Degree, diploma and title
The professional examination for management assistants with a federal certificate takes place annually, provided that at least 20 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every two years. It can be held in German, French or Italian.
Candidates are notified at least 28 days before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (including the place and time of the examination and permitted aids) and the list of experts.
The federal examination is divided into five parts, which are structured as follows (type of examination, time and weighting):
1. examination support and area management (written, 5 hours, weighting: 2)
Based on challenging practical situations, the candidates work on five simulations. Particular emphasis is placed on correct and complete implementation.
2. information management (written, 1.5 hours, weighting: 2)
In this part of the exam, candidates work on a mailbox with 15 to 30 different documents (e.g. emails, letters, telephone notes, etc.), which they analyze and use to develop an action plan and justify it accordingly. The focus here is on analysing the urgency and creating prioritization criteria for the respective documents.
3. leading team members and managing personnel transactions (written, 1 hour, weighting: 1)
The starting point is a challenging practical situation on the basis of which the candidates work on a guided case study. This case work consists of two subtasks relating to one or more of the following three subject areas: Recruiting, managing and developing employees; Mastering difficult situations; Handling personnel transactions. The focus in this part of the examination is on analyzing and creating concepts and implementing them.
4. management support, divisional management and cooperation (oral, 0.75 hours, weighting: 1)
In this part of the exam, candidates solve three to five workplace-relevant situations (so-called critical incidents), for example on topics such as: meetings, events, events, project processing, data security, data protection, first-level support, etc. To do this, you conduct a role interview with an expert in which you have to describe and justify your actions in such a challenging work situation. The focus here is on two points: on the one hand, the situational management of challenging situations and, on the other hand, on technically correct, structured and addressee-oriented communication
5. self-management, personal portfolio (prepared in advance, weighting: ¼)), technical discussion (oral, 0.5 hours, weighting: ¾)
Candidates independently create a personal portfolio in which they take an in-depth look at the design of their self-management using the analysis tools "Werkschau" and "Kompetenzraster".
Exhibition:The candidates create three works on the topic: "This is how I organize my work"
Competence grid:The candidates assess their competencies themselves using a corresponding grid (with approx. 30 key questions). In addition, they have an external assessment carried out by a superior. You record your findings in a report.
The focus here is on reflecting on personal self-management and recognizing any need for action.
Based on the personal portfolio, the expert interview takes place in a second official language or English. At the beginning, the candidates present selected content from their portfolio and then answer questions from the experts. In this part of the examination, the candidates' specialist knowledge, presentation technique and ability to reflect are tested.
Diploma and title
Graduates of the professional examination receive a federal certificate and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Management Assistant with a federal certificate".
- In French "Assistante de direction avec brevet fédéral / Assistant de direction avec brevet fédéral"
- In Italian "Assistente di direzione con attestato professionale federale"
- In English (note: only a recommendation, not a protected title) "Executive Assistant, Federal Diploma of Higher Education"