Exams
Table of contents
Grading System
The grading scale at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the TU Dresden ranges from 1 to 5:
- 1 = very good
- 2 = good
- 3 = satisfactory
- 4 = sufficient
- 5 = not sufficient
Passing grades may also be qualified decimal numbers such as 0.3 or 0.7 to indicate tendencies towards the next grade. The grades 0.7, 4.3, 4.7 and 5.3 do not exist.
Ungraded assessments are evaluated as "passed" or "failed".
The module grade is determined according to the specification of the module descriptions, which are part of the study regulations. If a module grade is composed of several sub-grades, only the first decimal place after the decimal point is taken into account. All other decimal places are dropped without rounding. The module grade is as follows:
- until including 1.5 = very good
- from 1.6 until including 2.5 = good
- from 2.6 until including 3.5 = satisfactory
- from 3.6 until including 4.0 = sufficient
- from 4.1 = not sufficient
Upon successful completion of all modules and the final thesis, an overall grade is calculated according to the examination regulations. The calculation rules that apply to the module grade apply to the final grade, too, with one exception:
Examination regulations before 2010: If the grade of the thesis is 1.0 and the final grade of the "Diplom" exam is better than 1.3, the overal rating "passed with distinction" is awarded.
Examination regulations as of 2010: If the student has achieved an average of up to and including 1.2 and the final grade of the thesis is up to including 2.0, the overall grade is "passed with distinction" instead of "very good".
Deadlines
Students have to register for all exams via the portals:
- HISQIS: Study courses ET, IST, MT, and RES matriculated before 2020
- selma: Study courses NES, as well as ET, IST, MT, and RES matriculated after 2020, BMT
The exception is examination barrier 3rd semester in diploma study courses.
The registration period is announced by the examination office. Usually, the registration period in the winter semester is in January/February, in the summer semester in June/July.
The registration for exams includes lab courses that have been completed in the current semester, compulsory language modules as well as exams that the student has taken during the lecture period (e.g. introductory project).
If there is an exam missing in the list, please contact the examination office.
Cancellation and withdrawal differ considerably with regard to the legal consequences.
The following applies in principle:
- You are registered for an exam and now you don't want to take it in this exam period? Then cancellation is the right way. Please note that all examination deadlines continue (first retake within one year; second retake at the next possible examination date). Do not deregister from a second re-examination without consulting us! If you have any doubts, please contact the Examination Office!
- Are you registered for an exam and are unable to take it on the exam date through no fault of your own (illness, accident, etc.)?
Then withdrawal is the right way. With regard to the examination deadlines (first retake within one year; second retake on the next possible examination date), an approved withdrawal has the same effect as taking the examination.
Cancellation:
Students can cancel their exam registration up to 3 working days (Monday–Saturday) before the exam date without submitting any reasons. Cancellations have to be done by the student via HISQIS or SELMA. If the cancellation is technically not possible (e.g. in the case of oral examinations outside the core examination period), the student must cancel directly with the examination office via the examiner. Before deregistering from an examination, please check whether a retake period is running. If you are unsure, please contact the Examinations Office.
3-working-days-period: The 3-working-days-period includes the weekdays Monday to Saturday only. Sundays and holidays are not counted. The day of the exam will count towards the 3-working-days-period. Which means: When the exam takes place on a Thursday, the student can cancel his registration for the exam until Tuesday 11:59 p.m. without giving any reason.
Withdrawal:
If you are unable to take part in a registered examination through no fault of your own (illness, accident, etc.), you must immediately apply in writing to the Examinations Office to withdraw from the examination and provide credible reasons for this.
Due to illness please use this form and submit a medical certificate (not a certificate of incapacity for work). The certificate must contain the symptoms of the illness. This form can be used for the certificate. Informal certificates are also accepted, provided they contain the required information. The examination board reviews the validity of the withdrawal based on the symptoms.
The Diplom/Master's thesis is an assessment. If the student is ill while working on his/her thesis, a medical certificate must be presented. This form can be used for the medical certificate. The certificate must give the symptoms of the disease. On the basis of these symptoms, the examination board decide whether the student was incapable of working on his/her thesis. If the examination board decide that the student was incapable of working, the student's deadline for handing in the thesis is extended for the time of the recognized sick days (calendar days).
If the student fails a module exam, s/he has the possibility to repeat the failed assessment. Regarding the repetition, there are deadlines to be considered:
Failed for the 1st time:
- The student has to take the 1st re-examination within one year.
Failed for the 2nd time:
- The student has to take the 2nd re-examination at the following exam date (last possibility).
If these deadlines are exceeded, the examination is graded as "5" or "failed".
Passed examinations cannot be repeated (exception: free trial).
Master's Thesis & Defense - Frequently Asked Questions
Master's theses can be submitted personally at the Examination Office (on appointment) or via a deadline mailbox between the Tillich-Building and Hülsse-Building.
Please submit your master's thesis at the Examination Office. If the date is a Tuesday or a Thursday, please use the opening hours. If your submission date is any other date, please contact Mrs. Hartfiel for an appointment.
Please submit two hard copies and one digital copy. The hard copy needs to be hard-bound at the Copy Shop.
The Examination Office would like you to include the approved and signed task assignment as well as a statement of authorship. Further requirements (margins, line pitch, single-printed or double-printed, etc.) are regulated by the supervising professor. Please contact your supervisor about a template.
We allow the reviewers about two weeks to read the thesis and to write the review. The defense should be around after two weeks of the submission. The first reviewer and an observer have to be present.
Yes, you need to be an enrolled student to do your defense. Please contact the Studentenrat (StuRa) about a partial reimbursement of your costs for that semester.
The final certificates can take up to four weeks after the defense to be printed and signed. The Examination Office will write an email when the certificates are ready for pick up. You can get a statement about the successful completion of your studies after the papers with the grades have been returned to the Examination Office.
Please pick between 39 and 43 credits to be included in your final grade. Please inform the Examination Office about the modules you would like to exclude from your final grade. These modules will show on the addition of your certificate, but will not be included in the final grade. If you wish to see the grades of the additional modules, please state that in your email.
Documents and Regulations
Examination Office
Open office hours every Tuesday from 1-3 pm.
Please use the form below for your e-mail enquiries.