Gymnasium preparation in Zurich - High school preparation courses
For gymnasium preparation in Zurich - also known as grammar school preparation or academic high school preparation -, we recommend taking part in a gymnasium course to prepare for the gymnasium examination (central entrance examination of the Canton of Zurich - ZAP for short).
The private tutoring institute with grammar school preparation «Lern-Forum» offers these gymnasium preparation courses in the examination subjects German and mathematics for successfully passing the entrance examination for long-term and short-term gymnasiums.
It is also advisable to take supplementary courses in French and English for the Kurzgymi exam.
Why gymnasium preparation is important and how it benefits to everyone involved
In the course of the educational and professional career everyone has to pass various tests. Although they are often seen as a necessary evil, a passed entrance examination is of great importance for the professional future. If a student wishes to attend a gymnasium in Zurich, the central entrance examination is compulsory. This applies to all gymnasiums in the canton.
However, there are striking differences between the municipalities in the Canton of Zurich with regard to the preparation for the gymnasium. A comprehensive gymnasium preparation often depends on the personal commitment and dedication of the teachers. It is important to be aware of this point, as the respective teachers are the main factor in ensuring the success of the gymnasium preparation in Zurich.
Seats at Zurich gymnasiums are limited, so the exam is relatively demanding and poses a great challenge even for good primary school students. It is therefore not surprising that those who work outside the regular school class on deepening their knowledge as part of a gymnasium preparation course greatly improve their chances of passing this very important entrance examination.
Benefits of the gymnasium preparation course
In addition to school subjects such as German, foreign languages and math, gymnasium students will also learn abstract thinking, which is required more than ever in demanding professions. Therefore, during the preparation course for the gymnasium in Zurich, the aspiring gymnasium students will also learn what is required in this area for the entrance examination.
Together with your child, we will analyze their individual situation and their present level of knowledge. The current status determined during this discussion then serves as a basis on which the gymnasium preparation course in Zurich can be started as soon as possible. Thereby, we focus during the grammar school preparation precisely on the topics that are important for the grammar school examination. Unimportant topics will be left out as far as possible.
The close cooperation between the students and the teacher during the preparation course for the gymnasium in Zurich is the ideal basis for targeted preparation for the entrance examination and subsequent admission to the gymnasium.
Optimal learning materials our preparation courses for the gymnasium and the individual filling in of possible knowledge gaps ensure that the preparation time leads to a smooth transition to the gymnasium. Through regular practice, your child will learn how to apply the teaching material. An evaluation of the interactive exercises allows the learning progress to be checked at any time. This way, we ensure lasting learning results.
Gaining self-confidence during the gymnasium preparation course
During the gymnasium preparation course, we will not only work on knowledge and learning methods, but also on self-confidence. Outside the actual lessons, participants have the opportunity to ask questions to the supervising teacher. This gives the chance to explain topics to your child in more detail.
Another aspect is the self-confidence that the students gain during the gymnasium preparation course. This improves stress resistance and thus reduces the risk that your child will be anxious before the entrance exam and unable to recall their knowledge due to excessive nervousness. This is a clear advantage in order to successfully pass the exam.
Even if the children learn on their own or partly with the help of their parents, external feedback from experienced teachers regarding the learning progress is always beneficial. This kind of sustained gymnasium preparation ensures that your child can comprehensively prepare herself/himself for the exam without unnecessary rush and with as little stress as possible.
Should your child attend the gymnasium and be optimally prepared?
Regular school lessons do not always offer the best preparation for the entrance exam examination. If your child is to be ideally prepared for the gymnasium, they must invest a lot of time and have a high motivation to perform. Is your child determined to pass the gymnasium entrance examination with success and willing to put in the necessary effort?
Lern-Forum has established itself as a competence center for gymnasium preparation in Zurich. We offer not only individualized classes, but also classes based on the highest teaching standards. Our team of experienced and extensively trained teachers is specialized in supporting students with individual and successful gymnasium preparation courses on their way to the gymnasium.
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Preliminary course 5th grade
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Gymnasium exam simulation
An exam that students are guaranteed not to have seen before, as we create the tasks ourselves, giving students the opportunity to experience a real-life exam situation. In addition, both students and parents get a realistic assessment of the learning level.
Gymnasium preparation courses for Langgymi and Kurzgymi exams
In the following list you can find gymnasium preparation courses (Gymicourses) for the central entrance exam (ZAP) in the canton of Zurich. Simply use the button to select whether you are looking for free places on a preparation course for the long-term or short-term gymnasium exam:
You can find information about our gymnasium preparation courses in Winterthur on our page “Gymnasium preparation Winterthur”.
Frequently asked questions about high school preparation (grammar school, Gymnasium) in Zurich (FAQs)
In the following, we provide answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the preparation for the gymnasium in Zurich, also known as grammar school preparation or high school preparation.
When should I start preparing for grammar school (high school, Gymnasium)?
We generally recommend that pupils who are interested in going to grammar school (high school, Gymnasium) start preparing for grammar school at an early stage. First, however, you need to decide whether you would like to transfer to the long-term grammar school after primary school year 6 or whether you would like to transfer to the short-term grammar school from secondary school. This determines when the best grammar school preparation in Zurich starts.
Transfer from elementary school to the long grammar school
If a pupil wants to transfer to a long grammar school after elementary school, i.e. after primary 6, instead of going to secondary school, exam preparation for grammar school should ideally begin in primary 4.
To prepare for grammar school from primary grade 4 onwards, pupils can attend the “Pre-course 4th grade” at the Lern-Forum. These preliminary courses focus specifically on the subjects German and mathematics. These two subjects are not only the examination subjects in the Langgymi exam, but also the subjects from which the preliminary grades from elementary school are calculated, which are included in the overall grade of the grammar school exam(high school exam), namely 50 percent. It is therefore the best grammar school preparation in Zurich to start with the "Pre-course 4th grade" if you want to transfer to the long grammar school later.
After the early course during the 4th grade (“Pre-course 4th grade”), the grammar school preparation should be continued in the 5th and 6th primary grades with a private grammar school preparation provider such as Lern-Forum, so that the student is fully, professionally and individually prepared for the central entrance exam (ZAP) for the Gymnasium (academic high school exam).
Ideally, pupils interested in grammar school should choose the “5th grade preliminary course” in the 5th grade, in which the subject matter of the regular school lessons in German and mathematics is repeated and consolidated.
From Year 6 onwards, pupils who wish to transfer to the Gymnasium should then attend a “grammar school preparation course for the long grammar school”, in which pupils are specifically prepared for the two subjects of the grammar school exam (math and German) and, in particular, practice understanding and solving the specialtasks of the grammar school exam. This is because the nature of the tasks in the central entrance examination (Gymiprüfung) differs from the type of tasks that pupils are familiar with from their regular lessons at school.
The tasks of the high school exam are not practiced specifically with pupils interested in the Gymnasium in regular school lessons. For this reason, even public school teachers recommend attending a preparatory course in order to pass the grammar school exam.
In addition to the usually weekly grammar school exam courses during school time, there are also grammar school intensive courses during the vacations for all grades - 4th grade, 5th grade and 6th grade - in which students can also prepare for the high school exam. In addition, there are special essay training courses and exam simulations, which students can use to further round off their preparation for the grammar school exam.
Transfer from secondary school to the short grammar school
As an alternative to transferring from elementary school to the long grammar school, pupils in the canton of Zurich can also transfer from secondary school to the short grammar school, whereby this is possible at two different times. At the earliest, secondary school pupils can transfer to the short grammar school after the 2nd secondary class. The second point in time is the transfer after the 3rd secondary class.
As 50% of the overall grade for the short grammar school exam also includes previous grades from secondary school, it is advisable to start preparing for the Gymnasium early if you intend to transfer to the short grammar school. However, not only the German and mathematics grades from the first semester of the last year of secondary school are included in the overall grade of the short high school exam, but also the grades from the subjects French, English and Science & Technology.
The Lern-Forum therefore offers preliminary courses during the first year of secondary school, in which students are supported in maths, German, English and French in order to improve their grades in the secondary schoolreport and ultimately achieve better preliminary grades in the overall grade of the grammar school examination. In addition, supplementary courses are offered for secondary school pupils in French and English, some of which also begin during the first year of secondary school and often take place during the holidays. The best grammar school preparation in Zurich for transferring to the short grammar school should therefore begin during the 1st secondary school year at the latest.
For the high school exam itself, the Lern-Forum offers high school preparation courses specially designed for the short grammar school exam, in which students are prepared for the two subjects of the short grammar school exam, namely German and mathematics. The students also learn how to solve the special tasks of the grammar school exams. This is because the nature of the tasks in the grammar school exam differs from the type of tasks that the students are familiar with from their regular lessons at secondary school. It is therefore highly recommended that you take part in a grammar school preparation course if you want to have a good chance of passing the grammar school exam.
If you want to transfer to the grammar school (high school, Gymnasium) after the 2nd secondary school class, you should start attending the Gymnasium preparation course during the first semester of the 2nd secondary school class. If you want to transfer to the Gymnasium after the 3rd year of secondary school, you should start attending the Gymnasium preparation course during the first semester of the 3rd year of secondary school.
How long are the grammar school preparation courses?
At Lern-Forum, you can opt for grammar school preparatory courses of different durations:
- Pre-course 4th grade: 10 or 8 weeks
- 5th grade preliminary course: 16, 12 or 8 weeks
- Grammar school preparation course for the long grammar school: 34, 30, 26 (from 5th grade), 18, 16, 14 or 10 weeks (from 6th grade)
- 1st secondary class preliminary course: 16, 12 or 8 weeks
- Grammar school preparation course for the short grammar school: 18, 16, 14, 10 weeks
- Gymnasium vacation intensive courses: 1 or 2 weeks
What are the requirements for the Gymi exam in Zurich?
The following requirements must be met for the grammar school exam in 2026, depending on whether you want to take the central entrance exam for the long-term grammar school (ZAP1) or the short-term grammar school (ZAP2):
Requirements for the long-term grammar school exam
- Attend the 6th primary class
- be born after July 15, 2011, if entry into the 2026/27 school year is desired
- the report of the 1st semester of the 6th primary class (for applications to the K+S Gymnasium, the report can be uploaded after final registration)
- Registration for the grammar school exam
- Those who wish to attend the K+S Gymnasium must fulfill additional requirements
Requirements for the short-term grammar school exam
- Attend or have attended the 2nd secondary class (section A or B) or the 3rd secondary class (section A or B)
- be born after June 15, 2009, if entry into the 2026/27 school year is desired
- the report of the 1st semester of the 2nd secondary class or 3rd secondary class (for applications to the K+S Gymnasium, the report can be uploaded after final registration)
- Candidates who come from section B of secondary school must also submit the recommendation of the class teacher (the corresponding recommendation form can be found on the Canton of Zurich website)
- Registration for the grammar school exam
- Those who wish to attend the Liceo Artistico or the K+S Gymnasium must fulfill additional requirements
For which subjects do you have to do the grammar school preparation in Zurich?
In both the Zurich grammar school exam for the long-term Gymnasium and the Zurich high school exam for the short-term Gymnasium, only the examination subjects German and mathematics are tested, and only in the form of a written examination. The examination subject German is divided into two parts: “Writing a text (essay)” and “Language observation and text comprehension”. When preparing for the actual high school exam, you only have to prepare for the subjects German and mathematics
However, preliminary grades are also included in the overall grade of the central entrance examination (ZAP) - as the grammar school examination is officially called. In the case of the Langgymi exam, the preliminary grades in German and mathematics from the first semester of the 6th primary school class are included in the overall Gymi exam grade.
In the case of the short-term grammar school examination, in addition to the preliminary grades in German and mathematics, the preliminary grades in French, English and Science & Technology are also included in the overall grade of the Gymnasium examination, namely the preliminary grades of the 1st semester of the 2nd secondary school class in the case of Gymnasium transfer after the 2nd secondary school class and the preliminary grades of the 1st semester of the 3rd secondary school class in the case of Gymnasium transfer after the 3rd secondary school class.
In this respect, it is recommended that pupils also take courses alongside school in order to achieve good grades in the relevant pre-grade subjects. During elementary school, for example, the “Pre-course 4th grade” and the “5th grade preliminary course” are recommended for the subjects German and mathematics in order to improve report card grades. During secondary school, we recommend supplementary courses in French and English to improve report card grades.
How large are the groups in the gymnasium preparation courses at the Lern-Forum?
At the Lern-Forum, the preparatory grammar school courses take place with 3 to a maximum of 8 participants in order to ensure that there is a productive learning environment and that the teachers can also respond to the individual needs of each pupil during the preparatory grammar school course.
Does the Lern-Forum only offer grammar school preparation for pupils from the city of Zurich or also for pupils from the rest of the canton of Zurich?
The grammar school preparation courses organized by Lern-Forum at our locations in the city of Zurich are not only aimed at pupils from the city of Zurich, but also at pupils from the rest of the canton of Zurich. This is because the academic high school exam (grammar school exam) is the same for all pupils in the city and canton of Zurich. This is why it is officially referred to as the central entrance exam (ZAP). The city of Zurich itself is part of the canton of Zurich and the grammar school exam is a cantonal exam.
Although students take the grammar school exams (ZAPs) at the grammar school they have enrolled at, the tasks of the grammar school exam are the same for everyone in the canton of Zurich and in the city of Zurich, regardless of whether you take the central entrance exam at a grammar school in the city of Zurich or in the canton of Zurich outside the city of Zurich, for example in Winterthur, Uetikon am See (next to Meilen), Bülach, Dübendorf, Uster, Küsnacht, Au (between Horgen and Wädenswil), Wetzikon or Urdorf.
We have an additional location in Winterthur where we offer preparatory gymnasium courses. Of course, anyone interested from Winterthur and the surrounding area can also attend our grammar school preparation courses at our locations in Zurich (Zurich Stadelhofen and Zurich Stadelhoferplatz), especially if the grammar school courses in Winterthur are fully booked and there are still places available at our locations in the city of Zurich.
Is there also an online grammar school preparation at Lern-Forum?
The Learning Forum also offers the Online Grammar School Preparation, where students take part in the Gymi Preparation course from home on their computer, with live lessons and the opportunity to ask teachers questions.
What does the grammar school preparation cost?
The cost of grammar school preparation depends on which grammar school courses you attend. The Lern-Forum offers preparatory courses for the Gymnasium with different durations, both for the preparatory courses for the entrance examination for the long Gymnasium and for the Gymnasium courses for the short Gymnasium.
The costs for a gymnasium preparation course for the long-term grammar school for both examination subjects - German and mathematics - are between CHF 1980 (10 course days) and CHF 2980 (18 course days).
The costs for a gymnasium preparation course for the short-term grammar school for both examination subjects - German and mathematics - are between CHF 2080 (10 course days) and CHF 3140 (18 course days).
If the student starts preparing for the gymnasium at an early stage, i.e. attends preliminary courses from the 4th or 5th year of primary school or supplementary courses during secondary school and possibly also attends intensive courses to prepare for the gymnasium during the vacations, special essay training courses and/or takes part in exam simulations, additional costs are incurred.
Why do high school preparatory courses cost so much?
In a country where public schools are paid for by the state, three- to four-figure prices for private grammar school preparation courses are not comprehensible to everyone. But the reason why the cost of private grammar school preparation in Zurich reaches three to four figures is due to the following factors, among others
- monthly learning target checks to assess the learning progress of the individual student
- we send progress reports to the parents
- grammar school preparation course participants write several essays, which are corrected by us professionally, individually, in detail and very informatively
- highly qualified teachers teach with us
- teaching materials created by us
- modern equipment in the classrooms
- the duration of the respective course also affects the respective price
- centrally located classrooms in Zurich (Zurich Stadelhofen and Zurich Stadelhoferplatz)
- we employ secretarial staff for a mail and telephone service
- we offer video explanations for difficult tasks
- small course groups (3 to a maximum of 8 participants per course)
