Why do so many participants fail the expert knowledge examination? (§ 34a GewO)
What are the reasons why so many examinees fail the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) examination in the security industry?
This question is also posed by Jörg Zitzmann and Kai Deliomini in the recommendable Podcast for protection and security (Video below!).
Both Jörg Zitzmann as well as Kai Deliomini are very well known in the private security industry.
Among other things, both are represented in IHK examination committees in the field of protection and security, are active as authors of books for the preparation of the expert knowledge examination and are represented with many helpful videos on YouTube and in podcasts.
- YouTube channel of the Academy for Security (Jörg Zitzmann)
- YouTube channel of Kai Deliomini with exam content and tips!
Every second or third person fails the 34a test!
With not infrequent failure rates between 30 and 50%, the question naturally arises: What’s the reason?
Some factors for success or failure are obvious. Some problems can be solved quickly and easily, some simply require intensive learning, practice and perseverance. Before I go on to point out what I consider to be the main (mis)success factors, here is the very interesting conversation between Jörg Zitzmann and Kai Deliomini on YouTube:
My top 5 reasons why so many people fail the written and oral IHK specialist knowledge examination
From my experience, the following factors are the main reasons for failure with the “34a-licence”:
- Lack of motivation / lack of interest
Many participants do not see any added value in the exam. They have no real interest in the content, so they don’t want to learn at all. This is particularly pronounced among people who are “sent” by their employer or the employment agency and are not actually interested in the private security sector at all. But even if the participation itself is of their own accord: The examination is often not seen as an opportunity but as a necessary evil. Lack of motivation and interest, however, are diametrically opposed to exam success. - No sufficient preparation of the content
Some people take the exam lightly. Multiple-choice questions with pre-set answers to tick off and only 50% necessary correct answers to pass — what could go wrong, you ask yourself. But far from it. The legal topics in particular are tough. In addition, there is excitement, especially in the oral exam, and questions where you may have to think a little outside the box. If you don’t have the necessary knowledge and thus the confidence to act, you will quickly be eliminated. Comprehensive preparation is the be-all and end-all for exam success! - Insufficient knowledge of German
A lot has already been asked and said about German language skills. One thing is certain: many people who work in the security sector are not native speakers of German. Multilingualism is often important for the job, but so is sufficient knowledge of German. This is because the examination is offered exclusively in German and you must also be able to communicate confidently in German in your everyday work as a security guard. Legal texts are written in difficult language, “officialese” is usually just as difficult to understand, and the exam questions sometimes depend on individual words that can change the meaning in one direction or another or provide hints for solutions. - Structure and manner of the examination are unclear
Many people are not completely clear about the framework conditions of the exam. But only if you know which topics are important and how, and how the exam is structured, can you prepare for it specifically and efficiently. For example, there are topics that you can quickly get over, which can usually be answered with common sense. Some topics, on the other hand, count twice and some require more intensive study. In addition, there are empirical values for the oral examination and tactical tips for working through test questions, which should be conveyed by a competent lecturer or author, for example. - Difficult individual conditions
Of course, people are different. Everyone has different personal prerequisites and the general conditions (e.g. family obligations, free time for learning, learning environment, etc.) also play a significant role in success and failure. You may also know people who can memorise things with a “quick glance” and recall this knowledge at the snap of a finger. Others, on the other hand, find this significantly more difficult. Some people also have no problem at all speaking in front of others in an exam situation, most are naturally tense, some participants suffer downright from exam anxiety.
Ask yourself to what extent the points above apply to you, how you can avoid mistakes in your preparation and compensate for any deficits. You can find more information on this right here in the subject knowledge information portal numerous tips and Links to other sites or media such as YouTube.
The latest book tips for the 34a:
- Sachkundeprüfung im Bewachungsgewerbe: gemäß § 34a GewO (by Ulrich Jochmann, Jörg Zitzmann, Anja Pabst | Boorberg)
- Sachkundeprüfung im Bewachungsgewerbe in Frage und Antwort: gemäß § 34a GewO (by Ulrich Jochmann, Jörg Zitzmann, Anja Pabst | Boorberg)
- The expert knowledge examination in accordance with § 34a GewO: The large exercise book with 720 test questions for perfect examination preparation (Kai Deliomini)
- The collection of laws for the 34a examination: Complete collection of regulations for the IHK expert knowledge examination according to § 34a GewO (Kai Deliomini)
- Casebook for the oral 34a examination: Workbook with cases and solutions (Kai Deliomini)
- 34a-Lernkarten | TOP-Vorbereitung auf die IHK-Prüfung gem. § 34a GewO: Das gesamte Prüfungswissen auf 456 Karteikarten (Kai Deliomini)
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