State Examination in Law: Rhineland-Palatinate Is the First German State to Examine with Digital Statutes

Anyone writing the Second State Examination in Law in Rhineland-Palatinate no longer has to carry suitcases full of statute collections and commentaries into the exam hall.

From 5 to 16 October, around 200 trainee lawyers in Mainz, Frankenthal and Trier took their exams fully digitally in regular operation for the first time. On eight exam days, they each wrote for five hours on a laptop. The permitted statutes and commentaries from C.H.BECK were available to them on a second screen. This makes Rhineland-Palatinate the first German state to introduce digital aids in the Second State Examination in Law. It is made possible by a joint project of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Examination Office for Lawyers, the publishing house C.H.BECK and the exam software provider IQUL GmbH.

"A strong constitutional state needs well-trained lawyers. This includes modern training that reflects the way young people work and prepares them realistically for working life. […] The fully digital exam reflects this practice," explains Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection Dr. Helmut Martin in the ministry's announcement of 16 October.

From preparation to exam without switching media

Until now, candidates had to buy or borrow the permitted works, keep them up to date and bring them along on exam day. From now on, the suitcase full of printed texts is a thing of the past in Rhineland-Palatinate. Since starting their preparatory service in May 2025, the trainee lawyers have been able to use the beck-eExamensbibliothek, with exactly the content available to them in the exam. They were also able to give feedback and help shape the new tool as part of the pilot project. In the exam, the same statute collections and commentaries appear in IQUL's Q-Exam® exam software. Sections can be called up directly, and commentary passages can be found via keyword and margin number search. Nobody faced an unfamiliar situation on exam day.

All permitted aids are available, always in the current version, identical for everyone. Each exam workstation consists of a laptop with IQUL's exam software and a second screen with the digital aids. Software and hardware are fully hardened and are secure against cheating, audit-proof and legally compliant. The devices therefore remain offline throughout the entire exam.

One version, one legal status, fully documented

All candidates work with the same version specified by the examination office. Different editions, outdated versions or private margin notes no longer play a role. The examination office can prove at any time which text each candidate had in front of them. This gives examiners and markers certainty and prevents appeals due to unclear legal status.

"We do not want an easier exam, but a more realistic one. Legal competence should remain the focus. […] AI elements are quite deliberately not included in this application," emphasises Birgit Nennstiel, President of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Examination Office for Lawyers, in the ministry's announcement.

The final building block of a digital exam

Rhineland-Palatinate is regarded as a pioneer in the digitalisation of state law examinations. Since October 2021, the exams in the Second State Examination can be written on a laptop, and marking and file inspection have been electronic for years. With the digital aids, the entire written examination process is now digital.

Behind the solution is an interdisciplinary team from the State Examination Office, C.H.BECK and IQUL GmbH. C.H.BECK supplies the permitted specialist content via the beck-eExamensbibliothek, while IQUL provides the hardware, the Q-Exam® exam software and the secure integration of the aids into the exam situation. Since April 2025, the partners have tested the procedure technically and organisationally, after jointly developing the software for a year beforehand. A voluntary mock exam in May 2026 gave everyone involved a good feel for the exam.

"The project shows what is possible when public administration and specialised partners pull together. Everyone contributed what they do best. Rhineland-Palatinate being the first federal state to take this step is a milestone for legal education. We are very proud to have helped usher in this new phase of electronic law examinations as an innovation leader," says Dr. Jonas vor dem Esche, Managing Director of IQUL GmbH. In 2026, the company was named one of the 100 most innovative medium-sized companies in Germany; the award was presented by former Federal President Christian Wulff.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Weber, member of the executive management board at C.H.BECK, describes the first digitally conducted and regularly graded Second State Examination in beck-aktuell as the beginning of a "new phase of legal examinations in Germany". The digital exam workstation shows how state examinations can be designed in a contemporary, efficient and practical way.

Legal Tribune Online also reported that the technical exam environment comes from IQUL GmbH (LTO: Das Ende des Rollkoffers, in German). All reports at a glance: Media coverage.

More on digital state examinations: IQUL for ministries of justice and state examination offices

About IQUL

IQUL GmbH, based in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, is a full-service provider of digital exams and e-assessment. Around 130 employees develop the Q-Exam® exam software and deliver exams for ministries, chambers, universities and associations: from software and hardware – with more than 3,000 company-owned exam laptops – to on-site staff, and as a complete Exam-as-a-Service on request. The solutions are legally compliant, GDPR-compliant and scalable for exams of any size.