Regulation by examination and the examination system – a (short) historical retrospective

The institutionalised examination system links the education and employment systems. Examinations are used to award entitlements which safeguard institutions, on the one hand, and secure access to parts of the labour market, on the other. The article takes a historical view of the genesis and development of the modern examination system. It takes a systematising approach, addressing the peculiarities of examinations and the examination system with regard to law and regulatory policy, institutions and examination formats. The focus – aligned with the Federal Vocational Training Act (BBiG) – is on the company-based element of vocational examinations.