IT secondary school

Enrolment in the IT secondary school in the Swiss canton of Zurich

The IT secondary school, short IMS, is becoming increasingly popular among Swiss students, because in addition to the business vocational Matura, graduates also obtain a federal diploma of vocational education and training as a computer scientist in the field of application development. Especially in this sector, skilled workers are currently, but also in the coming years, urgently needed worldwide. In addition, computer science offers students many practical use cases, which means that students who are enthusiastic about technology and computers could be in better hands here than in other schools.

However, in order to attend an IT secondary school, your children must first meet the admission requirements and take an exam. For this purpose, we have compiled all important information and requirements on this page. After completing the compulsory schooling of nine or ten years, your child can register for the IMS exam. If you consider the factors listed above and if your children prepare themselves comprehensively for the upcoming IMS exam, there is nothing to stop them from entering the IT secondary school!

All important dates for the IT secondary school

Before considering enrolling for the IMS exam, your child must have completed the third year of high school, level A or B. It is also possible to register if your child has already completed an equivalent education. In addition, they must not have exceeded 18 years of age before May 1st of the year in which they want to enter the IT secondary school.

If these requirements are met, you can focus on what is really important and register your children for the central entrance examination. For this purpose, there is usually an information evening at the school prior to the registration period, where you will receive all essential information as well as instructions on how to register via the corresponding online portal. You can find this under the following link: Registration for the central entrance examination

The registration period for the central entrance examination 2025 runs from November 15, 2024 to February 10, 2025. The central entrance examination is expected to take place between the beginning and middle of March.

The IMS exam procedure

The central entrance examination for the IT secondary school usually takes place every year in March. During two days, the participants undergo different written examination tasks in three examination subjects. Usually, they start at 8:15 a.m. with text comprehension and language review in German. This part of the exam takes 45 minutes, followed by 90 minutes for writing a text in German, starting at 9:30 a.m.

The following day, at 8:15 a.m., they start with a 90-minute exam in mathematics, where arithmetic, algebra and geometry are on the agenda. At 10:15 a.m. the exam is followed by text comprehension, language observation and the writing of a text in French. This last part takes another 60 minutes. After that, it is time to wait.

How is the IMS exam graded?

After a certain time, your children will receive their IMS exam results. The final grade is made up of 40 percent German, 40 percent mathematics and 20 percent French. If your child has achieved an average grade of at least 4.0, the exam is considered passed and they can continue their educational path at the IT secondary school.

The aptitude test for the IT secondary school

In addition to the central entrance examination, students who wish to attend the IMS must take an aptitude test at the ZLI, Zürcher Lehrbetriebsverband (Zurich Teaching Association). Registration is also necessary here. Furthermore, the costs for this aptitude test, which is completely subject to the regulations of the ZLI, must be paid by the student.