The Zurich Gymi exam, explained

Children in the canton of Zurich sit a central entrance examination, the Zentrale Aufnahmeprüfung or ZAP, to enter a Gymnasium. This page explains how it works: who sits it and when, what the papers are, how they are weighted, and how many candidates pass. The learning platform your child uses is in German — just like the exam.

Two ways in

The papers and their weight

Three papers, written in German, weighted as follows.

• Language (Sprachbetrachtung)25%
• Essay (Aufsatz)25%
• Mathematics50%

What it takes to pass

Swiss marks run from 1 to 6, and 6 is the best. Candidates who bring a prior grade from school (the Vornote) need an overall 4.75; that overall mark is the average of the exam result and the prior grade, each counting 50%. Candidates without a prior grade need 4.5 in the exam alone.

How many pass

Official figures for the school year 2025/26.

• Long-track Gymnasium (entry after year 6)

  52.7%

  2,517 of 4,772 passed

• Short-track Gymnasium (entry after secondary year 2)

  40.2%

  984 of 2,446 passed

• Short-track Gymnasium (entry after secondary year 3)

  47.0%

  794 of 1,690 passed

When, and what it costs

The next examination is on 8 March 2027. Sitting it costs a registration fee of CHF 50, paid to the canton. That fee is the only compulsory cost of the exam itself.

GoGymi does not register anyone for the examination. Registration, binding dates and any questions about eligibility go through the cantonal offices.

Pass rates published by the Mittelschul- und Berufsbildungsamt of the canton of Zurich, statistics on the central entrance examination, retrieved 4 September 2026. The German edition of this page carries the full detail: Gymiprüfung Kanton Zürich.