Some lecture courses in the Bachelor's degree programmes in the Department of Computer Science allow students who fail their first attempt at the end-of-course examination to have the attempt discounted (i.e. not recorded as a failed attempt). This provision – known in German as the 'Freiversuch' rule – is granted for certain lectures (usually introductory lectures and lectures from the specialist mandatory section of the respective degree programme) provided that certain conditions have been met. Students can make use of the Freiversuch rule without having to submit an application.
The formal regulations governing the Freiversuch rule are set out in Section § 17 (4) of the Joint Examination Regulations ('gemeinsame Prüfungsordnung'). The lecture courses that offer the Freiversuch rule are referenced in Section § 5 (7) of the study regulations for the relevant degree programme.
A failed attempt at an examination will not be counted if the following conditions are met:
If all of the above conditions are met, your failed first attempt at the examination will not be recorded.
You do not need to submit a separate application to make use of the Freiversuch rule. If you fail an examination three times, which would normally be recorded as an ‘irrevocable fail', but you are entitled to make use of the Freiversuch rule, the examination office that manages your degree programme can register you for a fourth examination attempt. In this case, you should email the examinations office well before the registration deadline for the relevant exam in the LSF portal. Please provide your student registration number, the name of the lecture and the examination date.
Examples: