Anyone preparing for the § 34d exam runs into a regulation that fixes the subject areas and the pass rule precisely, but leaves the exam’s length and timing to individual chambers. Here is exactly what the Versicherungsvermittlungsverordnung (VersVermV) states, and what it hands off to the IHK.
What is the § 34d Versicherungsvermittler Sachkundeprüfung?
It is the knowledge exam required under § 34d of the Gewerbeordnung for anyone acting as an insurance intermediary or insurance adviser in Germany. The Sachkundeprüfung has two parts: a written part and a practical part. Under § 4 VersVermV, a candidate can only attempt the practical part after passing the written one first.
What five subject areas does the written part cover?
§ 2 (1) no. 1 VersVermV names five areas, examined through practice-oriented tasks “in einem ausgewogenen Verhältnis zueinander,” a balanced relation to one another:
- Legal foundations of insurance intermediation and advice
- Social-insurance-law framework conditions for retirement provision
- Accident, health, and long-term care insurance
- Combined contents insurance and combined buildings insurance
- Liability, motor vehicle, and legal-expenses insurance
What is the pass mark for the written part?
At least 50 percent of the attainable points, but not evenly across the board. § 4 (7) VersVermV requires 50 percent in four of the five areas and lets the fifth, whichever the candidate scored lowest in, pass at 30 percent. Because the weak area only emerges from the result itself, no fixed schedule can name it in advance.
How many questions are on the exam, and how long does it run?
That is not set nationally. § 4 (9) VersVermV delegates the details of the examination procedure, question count and time limit among them, to the Satzung of the responsible Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Anyone preparing should check with the specific IHK they are registering with rather than assume one national format applies.
What is the practical part, and who is exempt from it?
The practical part is a simulated client-advice conversation. The candidate chooses which of two subject areas to be examined in: retirement provision, or property and casualty insurance. Under § 4 (5) VersVermV, holders of a permit or an equivalent proof of competence under § 34f, § 34h, or § 34i GewO skip the practical part, but that exemption does not extend to the written part.
Who needs no Sachkundeprüfung at all?
Anyone who has worked without interruption as an insurance intermediary or insurance adviser since before 31 August 2000 is exempt from the Sachkundeprüfung entirely. The regulation separately names transitional rules covering permit applications filed before 1 January 2009.
Are the real exam’s questions published anywhere?
No. Under § 4 (3) VersVermV the tasks are not published even after the exam and are available to candidates only during the exam itself, drawn from a nationally coordinated task-selection committee. Neither this article nor RiverMap Learning’s practice app reproduces them.
How do you practise for an exam with a fixed pass rule but no fixed format?
By working the five subject areas the regulation does fix, since the question count and timing differ by chamber anyway. RiverMap Learning’s § 34d pack, part of the Berufsprüfungen Deutschland app, has 522 original questions and 160 flashcards spread across the five areas above, plus five topic notes, each explanation citing the statute it rests on. The app’s own mock exam runs 60 questions in 60 minutes and requires 50 percent in all five areas rather than the official four-at-50-plus-one-at-30 rule, both disclosed in the app as the app’s own, stricter practice setting rather than an official structure.
Every fact above comes from the Versicherungsvermittlungsverordnung, freely available at gesetze-im-internet.de.