If you fall ill during an examination, or shortly before it, you face the question of whether you can withdraw and how to prove it. The answer depends on the state and its examination regulations. This guide shows what a withdrawal for illness requires under the notice of the Saxon state examination office, and which differences older reports describe for other states.
In short: Taking Saxony as an example: under the notice of the Saxon state examination office dated 31 July 2025, you need a medical certificate that describes specific complaints and their effect on your performance. A bare confirmation of inability to sit the examination is not enough. The notice does not set a deadline for notification. The examination regulations of your own state remain decisive (as of November 2026).
The most important points
- The Saxon notice requires a medical certificate that describes specific complaints and their effects.
- A confirmation of inability to sit the examination on its own is not sufficient under this notice.
- On request, a certificate from the public health office (amtsärztliches Attest) must be obtained.
- The certificate should as a rule not be dated later than the examination day, and the original must be submitted.
- Older reports describe different consequences of an approved withdrawal in individual states.
What must the certificate contain?
The notice of the Saxon state examination office dated 31 July 2025 describes the requirements for proof. A medical certificate is required. It may come from the treating doctor, and if necessary a release from medical confidentiality must be attached. On request, a certificate from the public health office has to be obtained.
In substance, the certificate must set out the specific physical and/or psychological complaints and describe how they affect your performance. A confirmation of inability to sit the examination alone is expressly not sufficient. The examination office provides a form that may be used, but using it is not mandatory.
The notice also says that the date of issue should as a rule not be later than the examination day, and that the original has to be submitted. Plan your doctor visit so that the certificate covers the examination period and is available in time.
Medical or public-health certificate?
Older specialist reporting starts from a different point. A report by the legal portal LTO from 2016 describes a certificate from the public health office as necessary for an application in the states it covers. According to that report, the certificate should describe the clinical picture, while the assessment of inability to sit the examination lies with the state examination office.
The current Saxon notice, by contrast, first asks for a medical certificate and requires a certificate from the public health office only on request. In practice, ask the examination office which form applies to you before you miss the examination.
Which rules apply in other states?
The 2016 report compares several states. Its information dates from 2016, has not been checked against the current legal position and may have changed. The table therefore serves only as an example for orientation. Check each rule in the current examination regulations of your state.
| States named in the 2016 report | Rule according to the report |
|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg and Bremen | Anyone who sits the examination despite a known obstacle forfeits the right to withdraw |
| Baden-Württemberg, Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia | After an approved withdrawal, all papers must be taken at the next date |
| Bavaria, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony | Papers not worked on can be sat at the next or a replacement date, provided a certain number was worked on and mostly passed |
The report also says that withdrawal must be declared without delay. Examination regulations often set an exclusion deadline that runs after the written papers. The length of the deadline is set in your regulations and takes precedence over older information.
What does an approved withdrawal mean for your papers?
The consequences differ by state. According to the 2016 report, in some states all papers must be taken again at the next date. In other states, papers not worked on can be taken at a replacement date if a minimum number was worked on and mostly passed.
Whether a withdrawal affects a repeat is decided by state law. For how illness affects the free attempt, our guide on the free attempt (in German) explains the position, because the federal rule leaves illness expressly to state law.
How do you document the period?
The period of your complaints should be traceable. Note when the symptoms began, how they developed and which examination dates they affect. The certificate has to describe the effect on your performance, and these details are easier to word if you record them beforehand. Keep records of appointments with doctors as well, since they can document the course of the illness.
Why the timing of notification matters
The report says withdrawal must be declared without delay. Without delay means without culpable hesitation, so as soon as you recognise the obstacle and have an overview of the situation. A certificate issued only weeks after the examination day can raise the question of whether the illness was reported in time. Notify the examination office on the same day or immediately afterwards if you can.
What is a certificate from the public health office?
A certificate from the public health office (amtsärztliches Attest) is issued by a doctor of the public health service, on request of the examination office. It does not automatically replace the certificate of the treating practice, but supplements it. When and whether the office requires it follows from the notice and the examination regulations of your state. Clarifying the form early avoids requests for more evidence and lost time.
What you should not overlook when withdrawing
- The deadline for declaring the withdrawal under your state examination regulations.
- Whether the withdrawal affects your free attempt.
- A separate application for compensation of disadvantages, if you need one.
- Written replies from the examination office on your case.
A withdrawal is not the same as compensation of disadvantages. A withdrawal leads to the examination papers being taken later, while compensation changes the conditions under which you write. Both can arise in one case, but the requirements differ. Our guide on compensation of disadvantages (in German) explains the application and the evidence.
How should you proceed if you fall ill?
- Notify the examination office without delay and declare the withdrawal as soon as you know you cannot sit the examination.
- Obtain a medical certificate that describes your specific complaints and their effect on your performance.
- Ask whether a form of the state examination office should be used and whether a certificate from the public health office is needed.
- Submit the original in time and keep a copy for your records.
Frequently asked questions
Is a sick note from my family doctor enough?
Under the Saxon notice a medical certificate is required that describes complaints and their effects. A general sick note without these details is not enough under the notice. Ask the examination office whether other states impose the same requirements.
Who decides whether I was unable to sit the examination?
According to the 2016 report, the certificate describes the clinical picture, while the state examination office makes the assessment. The certificate therefore provides the basis, but the decision stays with the authority.
Must the certificate be dated on the examination day?
Under the notice, the date of issue should as a rule not be later than the examination day. The original must be submitted. A certificate dated after the examination day can raise questions, which you should clarify with the examination office.
What happens if I sit the examination despite being ill?
According to the 2016 report, in Baden-Württemberg and Bremen anyone who sits the examination despite a known obstacle forfeits the right to withdraw. This is a serious point, because it concerns the decision on the examination day. Check the rule for your state before you decide.
Related articles
- Staatsexamen and Referendariat: Reforms, Deadlines and Rules at a Glance, the hub for this topic group.
- Compensation of Disadvantages in the State Examination.
- Free Attempt in State Exams: What Counts and Where Deadlines Are.
- Repeating the State Examination: What Federal and State Law Allow.
- First State Examination Failed: The Next Steps.
Sources: State examination office of Saxony, notice on inability to sit the examination and its proof, status 31 July 2025; LTO, report on withdrawal from the examination for illness, status 2016 (both in German).
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
