases, the signs will direct you to the test centre right from the main entrance. Please schedule your visit in advance in order to arrive on time for registration. You will be informed of the actual test room when registering at the test centre.
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason. The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day of the conclusion of the contract.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, you must inform us (ITB Consulting GmbH, Koblenzer Straße 77, 53177 Bonn; Telefax: 0228-82090-38; E-Mail: test-info@itb-consulting.de) of your decision to withdraw from this contract by an unequivocal statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the model withdrawal form, but it is not obligatory. To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
If you are unexpectedly unable to attend the test on the test day, you have the option of attending another regular test date this year. Please contact our support. We will then delete your registration for the test date in question so that you can register for another test date of your choice. If you register for another test date, you will also have to pay the registration fee.
A refund of fees is only possible within the fourteen-day period of withdrawal.
If you have registered for a test in the test centre or with proctoring, you will see this in the registration portal and later on your invitation letter. If you have chosen to take the test with proctoring, you will see “Proctoring” as the test location and your chosen start time slot. If you have chosen to take the test at the test centre, the city in which your test centre is located will be displayed as test location in the registration portal. The invitation letter will show you the address of the test centre.
Procedure and duration of the test
The tests take about 4 – 5 hours including registration and admission. For the morning test you should plan on the time from 8:15 a. m. to 1:00 p. m., for the afternoon test you should plan on the time from 1:45 p.m. to 6:30 a. m.
Please allow a time buffer for train or flight bookings. We will not be responsible for any additional costs due to cancellations or rebookings at a later end of the test!
In each test centre there is the possibility to safely store luggage, jackets or valuables that are not allowed on the course during the test (e.g. mobile phone, keys). This can be a separate, locked cloakroom, lockers or a storage facility within the test room.
At ITB-Business and TM-WISO, the use of a calculator is permitted. The calculator must not have internet capabilities. The calculator function, e.g. of a mobile phone, a smartwatch or computer, is not permitted.
The use of a calculator is not permitted at PhaST.
Test results and evaluation:
As we need a few days for evaluation and quality assurance, your result will be made available for download in your user account no later than ten days after the test.
The dates are chosen so that you have enough time to send your test result to the universities before the application deadline.
You will receive your test result this way regardless of whether you have agreed to send your result to one or more universities.
You can download your test result as a detailed PDF document after the test date in the registration portal. The PDF document with your results is available for at least four weeks. Please save the result report and keep it safe.
If you would like to have your result report at a later date, you can request a copy here. A duplicate is subject to a processing fee.
First of all, the test result will be sent to you. The result is available in the registration portal a few days after your test day. We will notify you as soon as possible by e-mail.
Furthermore, we will send a document with the results of some tests (e.g. TM-WISO) to one or more universities. We will, of course, only send your results to those university(ies) if you have agreed to this procedure with your registration.
Important: When registering, you must answer the question “Would you like your results to be sent automatically to a university or universities?” with “Yes, …” and then select the university or universities under the question “To which university or universities would you like us to send your results? If you select the university(ies) under the question “Which university or universities would you like to apply to?”, your results will not be sent automatically to the university(ies).
For some tests it is possible that we send the results directly to the university(ies). If you refuse to send your test results to the university(ies), we will of course not send your results to the university(ies). In this case it is your responsibility to send the results to the university(ies) in time.
It is generally your own responsibility to ensure that your test results reach the university(ies) in good time before the application deadline. We always provide the test results a few days before the application deadline in order to give you sufficient time for sumbitting your results.
In case you have agrred to the transmission of your test results to the university(ies), we usually submit the results to the university(ies) at the same time as we receive your test results.
You will be able to download your result within four weeks after the results have been made available in the application portal.
The grade equivalent is a linear transformation of the test result into a grade scale. Mean value and standard deviation have been determined once and are based on the HZB grades of demanding schools or bachelor grades of demanding universities, which also strictly apply the grading scale. For this reason, the grade equivalent also appears rather strict, and there are very few participants who achieve a grade equivalent better than 1.5. The worst possible grade equivalent is 4.0.
The calculation of the percentile rank and the standard value for the overall test is based on the number of items solved in total and is done in the same way as for each individual group of exercises. The overall results are therefore often somewhat further from the centre than the mean of the individual results. This means that in some cases the overall result does not correspond to the mean of the groups of exercises.
This can be justified statistically: The mean across all groups of exercises would have a smaller distribution (due to the regression to the mean), so that it would no longer be a standard value distribution (which has a standard deviation of 10). Therefore, the real standard values, which are also displayed in the result report, are often further away from 100 than the mean values of the groups of exercises.
A clear “no”!
The tests certainly measure skills that are
important for coping with the cognitive demands of the degree programme, but
they are not suitable for a Master’s degree programme. But …
a) it only means that with a good score you are
more likely to be able to cope with these requirements than with a less good
score.
b) There is no threshold beyond which you could be
considered unsuitable to study.
c) In addition to cognitive abilities, many other
factors are important for academic success that are not or only partially taken
into account in the test (e.g. interest, motivation, stamina, social
integration, dealing with failure).
Therefore, you should not be discouraged by a
below-average test result. It is only a probability statement; in individual
cases it may look different.
Use the result as a kind of self-assessment and
consider whether another field of study might be more suitable for you.
You can request a copy here. A duplicate is subject to a processing fee of 9 Euro.