Examinations can usually be deregistered up to two days before the examination date without giving reasons in the PAUL web portal under "My examinations". Further information can be found here.

You are ill and cannot take part in an examination:

A doctor's certificate from the day of the examination at the latest is sufficient proof. This must confirm your inability to take the examination or contain the doctor's assessment of your inability to take the examination. In addition, the certificate must state the period of incapacity for the examination and the date of the examination.

Alternatively, please use our form for the certificate of incapacity for examination. The necessary information is requested there.

It is not possible to backdate the start of the examination incapacity! (Unlike in the case of incapacity for work, for example).

I am ill and my family doctor or deputy has no office hours. What now?
The following applies: 24-hour information about the medical on-call service can be obtained by dialling the toll-free number 116 117. Here you will be forwarded to the doctor responsible. Further information can also be found at https://www.kvwl.de/notfalldienst.

The cancellation must be submitted to the examination management immediately, but no later than 5 working days after the examination date, and must be substantiated.

You are ill and have taken part in an examination:

In these cases, the doctor must state when the illness began and when you were able to recognise that you were ill. If you have taken part in the examination with knowledge of the illness, you can no longer withdraw! This also means that if you recognise that you have a health condition during the examination, you must cancel the examination during this time and notify the invigilator of this cancellation. If you continue to take the exam until the end without informing the invigilator of any illness-related problems, your performance will be assessed as normal.

A medical certificate from the day of the examination at the latest will suffice as proof. This must confirm your inability to take the examination or contain the doctor's assessment of your inability to take the examination and its recognisability. In addition, the certificate must state the duration of the inability to take the examination and the time of the examination (date incl. time).

Alternatively, please use our form for the certificate of incapacity for examination. The necessary information is requested there.

It is not possible to backdate the start of the inability to take the examination! (Unlike in the case of incapacity for work, for example).

I am ill and my family doctor or deputy is not available. What now?
The following applies: 24-hour information about the medical on-call service can be obtained by dialling the toll-free number 116 117. Here you will be forwarded to the doctor responsible. Further information can also be found at https://www.kvwl.de/notfalldienst.

The cancellation must be submitted to the examination management immediately, but no later than 5 working days after the examination date, and must be substantiated.

In Germany, incapacity for examinations and incapacity for work are two different concepts.

Incapacity for work means that a person is unable to work due to illness or injury. In this case, the person concerned is entitled to receive a certificate of incapacity for work (also known as a "yellow certificate") from their doctor, which releases them from work and entitles them to sick pay from a health insurance fund.

Examination incapacity, on the other hand, refers to a person's inability to take an examination. This can be due to illness, mental stress or other circumstances. Unlike incapacity for work, incapacity for examinations does not automatically entitle you to sick leave.

News note: In contrast to incapacity for work, no sick note can be issued by telephone in the case of incapacity for examinations. A physical examination at the doctor's surgery is required!

For example, you cannot take part in an examination due to verifiable force majeure:

The requirements for proof vary depending on the situation. If, for example, a train you depend on is cancelled or delayed, you must have the cancellation/delay confirmed in writing by the transport company. Please understand that only the address stored in PAUL and thus the connection between this location and Paderborn University can be taken into account. In this case, please make sure that the date, time and the specific connection (with train number) are listed.

Atypical personal circumstances are a valid reason for withdrawing from an examination if life circumstances have occurred before or during the examination that place an extraordinary burden on candidates and prevent them from performing normally (e.g. death of a close relative during examination preparation). The atypical personal circumstances must be presented to the examination board in writing without delay and substantiated by suitable documents.

Proof of cancellation must be submitted to the examination management immediately, but no later than 5 working days after the examination date.

If you fall ill during the time you are working on your thesis, this may mean that the processing time is extended by the period of illness.

Several conditions must be met for this:

► The PM must be informed of the "prevention" from working on the thesis immediately after the start of the illness and credible evidence must be provided. For this purpose, a certificate of incapacity for examination with the corresponding period must be submitted.

► The maximum extension according to the examination regulations must not have been exhausted.

Important note:

► If it is determined that an examinee whose processing time has been extended due to illness continues to work on the thesis during the period of certified illness (or also participates in internal counselling appointments), this may be punished as cheating.

The written proof (certificate of incapacity to take the examination) must be submitted to section 3.2. Preferably, the form available on the website (see above) should be used, but a medical certificate containing all the necessary information can also be submitted.

In the PAUL web portal under "Studies > Examination administration > Applications > PM:Withdrawal from examinations for a valid reason" [please prioritise!]

► You must keep the original in accordance with the information in the online application,

or

►[alternatively] submit the original to the examination management in person or by post.

Note: The use of incorrect certificates (health certificates) in the examination procedure also constitutes a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine in accordance with Section 279 of the German Criminal Code (StGB).

Example for calculating the deadline 5 working days after the examination date:
The examination takes place on Wednesday (22 March 2023). The deadline begins on Thursday (23/03/2023) and ends 5 working days later on Tuesday (28/03/2023, 23:59). The Saturday in between is included as a working day in the calculation of the deadline, Sunday is not (basis §187ff BGB in conjunction with §3 para. 2 BUrlG).

Under "Exam results" you can see whether your request to withdraw from an exam has been granted. The entry may not be visible until the remaining examination results have been announced. If your application to withdraw from an examination has been rejected, you will be informed in any case. The same applies if evidence is missing or incomplete.