Format and requirements
Students whose Viennese university prescribes the supplementary English exam in their admission letter (Zulassungsbescheid).
EPE is one of the Ergänzungsprüfungen (supplementary exams) held at the Vorstudienlehrgang der Wiener Universitäten (VWU), alongside EPM (mathematics), EPD (German) and EPP (physics). If your university admission letter lists English as a required subject, you need a positive EPE result to complete your admission requirements. You can register without attending a VWU course, but only with an admission letter that prescribes the exam.
The exam has two stages: a written part, then an oral part, but the oral part is only offered once you pass the written part.
- Format
- Written (3 parts) + oral, oral only after a positive written result
- Working time (written)
- 150 minutes: Reading Comprehension 50, Language in Use 40, Text Production 60
- Passing (written)
- At least 9/20 in each of the 3 parts and at least 36/60 overall
- Frequency
- 3 times per semester, on VWU's shared exam calendar
- Fee
- €66
What the written exam tests
- I. Reading Comprehension: 50 minutes, up to 20 points
- II. Language in Use: 40 minutes, up to 20 points
- III. Text Production (in VWU's model, a 250-word blog comment): 60 minutes, up to 20 points
- Oral part, only if the written part is passed: you pick one of two topics, prepare for about 20 minutes, then discuss the stimulus you receive with your examiner for about 7 minutes. The exam board has three members.
How to prepare
- Practise reading under time pressure in the formats of VWU's model: true/false with a justification, matching and multiple choice
- Practise Language in Use on tasks in the model format, such as cloze texts and spotting superfluous words (editing), not just isolated grammar rules
- Write timed 250-word blog comments. A text more than 10% off the word count loses points, and one under 110 words is not assessed at all
- Work through the model exam VWU publishes on vwu-info.at: it has samples of all three written parts, a sample oral exam and a list of 10 topics
- If you're also preparing for EPM, EPD or EPP, plan your English preparation alongside those: VWUPass already covers all three
Frequently asked questions
Who needs to take EPE?
Whoever their university prescribes it to: the exam is listed in the Zulassungsbescheid (admission letter), and without one you can't register for EPE. VWU doesn't publish the criterion a university uses to prescribe English.
What happens if I fail the written part?
You can't sit the oral part in that sitting. The exam can be repeated up to 4 times, so you can register again for one of the following exam dates.
How much does EPE cost?
The fee is €66, the same as for EPD and EPM.
How often is EPE held?
3 times per semester, on VWU's shared calendar for all Ergänzungsprüfungen: September, November and January in the winter semester; March, April/May and June in the summer semester.
Are the numbers on this page official?
Yes. The written exam's timing, points and pass marks come from the model exam VWU publishes on vwu-info.at (as of September 2024). Dates, the fee and the number of attempts are on VWU's page at oead.at. Check both before your sitting: VWU may update the model.