Anyone aiming to run a security company in Germany, or to take on the higher-responsibility roles in the Bewachungsgewerbe, eventually runs into the §34a Sachkundeprüfung. Here is what the exam actually is and how it is structured, based directly on the Gewerbeordnung and the Bewachungsverordnung.
What is the §34a Sachkundeprüfung?
It is the sachkunde, competence, exam required under § 34a of the Gewerbeordnung (GewO) for higher-responsibility work in Germany’s private security industry, the Bewachungsgewerbe. It is not run by a private training company: the exam is set and administered by the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), the same body responsible for many other German professional and trade qualifications.
How is the exam structured?
In two parts, and both have to be passed. The written part is 82 questions to answer in 120 minutes, worth 120 points in total. A question with one correct answer is worth 1 point and a question with two correct answers is worth 2 points, and 60 of the 120 points, 50 percent, are needed to pass. That scale is the DIHK’s, not the regulation’s: the BewachV sets no percentage and no points anywhere, only § 11 Absatz 4, under which the exam is passed when the written and oral parts are each marked at least ausreichend. This point scale has applied since 1 July 2025, which is possible precisely because it sits outside the regulation; older sources describing a 100-point exam are out of date. Only a candidate who passes the written part is admitted to the oral part, which runs about 15 minutes per person and can examine up to five candidates in the same session, usually around a discussed case scenario.
Do I need a preparation course first?
No. Registering for the exam does not require completing a Vorbereitungslehrgang, a preparation course, first, and self-study is an accepted way to prepare. It is worth keeping the Sachkundeprüfung distinct from the 40-hour Unterrichtung also provided for under § 34a GewO: that is a separate, shorter proof of knowledge aimed at lower-responsibility security roles, and passing one does not substitute for the other.
What does the exam cost?
There is no single nationwide fee. Each responsible IHK sets its own exam fee, and reported charges across chambers fall roughly between 122 and 430 euros. Because the fee, like some scheduling details, is set locally, it is worth checking the current fee schedule of the specific chamber you plan to register with before booking a date.
Can the exam be retaken?
Yes. A candidate who fails one part can retake that part alone rather than sitting the whole exam again. There is a deadline to track, though: once the written part is passed, the oral part must also be passed within two years. If that window closes without a passed oral part, the entire Sachkundeprüfung counts as not passed, and the written part must be taken again from scratch. There is no single nationally fixed waiting period between two attempts at the same part.
What topics does the exam cover?
Seven subject areas, all defined in § 7 BewachV: the law of public security and order including trade law, data protection law, the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, criminal and criminal procedure law including handling weapons, the accident-prevention rules for security services, dealing with people, and the basics of security technology. The oral part concentrates on subject areas 1 and 6, public security and order law and dealing with people, and in practice is usually built around a discussed case example.
How do you prepare for both parts?
By working through the same seven subject areas the written and oral parts share, since the oral exam draws on the same legal knowledge rather than a separate syllabus. RiverMap Learning’s §34a Sachkundeprüfung pack has 717 original questions and flashcards across all seven Sachgebiete, each explanation naming the statute it rests on, so practice stays anchored to the law rather than to unverifiable recalled questions. Its mock exam mirrors the written part’s 82 questions, 120 minutes, and 60-point pass mark, and is disclosed as marking slightly more strictly than the real exam on two-point questions, since it does not reproduce the real exam’s partial-credit scoring.
Every fact above comes from § 34a GewO and the Bewachungsverordnung, both freely available at gesetze-im-internet.de. RiverMap Learning’s app is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with the DIHK, any IHK, or any public authority, and reproduces no official exam questions.