BW Abitur Informatics exam-day guide
BW Abitur Informatics · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission letter and photo ID
Bring the invitation/admission document issued by your school or the examining body together with an official photo ID. Exactly which ID types are accepted is set by the provider, so confirm with the provider which documents are valid and whether a copy is sufficient.
Approved calculators and tools
The permitted aids for the written Informatics papers are fixed by the provider's regulations. Confirm with the provider which calculator models, formula collections, or dictionaries are allowed; do not assume a device is permitted just because it is programmable or familiar.
Printed or offline documentation you are allowed to use
Some practical tasks permit a limited reference sheet or the official method reference. Confirm with the provider what may be brought in printed form and whether annotations are allowed, since rules differ between schools and tasks.
Your own working materials
Bring several pens, pencils, a ruler, and rough paper if permitted. For programming tasks, note that handwritten code and pseudocode may be required; confirm with the provider whether notes are collected and whether extra paper is supplied.
Know the task structure and time budget
The Abitur Informatics paper typically combines analysis, modelling, and programming or implementation tasks. Read the provider's task description in advance and plan how many minutes you will spend per sub-task. Confirm with the provider the exact number and weighting of tasks.
Review the permitted programming environment
If the exam includes a practical programming component, confirm with the provider which language, editor, and libraries are available and whether you may bring your own files. Practise in that exact environment, not a different IDE.
Check the exam location and start time
Confirm the room, building entrance, and reporting time with your school at least a week ahead. Arrive early enough to stow bags and set up any permitted materials without stress.
Water, snack, and medication
Long written papers can run several hours. Bring water in a closed container and a small snack if the provider allows food and drink in the room; confirm with the provider. Carry any necessary medication and inform the invigilator if you need access during the exam.
Watch or silent timer
A simple analogue watch helps you track sub-task time without relying on the room clock. Smartwatches and phones are normally not permitted at the desk; confirm with the provider.
Backup plan for technical failure
If the practical part runs on a school computer, know in advance whom to notify if the system fails. Confirm with the provider how lost time is handled; do not attempt to fix hardware yourself.
Sleep and routine the night before
Avoid last-minute cramming of new material. Review only your own summaries, formulas, and code patterns you already know, then sleep at your normal time.
Emergency contact and transport plan
Check travel time and have a fallback route. Save the school office number in case of delay and confirm with the provider what to do if you arrive late.
Plan the day
Re-read the provider's instructions on permitted aids, task structure, and timing. Make a one-page sheet of the data structures, algorithms, and modelling notations you will need, and solve one full past-style task under timed conditions without notes to find weak spots.
Work through the weak spots identified in the timed run: for example, trace a sorting or search algorithm by hand, write pseudocode for a class hierarchy, or practise reading an entity-relationship or state diagram. Confirm with the provider any open question about calculators, dictionaries, or the programming environment.
Do a light review only: your own summary sheet, common syntax patterns, and the marking logic of typical sub-tasks. Pack the admission letter, ID, permitted tools, pens, water, and snack. Check the route and set two alarms. Stop studying early enough to sleep well.
Eat a normal breakfast and arrive at the reporting time. Before entering, review only your summary sheet. Put your phone away or hand it in as instructed. Once seated, read the cover page and the full task list before writing.
Read all tasks and sub-tasks, note the point values, and choose a working order. Write a short time plan in the margin. Start with the task you understand best to secure marks early, but do not exceed your planned time per sub-task.
Show your reasoning: for algorithms, give the idea, the steps, and a trace on a small example; for modelling, label every element and state assumptions; for code, keep it readable and comment key decisions. If a sub-task stalls, write what you know, mark it, and move on. Reserve the final ten to fifteen minutes to check names, units, and completeness of answers.
Rules to check
Follow the invigilator's instructions on seating, bags, phones, and permitted aids. If a rule about a device or document is unclear, ask before the paper starts rather than during it; confirm with the provider in advance where possible.
Bring the admission document and the ID required by the provider. If you cannot produce them, tell the invigilator immediately; the provider decides whether you may sit the paper, so confirm with the provider what happens in that case.
Breaks and leaving the room are regulated by the provider. Raise your hand and wait to be accompanied; do not take papers or devices with you. Confirm with the provider the rules on toilet breaks and supervised leaving.
All submitted work must be your own. Do not communicate with other candidates, and do not use unauthorised aids, including stored notes on a calculator or smartwatch. Suspected cheating is handled under the provider's examination regulations.
Write legibly and identify every sheet as instructed. Answers outside the designated areas or on unauthorised paper may not be marked; confirm with the provider how extra sheets and rough work are handled.
If you feel unwell or a technical failure interrupts the practical part, report it at once to the invigilator so the incident can be recorded. The procedure for lost time or a resit is set by the provider; confirm with the provider rather than assuming.
Scoring and grading follow the provider's framework, typically with points per sub-task and weightings across the written and practical components. Do not rely on unofficial point estimates; confirm with the provider how the final grade is computed.