The specialists exam takes place twice a year in May and November. The registration deadline is January or July. Passing the basic exam (“Basisexamen”) is mandatory. This, along with your annual SIWF certificates and the corresponding supporting documents, must be submitted with your registration (see basics). The specialists exam costs CHF 1,000.

Our tip: Find colleagues to study with. Learning how “to speak” is important for such exams.

An “assessment” (“Standortbestimmung”) is treated like an application for a title. You will receive a legally valid decision from the Commission with detailed information about what you still need to obtain the corresponding title. Assessments are subject to a fee, which ranges from CHF 300 to CHF 400 depending on the effort.

The application for a title takes approximately 2–3 months to process, even if an assessment has already been submitted previously. However, the final SIWF certificate can be completed and signed by your head of institution three months in advance. After completing the three months, it only needs to be confirmed. A title application that cannot be granted (i.e., no title can be awarded) is automatically treated as a fee-based assessment (see above). To obtain a title, you will be required to pay CHF 4,000. Here is an article explaining why the specialist title is so expensive.