Studying law at German universities is an eccentric one.
A curious little plant that sometimes bears wonderful fruits and its roots are still deep in the century before last.
It is so unmistakably traditional and elitist like no other degree.
The introduction of bachelor's and master's degrees in law is collectively ignored.
But nowhere is the insane stubbornness of the field of study more evident than in the evaluation system.
The grading in law studies works as follows: On a scale from 0 to 18 points, seven grades from insufficient to very good can theoretically be achieved. So far so good. However, this classification suggests to the innocent observer that it is actually possible to achieve the top grade of 18 points. This assessment is wrong! I don't say that because I look bitter and lousy at my transcript of records. There are simply no 18 points. A few examples: The best state examination grade in Baden-Württemberg was achieved by Stefan Thönissen with 15.66 points, the best from Bavaria, Philipp Scheibenpflug with 16.35 points. Not this year. But ever.
Some questions arise from this. Questions like: What's that supposed to mean? And why? First of all: why actually 18 points? The formal answer to this is: instead of just satisfactory and good grades, we have an interlude that calls itself “fully satisfactory”. In the state examination these are the grades 9.00 to 11.49. You have to know that with nine points or more in the state examination, the Jura-Primus separates from mediocrity, because with at least nine points you have a so-called "predicate examination". Those who achieve this can later choose pretty much any job that the classic law industry has to offer. The predicate exam opens the door to the large commercial law firms and the court. However, that doesn't really answer the question of why it has to be 18 points and not 15 or 5 or 25.
At least a quarter doesn't even get 4 points
This scale is especially confusing when you consider that the inclined law graduate has already passed with 4 points. The hurdle to achieve 4 points is accordingly high. The failure rate in the state examination differs from year to year and state to state, but averages 25 to 30 percent. It's not surprising that nobody gets 17 or 18 points if at least a quarter doesn't even get 4. How crazy good would someone have to be to perform four and a half times as good? But even if this child prodigy really existed, who theoretically deserves 18 points even according to these utopian claims - she would not get it. Because the correction and grading is done by people. People who themselves have no ideawhat an 18 point exam should look like. Because they don't exist.
Now this could be dismissed as a pseudo problem. What the heck, then it's just a strange system. No reason to complain. But I would say the rating system has a direct impact on law students. First of all, this makes the assessment framework more vague. A very good performance is usually only rated as good (11.50 - 13.99 points) or fully satisfactory. The boundaries are fluid and often appear arbitrary.
But the 18-point scale is also a problem across disciplines. Because achievements in the field of law are simply not comparable with those of other courses. While a degree with 2.0 is considered a real shame in some subjects, most law students would tear themselves away from it. How should employers know if they have nothing to do with law? And those who apply for a master's degree abroad with the law bachelor's degree, which is often ridiculed in Germany, may have to compete for a place there with students who naturally have much better grades. But what do such small inconveniences weigh against real German tradition?
Lina Kujak
(22 years old) is studying law in her sixth semester at the HU Berlin. Relationship status to the subject: “It's complicated.” I would like to know who ran through 2020 with an umbrella and a black cat under a ladder.